The last time the Northeastern University Men’s Hockey team unfurled a banner as Hockey East Champions was 1988. But on Saturday night, October 15, captain John Stevens and assistant captain Zach Aston-Reese were called to pull the ropes and unroll the banner hanging from the rafter with the 2016 year added. Yes, it had been 28 years—longer than any of those players responsible for the feat have been alive. The smiles on the faces of the two players were matched by many of their teammates as the arena erupted with cheering. It was an obviously emotional moment to launch the Huskies opening home game.
Hockey East Championship Banner – Northeastern Huskies
Once the festivities were completed it was time for the players to turn their attention to the game against the Bentley Falcons in the backend of a home-and-home. Friday night the teams would have to settle for a tie in the non-division games, but it was obvious from the initial puck drop that the Huskies intended Saturday’s game have a different and more positive final outcome.
Just 47 seconds into the game, the Huskies were on the scoreboard with the first of what would be seven goals on the night for those in red and black. It seemed poetic that it was an unassisted goal by Aston-Reese—the first of his two, and he would add two assists for a four-point game. Six minutes later John Stevens would notch his first of the season.
It was clear that this team was determined to come out strong. It’s possible that they were riding the high of the banner raising—at least in the energy department—but their demeanor on the ice was one of confidence and concentration. They were winning faceoffs, making smart moves and completing solid tape-to-tape passes. This was the level of play that saw the Huskies earn that championship this past spring—not the team that had taken to the ice at the beginning of last season.
Huskies Head Coach Jim Madigan
There were still some mistakes, especially as the Huskies got up 6-1 in the second period. Perhaps it was the idea of how disparate the score was or it may have been a dip in their adrenaline from the emotional beginning, but as the middle frame entered its second ten minutes, that disciplined and focused play seemed to break down just a bit allowing the Falcons the opportunity to get two more goals, including a short-hander with just under two minutes remaining in the second period.
One of the other areas that head coach Jim Madigan mentioned specifically that needs some tightening was their 5-on-3 power plays—none of which they were able to convert, despite the number of two-man advantages they saw throughout the game.
In the end, the Huskies would defeat the Falcons 7-3, with a number of players having multi-point games or notching their first collegiate goals: Aston-Reese (2 goals, 2 assists); Adam Gaudette (1 goal, 3 assists), Dylan Sikura (4 assists); Ryan Shea (1st collegiate goal); and Matt Filipe (1st collegiate goal).
The Huskies will return to Matthews Arena Friday, October 21 and Saturday October 22, when they will play host to the Arizona State University Sun Devils.
The Buffalo Sabres haven’t had the best opening week with the loss to the Montreal Canadiens and the injuries to forwards Jack Eichel and Evander Kane.
They will begin a three game road trip in Western Canada on Sunday night when they face off against the Edmonton Oilers. Buffalo will then travel to Calgary to face the Flames, and finish up in Vancouver taking on the Canucks. There is the potential to win a few games on this road trip if the Sabres can find a way to get some offense.
The Sabres will face-off against the Oilers on Sunday night, but there won’t be the anticipated Connor McDavid-Jack Eichel matchup since Eichel is out with a high ankle sprain. The Oilers are 2-0-0 after beating the Calgary Flames twice in three nights. McDavid has three goals and three assists for six points early on, while Leon Draisaitl has four points. Buffalo struggled in its opener against the Montreal Canadiens losing 4-1, and they couldn’t seem to get anything going in the offensive zone. The team also lost Evander Kane due to an injury after crashing into the boards.
If the Sabres want to get its first win of the season then they’ll need to keep McDavid in check and not allow him to get going offensively. They will need some players to step up on the offense, but it is expected that free agent signing, Kyle Okposo, will be able to play on Sunday. It would be his first game of the season since he missed the season opener with a knee contusion. They’ll need to get some sustained offensive zone pressure and get in on the forecheck. It would be good for the team if they could get the first goal, and not have to play from behind.
