NHL Hockey is Back!

It’s the beginning of the NHL regular season! A recap of the NHL Global Series and a season preview are included in this week’s edition of The Puck Bulletin!

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NHL Global Series Recap

The San Jose Sharks and the Nashville Predators kicked off the 2022-2023 regular season in Prague, Czech Republic. If you were fortunate to have access to watch the 2:00PM ET puck drop for the opener on Friday October 10th, you were in for a treat! The first goal of the NHL season was scored by Nashville’s Kiefer Sherwood. The Columbus, Ohio native spent the majority of the 2021-2022 season playing for the Colorado Eagles, the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate, where he recorded 75pts in 57 games. Sherwood tallied an assist later in the game and was ultimately awarded the 1st star of the game as part of a 4-1 Nashville victory… not a bad Nashville debut for Sherwood, who I am excited to follow along this NHL season.

The second game of the weekend resulted in a 3-2 win for the Predators, which was highlighted by a two-goal performance from Nino Niederreiter. The former Carolina Hurricane signed a two-year, $8M ($4M AAV) deal with Nashville this summer and appears to be an excellent fit on the Preds’ 2nd line.

Despite opening the season 0-0-2, the San Jose Sharks showed some promise in Prague under new head coach David Quinn. San Jose outshot Nashville 33-18 in the second game of the back-to-back, and I’ll be the first to say their new all-teal “Evolve” uniforms looked sharp! However, it is most likely that Sharks will once again be near the bottom of the Pacific Division this season.

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North America Opening Night

For the rest of the NHL, opening night in North America is this Tuesday, October 11th with a double-header on ESPN featuring the Tampa Bay Lightning vs. the New York Rangers (7:30pm ET) and the Vegas Golden Knights vs. the Los Angeles Kings (10:00pm ET). An Eastern Conference Finals rematch from last season and a key Pacific Division match between two playoff contenders should make for a thrilling night of hockey!

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The Weekly Roundup

This week we’re taking a look at each division, with regular season projections and the upcoming schedule…

Atlantic:

1. Toronto Maple Leafs (Proj. 1st in Atlantic)

   • 10/12 @ MTL, 10/13 vs. WSH, 10/15 vs. OTT

   • Proven in the regular season, can they prove in the 1st round this year?

2. Tampa Bay Lightning (Proj. 2nd in Atlantic)

   • 10/11 @ NYR, 10/14 @ CBJ, 10/15 @ PIT

   • The benchmark of Eastern conf. teams until proven otherwise.

3. Florida Panthers (Proj. 3rd in Atlantic)

   • 10/13 @ NYI, 10/15 @ BUF

   • Will not be the same regular season team as last year.

4. Boston Bruins (Proj. 4th in Atlantic)

   • 10/12 @ WSH, 10/15 vs. PHX

   • Boston has got the band back together again with David Krejci’s return.

5. Ottawa Senators (Proj. 5th in Atlantic)

   • 10/13 @ BUF, 10/15 @ TOR

   • Claude Giroux… Alex DeBrincat… I’m excited for the new-look Sens.

6. Buffalo Sabres (Proj. 6th in Atlantic)

   • 10/13 vs. OTT, 10/15 vs. FLA

   • Buffalo is due for a much-improved season. They also have some of the best sweaters in the league.

7. Detroit Red Wings (Proj. 7th in Atlantic)

   • 10/14 vs. MTL, 10/15 @ NJ

   • The additions of Andrew Copp and David Perron have people excited in Detroit.

8. Montreal Canadiens (Proj. 8th in Atlantic)

   • 10/12 vs. TOR, 10/14 @ DET, 10/15 @ WSH

   • Looking forward to a full season of Martin St. Louis behind the bench.

