Here we are folks, after watching Boston down Vancouver for Lord Stanleys prize we have had a summer of dull nights pretending that were interested in watching the MLB stretch run Tennis. No more! The NHL season starts tonight with 3 very good matchups to leave fans salivating until fridays action.
Boston Bruins vs Philadelphia Flyers
7:00 PM EST on Versus
There is a lot of excitement in the city of brotherly love. Flyers GM Paul Holmgren has dismantled his promising core that featured Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, only to get younger, more skilled, and tougher to play against. This summer through trade and\or free agency Holmgren has added the likes of Jakub Voracek, Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn, Ilya Bryzgalov, and lured the legendary Jaromir Jagr to join the fold. There were many question surrounding the blow up, however it is quite evident after evaluating preseason play that Holmgrens moves were in fact very calculated. Simmonds is a more effective and responsible version of Dan Carcillo, who signed with Chicago. Bryzgalov brings a veteran presence in the net that will pair well with Sergei Bobrovsky, and nothing needs to be explained about Jagr. He has the desire to prove that he can still be a premiere player in the NHL and that he hasn't gotten soft. Making his NHL debut will be teenager Sean Couturier who was just drafted in 2011 and signed to an entry level deal.
The Boston Bruins will have the daunting task of defending a title, a feat which rarely occurs. Their lineup will basically be the same with the exceptions of Joe Corvo and Benoit Pouliot. The Bruins play a meat and potatoes style with players that have a lot of heart so I wouldn't envision fatigue or late season collapse being likely. A key difference for the champs will be in net, Tim Thomas will likely see his workload decrease to maintain fresh and allow Tukka Rask to continue to develop. Playing in one of the best US sports markets, expect Boston to have a fast start.
Montreal Canadiens vs Toronto Maple Leafs
7:00 PM EST
In the media there lies and overwheleming feeling that Montreal simply hasnt done anything to become a better team that their past couple seasons. With their best defenseman in Andrei Markov out yet again, look for PK Subban to hold the powerplay fort for now. Chris Campoli was brought in to assist in their loss but i wouldnt expect too much in that regard. The addition of Erik Cole up front will certainly help with net precense, however, this group of forwards still has "?s" looming around. Scott Gomez continues to no live up to the hype (or contract), and Andrei Kostitsyn will most likely be streakier than dirty underwear. This leaves the dirty work to be done by Tomas Plekanec, Michael Cammaleri, and Brian Gionta, two of which are very undersized. The organization will putting a great deal of expectations on the shoulders of young players such as Max Pacioretty and David Desharnais. These kids show a great deal of promise but you can't expect them to just post up rediculous numbers. The best part about this team is Carey Price, who had a career year last season. He may not replicate his 2010-11 numbers but will be a giant presence in the ice.
Toronto is a great example of a team trying to so everything it can to improve each and every year. Brian Burke has managed to take a scary contract situation and lack of depth and turn it all into great deal of potential. This summer the Leafs added John-Michael Liles and Cody Franson to help with puck movement and getting pucks to the net. These are welcome additions on top of Luke Schenn, Dion Phaneuf, and Carl Gunnarson. A training camp surprise, young Jake Gardiner will make he season debut after giving the Leafs next to no choice but keep him up. If he is successful, look for a deal to be made to free up blueline space. Phil Kessel now has a centerman in Tim Connoly (who is on IR temporarily) to create scoring chances between himself and Joffrey Lupul. Burke also took a gamble of Matthew Lombardi who looks just about ready to start the season after missing all of last year with concussion issues. He will add speed, faceoff ability, and some secondary scoring. Making his NHL debut tonight will be Matt Frattin who is playing in place of injured Nazem Kadri. When Kadri returns, there will be a tough decision or two to make. The organization is placing all of its growth on the shoulders of James Reimer in net with limited NHL experience. He was hot during the stretch run and showed brilliance at times. Look for him to have a decent to solid season, allowing the rest of the roster to play its game.
Vancouver Canucks vs Pittsburgh Penguins
10:00 PM EST Versus
After a bitterly disappointing Stanley Cup Final showing, the Canucks are out to prove that they are able to get over the hump and put a ring on the finger. With Marco Sturm as the only sumer addition, GM Mike Gillis believes that the exact same group will be able to accomplish the same and more. Same stats apply, expect the Sedins and Ryan Kesler to have dominant regular seasons. Hampered with a groin injury most of the playoffs, if Kesler can stay healthy then this club does have a shot at doing it again. The Canucks will be seeing the effects of losing Christian Erhoff to Buffalo soon, however their noted depth at defense should be able to fill his shoes as the season progresses. Look for Roberto Luongo to have a shorter leash this season as it is incredibly apparent that Cory Schneider is the real deal and deserves some playing time. Should Luongo get inconsistent, look for Schneider to get some starting stretches.
Pittsburgh will have some questions to answer while Sidney Crosby battles his way back into the lineup. Evgeny Malkin is now healthy and looked dominant in the preseason and it seems he is prepared to put this team on his back for now. Dan Bylsma showed last year that he could get the absolute best from his lineup even without he top two stars and now that he has at least one back, I would be surprised if the trend didn't continue as he is looking as the same roster makeup. With Max Talbot bolting to rival Philly, Steve Sullivan and Steve MacIntyre were brought in. Sullivan was a great leader in Nashville and has a sneaky ability to put up big numbers with his speed when you least expect it. Look for Sullivan to see a lot of time with Crosby still out. The Pens will be icing the same defensive core and goaltending core that carried the scoring deficient squad late last season. Look for Marc-Andre Fleury to continue to improve he exciting game and Brent Johnson to still show that he is one of the top five backup goaltenders in the game.
- Dustin Lundberg
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