The Sabres will visit the Flames on Tuesday night. Calgary has struggled in the early going especially their goaltender, Brian Elliott. While the Flames have been able to score goals, they have struggled to keep the puck out of their own net. The Flames have been playing from behind so they’ve been taking a decent amount of penalties in the early going.
Buffalo needs to get a lot of shots on goal in this game to take advantage of the struggling Elliott. The Sabres forwards need to get in front of Elliott so he can’t track the puck. The team will need to put pressure on the Flames defense to force turnovers, which should lead to scoring chances. Buffalo will need to get the first goal to gain some confidence in the offensive end of the ice. The Sabres will need to be careful when on the power play because the Flames can score while shorthanded. If they play smart hockey then they can give themselves a chance to grab a win.
On Thursday night, Buffalo will visit Vancouver to take on the Canucks. The Canucks don’t have the best defense in the NHL, so the goalies will need to be good this season. They aren’t exactly the most balanced team either. If Buffalo can manage to stop the top line of the Sedin Twins and Loui Eriksson then they’ll have a good chance at winning the game. They’ll need to attack the defense and force turnovers. Buffalo also needs to make sure that they get traffic to the front of the net, and get in on the forecheck.
Could you feel the cool breeze on your face? Could you see the orange, gold, and yellow changes happening in the leaves? Could you smell the anticipation as over 12,000 fans packed into Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan for the season debut of the Grand Rapids Griffins versus the Chicago Wolves? Hockey season is back and the hometown team gave their sold out house what they came for, a 3 – 1 win over their out-of-town rivals.
After the usual home season opener festivities – the introduction of the entire team, coaches, trainers, and support staff – the game got underway. The Griffins rolled out a starting lineup of Anthony Mantha #8, Nick Jensen #14, Brian Lashoff #18, Eric Tangradi #26, and Matt Lorito #28. Opposing them for the Wolves were Morgan Ellis #4, former Griffin Landon Ferraro #13, Kenny Agostino #18, Chris Butler #25, and Brett Sterling #29. Jared Coreau #31 for the Griffins and Jordan Binnington #35 for Wolves covered the pipes.
Both teams played well and appeared to be very closely matched in style, talent, and game play. The usual early season game jitters were present and appeared for both teams in the form of some poor stick handling at times, and some sloppy skating. Overall, for a first face off of the season however, these teams came prepared and capable of some strong play.
With the first period underway, Landon Ferraro grabbed 2:00 at 9:37 for holding, but the Griffins were unable to capitalize on the power play and the Wolves returned to full strength. Shortly after, it appeared that the Griffins may have made the first mark of the game, but the goal was waved off as the net was dislodged and Head Coach Todd Nelson chose not to challenge the call. Grand Rapids redeemed that loss shortly thereafter when they drew the first blood of the game at 14:55 on a goal by RW Mitch Callahan (Assists: Criscuolo, Bertuzzi).
#GRG Callahan, Bertuzzi, and Criscuolo celebrate the Griffins first goal of the game. Photo courtesy of Mark Newman, Grand Rapids Griffins
At 16:40 Griffins LW Anthony Mantha drew a kneeing penalty, but the Wolves, like their opponent before them were able to find the light in the net. The period ended with former Michigan State University standout and Wolves LW Mackenzie MacEachern #15 in the box (at 19:47) for hooking. The teams took to the locker room with the Griffins at 1, the Wolves 0.
With MacEachern still sitting in the box as the 2nd period got underway, the Griffins were able to finally make good on a power play and at 0:35 Anthony Mantha (Assists: Lorito, Paetsch) was able to get the puck past Binnington and the Griffins went up 2 – 0. At 6:12, Bertuzzi got tossed for 2:00 for roughing, but the team held strong in the penalty kill. Three minutes later the Griffins got called again, this time for too many men on the ice. Evgeny Svechnikov #77 served the time but the Griffins continued to dominate the penalty kill and the Wolves came away from the power play empty handed. The Wolves finally got an opportunity to get on the board at 15:17 when Brett Sterling (Assists: Ferraro, Hunt) finally moved the puck around the opposition and past Coreau. It was the first and last goal of the night for the boys from the windy city. As the period closed, the score was Griffins 2, Wolves 1.
The third period opened with both teams playing hard and both on a mission: the Griffins to hold their lead and the Wolves to take it away. The third period action was fast and there were several good plays and takeaways by both teams. Due to the hard action and objectives of both teams to meet their goals this also seemed to be where some of the sloppiest stick handling occurred. Several times, clean passes were made to players on both sides who were in good position to make an attack but either bobbled the puck or missed the pass altogether. Not unusual for a first game of the season as the players get their legs under them for the first time and get used to playing with the new players on their teams.
Chicago Goalie Jordan Binnington deflects a shot on goal while Morgan Ellis assists with the defense. Photo courtesy of Mark Newman, Grand Rapids Griffins
The Griffins managed to glide through the 3rd period without a single penalty while the Wolves were tagged twice. The first, at 14:20, was on Connor Bleackley #10 for holding. The Wolves were strong on the penalty kill and the clock continued to count down with an unchanged score. At 17:53 Alex Friesen #8 was called for slashing, putting Chicago down a man again. To try and tie the game and force the overtime, Wolves Head Coach Craig Berube pulled Binnington from the goal and placed five on the offensive. The Wolves did an excellent job of applying pressure to the Griffins and Grand Rapids goalie Jared Coreau, while under that strain, remained solid. Then at 19:42, the Griffins were able to wrest the puck away from the Wolves near center ice and Grand Rapids Mitch Callahan #15 (Assists: Aubry, Nastasiuk) hit the empty net for the final goal of the game. The game ended 18 seconds later with the Griffins securing their home opener win 3 – 1.
Overall, both teams looked solid for a season opener. Errors aside, these teams were well matched in this game and goalies Coreau and Binnington performed exceptionally. Coreau made 27 saves on 28 shots on goal, and Binnington
Jared Coreau, #31
Photo Courtesy of Mark Newman, Grand Rapids Griffins
saw 31 saves against 33 shots on. With 13 of their 20 players returning from last year, it will be interesting to watch how the Griffins develop over the course of this season. Likewise, with solid experienced talent like Ferraro, and strong up-and-comers like MacEachern, the Wolves may have a good season ahead. It’s just too early to tell – and that’s why we come back night after night.
The Griffins and Wolves face off again tonight, this time in Chicago.
If the Philadelphia Flyers hope to get back to the playoffs this season then the bottom six forwards will need to contribute and the defense will need to play smart.
The Flyers couldn’t do much in the offseason because of its cap situation, but General Manager Ron Hextall did manage to improve the penalty kill and get some offensive depth. Dale Weise and Boyd Gordon were the Flyers two major offseason signings. Hextall seemed to focus on improving the Flyers’ AHL affiliate, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, by signing a lot of good players to two-way contracts. The focus had to be on the Phantoms and call-ups because the Flyers didn’t have much cap room to work with during the offseason. Philadelphia also re-signed a couple of restricted free agents to new contracts specifically defenseman Radko Gudas and forward Brayden Schenn.
If the Flyers don’t want to be on the outside looking into the playoff picture then they’ll need for Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek to have bounce back seasons. Giroux did manage to get 67 points last year, but there were games that the opposing teams kept him off the score sheet and out of the game completely. The addition of Gordon to the penalty kill should help Giroux because that’ll mean less ice time and it should keep him fresher for even strength and power play shifts. Voracek really struggled last year only managing 11 goals and 55 points. He had a 26 point drop off from the 2014-15 season where he had 81 points. Voracek looked really good in preseason, using his speed and strength to make plays. If the duo can get back to their old form then they’ll have two formidable lines with scoring threats.
The x-factor this season will be the play of the special teams. The Flyers have a strong top power play unit that includes Giroux, Schenn, Wayne Simmonds, Voracek and Shayne Gostisbehere. They’ll need to shoot the puck more and stop overpassing for the perfect chance, just get the puck on net. The second power play unit has been upgraded with the addition of Travis Konecny over Matt Read. Konecny can man the half boards and he has no problem going to the front of the net either. Dale Weise should be the net front presence for that unit. The penalty kill looked really good in preseason and should be improved with the addition of Gordon and a new system. Philadelphia is being more aggressive on the penalty kill this year and it worked for them in the preseason.
Sean Couturier should have a breakout season on the offensive side of the puck. He’ll be playing with Konecny and Voracek, who can both shoot the puck and pass the puck. Couturier should be able to set up in front of the net and get some “dirty” goals since he has good size. He will also get time on the second power play unit, which was improved in the offseason. The young forward should flourish with more ice time and better line mates this year. A big factor in him having a breakout season will be to stay healthy.
The offense still looks to be an area where the Flyers need to live up to potential or there won’t be many goals scored. Philadelphia had trouble scoring last year and it continued in the preseason where they were shutout three times in eight games. They aren’t a balanced group and will rely a lot on the top six forwards to score and produce points. The bottom six are going to need to find a way to contribute on the scoresheet, specifically to the goals and points columns. If the bottom six can’t find a way to contribute then they’re going to be in trouble because teams can just focus on shutting down the top six.
The defense is a question mark like it is almost every year at the start of a new season. They won’t have Michael Del Zotto for the first four to five weeks of the season due to an injury suffered in the preseason and Gudas is suspended for the first six games of the season due to an illegal check in the preseason. How does Gostisbehere respond after having a successful rookie campaign? Does he have a sophomore slump or find a way to continue his success? How much responsibility is put on rookie defenseman Ivan Provorov? The veterans like Mark Streit, Andrew MacDonald and Nick Schultz will need to play a smart game and avoid turning the puck over. Does Gudas play the smart way like he did the second half of the season or is he suspended again because of another bad hit?
The goaltending is actually a strong aspect of this team. The duo of Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth were unbelievable last season. They single-handedly won game for the Flyers especially Mason with a long run of good games down the stretch to get them into the playoffs. The goalies are both in contract years so look for them to really shine, if they can manage to stay healthy. They really stepped up last season when called upon, but they both could improve in the shootout, but that goes for the whole Flyers team. If Mason and Neuvirth can have repeat performances of last season then the team will have a tough decision to make as to which goalie to keep.
Philadelphia will be on the outside looking in come playoff time because of its lack of balanced scoring and not having a true number one defensive pairing.
The Dallas Stars are looking to go even deeper into the playoffs this season, but there are some potential road blocks that can keep that from happening.
In the offseason, the Stars lost three veteran defenseman: Alex Goligoski, Jason Demers and Kris Russell. They added veteran defenseman Dan Hamhuis to the blue line and will fill the other holes with some young kids. On the offensive side of the puck they added Jiri Hudler and Lauri Korpiksoki while losing Colton Sceviour, Vernon Fiddler and Travis Moen in free agency.
The key to another good season is the production and healthy of Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. Benn is coming off of surgery in the offseason and he skipped the World Cup of Hockey to focus on his rehab. Seguin injured his heel during the World Cupf of Hockey, but is expected to be in the lineup for the opener. Benn and Seguin have been one of the best duos in the league over the past few seasons and Dallas will need them to remain healthy since they are an integral part of the offense. Benn and Seguin have combined for 326 total points over the past two seasons.
The x-factor to the Stars getting back into the postseason will be the goaltending. Antti Niemi gets the start for the first game of the season with Kari Lehtonen backing up. Lindy Ruff showed that he wasn’t afraid to split the time between the two goalies last season. The goalies will need to be much better than they were last season at stopping the puck. If the goalies play up to their potential, make routine saves and are consistent with their play throughout the year than the Stars should finish in decent position to make the postseason.
The surprise player for the Stars this season will be young defenseman Stephen Johns. He’ll see some ice time and maybe even top four ice time, which should help him to improve his game even more. He won’t have a breakout on the offensive side of the puck because he’s just not that type of player. He should come into his own this season especially if he plays with one of the veterans like Johnny Oduya or Dan Hamhuis. He will make his mistakes, but learn from them and become better defensively as the season goes on.
Dallas will have no problem scoring goals this season. They have a balanced lineup so it’ll be hard to just focus on shutting down one line. They’ll miss Mattias Janmark, who will miss 5-6 months after having knee surgery in the offseason. Anyone in the Stars lineup can pitch in on the offensive side of things even if it’s just with a few assists here and there. They are a skilled bunch up front with decent size and, for the most part, it’s a veteran lineup in the forward positions.
The blue line has some decent size on it, but it’ll be on the younger side. The Stars will likely pair a veteran with a young kid to start the season. They’ll be a little more on the inexperienced side this year as opposed to the veteran lauded blue line that they had last season. Hamhuis is an overall up grade over Kris Russell, who specialized in shot blocking. The young kids will add some speed to the back end, and they can move the puck well. The defense will give up its chances so the goalies are going to have to be sharp.
The goaltending duo of Lehtonen and Niemi is back for another season. They had moments where they looked good last year, but for the most part there weren’t making the saves that should have been made. They’re veterans so the Stars are hoping that they can put it behind them and have a bounce back year. They both need to become more consistent and it would help if a true number one could emerge and take charge of the net for a majority of the season. This is definitely the biggest question heading into the season especially how last year ended for the both of them.
The Stars should finish in the top 10 in the NHL again while on the man advantage. They have two strong power play units and Jiri Hudler will add some goals to a power play that finished fourth last year. The Stars power play did struggle in the postseason though, but they didn’t have Seguin since he was out injured. They’ll have to take better care of the puck and not allow as many short handed goals against as they did last season. This should be a strong point of Dallas in the upcoming season.
The penalty kill needs to improve a bit, but they were ranked in the top 10 last year. They did bring in some forwards that can help like Korpikoski and Cracknell, both veteran players. The goalies will need to be better and stop the easy chances. They’ll need to make the spectacular saves to go along with the routine ones
The fate of the Stars postseason will rely on how the goalies and young defenseman play. The offense will again lead them into the playoffs, where they have another early exit.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have the gang back together for this season and beyond. General Manager Steve Yzerman was able to work some magic and get the integral parts of the roster signed to new contracts.
In the offseason, Yzerman was able to get J.T. Brown, Cedric Paquette and Vladislav Namestnikov all signed to new two year contracts. Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman were signed to new eight year deals, while Andrei Vasilevskiy was signed to a new three-year deal. Alex Killorn signed a new seven year deal and Nikita Kucherov was the last to get signed, but he agreed to a new three-year contract. Yzerman was able to keep everyone and at salary cap friendly averages per season.
The key player of the Lightning’s season will be captain Steven Stamkos. Stamos is coming off of a season in which he missed a chunk of time due to blood clots. He did return for the last game of the Eastern Conference Final which Tampa Bay lost, eliminating them from the postseason. Stamkos will need to pitch in some points in order to be effective. If the Lightning want to make it back to the Stanley Cup Final then Stamkos will need to have another good season.
The x-factor this year will be how effective the power play ends up being. The Bolts struggled last year while on the man advantage and finished with the third worst power play percentage in the league (15.8%). They had a top ten power play while at home, but couldn’t buy a power play goal on the road (10.1%). If the Bolts want to win even more game than last season then the power play is going to need to see an improvement. Almost every team in the Atlantic Division got better in the offseason so the Lightning will need to power play to get as many points as they can.
Jonathan Drouin will be the surprise player for Tampa Bay this year. Yes, he really stepped up his level of play after Stamkos went down with the blood clot, but imagine what he could do in a full season with the Lightning. He should put up some big numbers since he’ll get even strength and power play time. He can skate and can be creative in the offensive zone, but he’ll need to make sure to take care of the puck especially in his own zone. Drouin proved that he’s better when he’s engaged in the game from puck drop in the postseason. He isn’t afraid to go to the net and get some goals that way too.
The offense will look almost the same as last season, but with the addition of Brayden Point. They have the talent to put the puck in the net to go with speed and skill. They aren’t the biggest group of forwards in the league, but they have speed which should help them stay out of trouble or get back into a play should they get into some trouble. The Lightning also have a balanced attack so it’s hard to focus on just one line because another one can hurt you. They are a younger group, but they have a plenty of experience.
Tampa Bay has some size on the blue line. They can skate and move the puck out of the defensive zone. The defensemen have no problem jumping into the play in the offensive zone, and will be deep in the offensive zone at times during the game. The Lightning have a decent defensive corps who will play defense and they are a veteran group in terms of experience. They aren’t afraid to block shots and play physical, if needed.
The power play wasn’t good last year especially on the road. The only had 13 power play goals in 129 attempts while on the road. Their 10.1% while on the man advantage on the road was the worst in the NHL, while its 15.8 power play overall percentage was third worst in the NHL. The power play will need to improve and should improve with all the talent that will be on the ice at the same time. The penalty kill was ranked in the top 10, but Tampa Bay could stand to be a little bit more disciplined this year. They were shorthanded 257 times last season.
The Lightning have a majority of its players returning from last year so they should make another deep run in the postseason.
The Buffalo Sabres will be without one of its top players for an unknown amount of time this season.
Jack Eichel was injured in practice on Wednesday and was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain. There was no timetable given for his return to the ice. Eichel’s injury is a huge loss for the Sabres, who are looking to improve from a season ago.
The Sabres finished last season with a 35-36-11 record and 81 points. They finished 23rd out of 30 teams last year, but there was improvement shown; scoring 199 goals while giving up 215. They finished 14th out of 16 teams in the Eastern Conference, and 7th out of eight teams in the Atlantic Division.
In the offseason, the Sabres upgraded the blue line with the addition of Dmitry Kulikov, who was acquired in a trade with the Florida Panthers. The offense got an upgrade with free agent signing of Kyle Okposo, and Buffalo found its backup goalie in Anders Nilsson. Tim Murray and the Sabres then went and re-signed Johan Larsson, Nicolas Deslauriers, Casey Nelson, Jake McCabe, Marcus Foligno, and Zemgus Girgensons among a few others. Derek Grant was supposed to be an upgrade to the AHL Affiliate, but instead he had a great camp and preseason and made the Sabres final roster.
The key to improvement for the Sabres will be Kyle Okposo. Eichel will be out for an extended period of time, and someone needs to step up to replace his lost offense. Okposo will be out for the season opener on Thursday due to a bruised knee, but is listed as day-to-day. Okposo will have some big shoes to fill but he did score 22 goals, have 42 assists for a total of 64 points for the New York Islanders last season. If Okposo can step up and pitch in on the offensive side of things than the Sabres should be an improved team.
The health of Robin Lehner will be the x-factor this year. If Lehner can stay healthy this season then the Sabres should show even more improvement. Lerner was out last year for an extended period of time after injuring his ankle and Linus Ullmark did a decent job along with Chad Johnson, but Ullmark is in the AHL and Nilsson is the backup. Nilsson doesn’t have the experience to be the starting goaltender behind a mediocre defense; so the health of Lehner is imperative to the Sabres season.
Sam Reinhart will open some eyes again this year, especially if he gets more ice time due to the Eichel injury. He can skate and is a playmaker so if he is paired with a goal scorer then look out. He will also get some time on the power play, which means even more opportunity for him to rack up some points.
The offense definitely took a hit with the loss of Eichel, but they should still be able to hold their own. The forwards have some skill and speed so they’ll be able to move the puck. They have a nice mix of veterans and kids up front, and the defense will pitch in on the offensive side of the puck. The offensive players will get their chances and have the ability to put the puck in the net. The centers seem to have good face off win percentages, so that will help with gaining possession and getting some time in the offensive zone.
The defense is a question mark again this year even with the addition of Kulikov. Buffalo doesn’t have a true number one guy that can be the shutdown defenseman. They are willing to block shots and certain guys aren’t afraid to be physical. The defense should be involved in the offense since they can move the puck pretty well. The Sabres don’t have too many true stay-at-home defensive defenseman and that could hurt them. They will give up their chances and the goalies will need to stay focused.
The power play was decent last season, but should improve with the additions of Okposo and Kulikov. It will be interesting to see what the new power play units will look like without Eichel. They’ll need to draw more penalties on the road and be better overall on the road with the man advantage since they were in the middle of the pack. The penalty kill unit ranked in the top 10 last season and they should be ranked there again this year. They’ll need to improve on the road since they were ranked 16th while playing a man down on the road.
The Sabres should see an improvement this year, but the postseason drought will continue for Buffalo.
The Nashville Predators regular-season home opener against the Blackhawks at Bridgestone Arena is on Friday (NBC SN, 7 p.m.). As discussed earlier, the Predators had a lot of changes this summer with one of the biggest being backup goalie, mid-game broadcaster, and Pekka Rinne’s pump-up buddy Carter Hutton signed with the St. Louis Blues.
Oh, and also, Shea Weber is now a Montreal Canadien/Canadian and P.K. Subban is on the Predators (and blowing up social media with tweets like this (possibly NSFW) and this) and Mike Fisher is now the Captain of the team.
So, you know. Pretty big things for what most people consider a small-market team.
Other moves include signing Matt Carle, Roman Josi (who Shea Weber said should’ve been the Captain in his exit interviews) & James Neal are now the Alternative Captains. The NHL 17 video game has chosen the Predators to win the Stanley Cup this year. Pekka Rinne was the best part of Team Finland at the Worlds according to The Hockey Writers and has a new workout plan (it involves kale) to stay healthy. P.K. Subban’s jersey sales saw a 75% increase after he became a Pred.
The Opening Night roster is stock full of home-grown players:
Forwards: Filip Forsberg; Colton Sissons; Mike Fisher; Craig Smith; Cody Bass; James Neal; Calle Jarnkrok; Miikka Salomaki; Colin Wilson; Viktor Arvidsson; Kevin Fiala; Mike Ribeiro; Ryan Johansen
Defense: Anthony Bitetto; Ryan Ellis; Yannick Weber; Mattias Ekholm; Matt Carle; Roman Josi; P.K. Subban
Goaltender: Pekka Rinne; Marek Mazanec
Catching Up With Former Predators:
- Rich Clune [2013 – 2015] celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving to say what he was thankful for.
- Anders Lindback [2008 – 2012] might be one of the New Jersey Devils backups, either for their AHL team in Albany or in the NHL.
- Kevin Klein [2003 – 2014] has back spasms and might not play in the home opener on Thursday Night.
The Buffalo Sabres and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen have agree to a new six-year deal worth $32.4 million.
It comes with a cap hit of $5.4 million per season and Ristolainen will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the contract. The contract runs through the 2021-22 season. He was a restricted free agent, but he was skating with the Sabres while he didn’t have a contract. Ristolainen played for Finland in the World Cup of Hockey.
The defenseman played in all 82 games for the Sabres last season. He had nine goals, 32 assists, 41 points and averaged 25:16 of ice time per game. Ristolainen has improved in each of his first three seasons with the Sabres. He set career highs in goals (9), assists (32), points (41), shots (202) and time on ice per game (25:16). He led Buffalo defenseman in goals (9), assists (32) and points (41) and he was ranked 10th among all NHL defenseman in average time on ice per game (25:16).
Ristolainen has a little bit of a physical side to his game, and he is willing to block shots. He has great size to go with a big shot, which he isn’t afraid to use to get pucks to the net. The defenseman showed some shutdown ability last season before he started to struggle a little bit, but that could have been due to the jump in minutes that he was playing. He can skate and that helps him be able to move the puck out of his own zone. Ristolainen can log minutes and the Sabres aren’t afraid to use him to eat up minutes. He’s more of an offensive defenseman, who need to improve his defensive game.
Ristolainen has some things that he needs to work on like he play without the puck. He needs to be able to know where to go when he doesn’t have the puck instead of looking lost at times. His defensive zone coverage needs to improve in order for him to be a big time shutdown defender. Ristolainen can tend to get out of position because he is playing the puck and not the man. he also needs to keep his game simple and not overthink the little things.
The Sabres have its young defenseman locked up for the next six year. The deal was a good one for both sides since it isn’t a huge cap hit for the Sabres and it’s a long term deal for Ristolainen.
New York Islanders prospect, 2 NHL CSS listed players win weekly awards
The United States Hockey League announced the CCM Forward, Defenseman and Goaltender of the Week for Week 3 of the 2016-17 season. New York Islanders prospectCollin Adams won his first weekly honor after back-to-back two-goal nights, in addition to Waterloo Black Hawks defenseman Mikey Anderson and Des Moines goaltender Jan Ruzicka both winning their first weekly awards. Anderson and Ruzicka were both named to the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Watch List earlier this week. CCM Hockey is the official equipment provider of the USHL.
Collin Adams
Forward: Collin Adams – Muskegon Lumberjacks
2 GP: 4 goals, 1 assist, +6 rating
Adams scored twice in back-to-back games, in addition to dishing out one assist over the weekend. The Brighton, MI native currently has a four-game point streak, and has multi-point performances in three of his five games this season. Saturday night’s two-goal game was the winger’s 23rd career multi-point game, and eighth career multi-goal game. The University of North Dakota commit scored 61 points in 59 games last season and was named to the 2016 USHL All-Rookie First Team. The New York Islanders selected Adams at the 2016 NHL Draft in the 6th round, 170th overall. Adams is currently tied for the USHL lead in scoring, and is second in goals scored. Adams previously played for Little Caesars (HPHL) and Honeybaked (HPHL) prior to being selected by the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the 2014 USHL Phase I Draft 4th round, 49th overall.
Mikey Anderson
Defenseman: Mikey Anderson – Waterloo Black Hawks
2 GP: 1 goal, 3 assists, +4 rating
Anderson helped Waterloo sweep the Lincoln Stars this weekend, scoring four points from the blue line. Anderson scored his first goal of the season on Friday to put the Black Hawks up 1-0 early, and finished the night with three points and a +1 rating. The Roseville, MN native helped the Black Hawks to an early lead once again Saturday, this time with a shorthanded assist. Anderson currently has five points in five games with Waterloo, and scored 16 points in 57 games last year. The University of Minnesota Duluth commit previously played for Hill Murray (USHS) prior to signing a tender with Waterloo prior to the 2015-16 season.
Jan Ruzicka
Goaltender: Jan Ruzicka – Des Moines Buccaneers
1-0-0-0, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 SV%
Ruzicka recorded his first career USHL shutout on Saturday after stopping all 28 shots he faced. The Des Moines goaltender is now 3-0-0-1 on the season with a 1.70 GAA and .937 SV%. Ruzicka has started in four of the Buccaneers five games this season, and has helped them remain unbeaten in regulation. The Mlada Boleslav, CZE native won 12 games with Des Moines and was named to the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game last season. Ruzicka was a 2015 USHL Phase II Draft pick of the Buccaneers in the 3rd round, 47th overall.
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Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 15th season as the nation’s only Tier I junior hockey league in 2016-17. 30 or more players from the USHL have been selected in four consecutive NHL Drafts, and more than 400 players on team rosters last season committed to NCAA Division I schools, further establishing the USHL as the world’s foremost producer of junior hockey talent.
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