Metropolitan:

1. Carolina Hurricanes (Proj. 1st in Metropolitan)

   • 10/12 vs. CBJ, 10/14 @ SJ

   • Max Pacioretty and Brent Burns trades show this team is all-in on a Stanley Cup run.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins (Proj. 2nd in Metropolitan)

   • 10/13 vs. ARI, 10/15 vs. TBL

   • Never count out Crosby, Malkin, and Letang.

3. New York Rangers (Proj. 3rd in Metropolitan)

   • 10/11 vs. TBL, 10/13 @ MIN, 10/14 @ WPG

   • Can Kreider replicate his breakout season?

4. New York Islanders (Proj. 4th in Metropolitan)

   • 10/13 vs. FLA, 10/15 vs. ANA

   • Matt Barzal is going to prove he’s worth his $73M contract extension.

5. Washington Capitals (Proj. 5th in Metropolitan)

   • 10/12 vs. BOS, 10/13 @ TOR, 10/15 vs. MTL

   • The Caps have not missed the playoffs since 2014. Will that streak end this year?

6. Columbus Blue Jackets (Proj. 6th in Metropolitan)

   • 10/12 @ CAR, 10/14 vs. TBL, 10/15 @ STL

   • Johnny Gaudreau!

7. New Jersey Devils (Proj. 7th in Metropolitan)

   • 10/13 @ PHI, 10/15 vs. DET

   • The addition of Ondrej Palat is exciting in New Jersey.

8. Philadelphia Flyers (Proj. 8th in Metropolitan)

   • 10/13 vs. NJ, 10/15 vs. VAN

   • The beginning of the John Tortorella era in Philly.

Central:

1. Colorado Avalanche (Proj. 1st in Central)

   • 10/12 vs. CHI, 10/13 @ CGY

   • The best team in the NHL.

2. St. Louis Blues (Proj. 2nd in Central)

   • 10/15 vs. CBJ

   • I like this Blues team’s balance and depth. Expecting a big year for Jordan Kyrou.

3. Minnesota Wild (Proj. 3rd in Central)

   • 10/13 vs. NYR, 10/15 vs. LA

   • Can Marco Rossi help replace a portion of Kevin Fiala’s productivity from last season?

4. Nashville Predators (Proj. 4th in Central)

   • LW: W 4-1 SJ, W 3-2 SJ

   • 10/13 vs. DAL, 10/15 @ DAL

   • The Preds are a bubble playoff team in my mind, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if they finish 2nd in the Central.

5. Dallas Stars (Proj. 5th in Central)

   • 10/13 @ NSH, 10/15 vs. NSH

   • Jake Oettinger is a Vezina candidate.

6. Winnipeg Jets (Proj. 6th in Central)

   • 10/14 vs. NYR

   • The Jets demoted their captain before the season even started…

7. Arizona Coyotes (Proj. 7th in Central)

   • 10/13 @ PIT, 10/15 @ BOS

   • Playing at ASU will give this team a new identity.

8. Chicago Blackhawks (Proj. 8th in Central)

   • 10/12 @ COL, 10/13 @ VGK, 10/15 @ SJ

   • Bad.

Pacific:

1. Calgary Flames (Proj. 1st in Pacific)

   • 10/13 vs. COL, 10/15 @ EDM

   • A rodeo offseason in Calgary. This team is even better than last year.

2. Edmonton Oilers (Proj. 2nd in Pacific)

   • 10/12 vs. VAN, 10/15 vs. CGY

   • There’s a new goalie in town, and he likes to take his cat for walks on a leash.

3. Los Angeles Kings (Proj. 3rd in Pacific)

   • 10/11 vs. VGK, 10/13 vs. SEA, 10/15 @ MIN

   • Kevin Fiala adds even more spice to this offense that can score in many different ways.

4. Vancouver Canucks (Proj. 4th in Pacific)

   • 10/12 @ EDM, 10/15 @ PHI

   • Bruce Boudreau knows how to make the playoffs.

5. Vegas Golden Knights (Proj. 5th in Pacific)

   • 10/11 @ LA, 10/13 vs. CHI, 10/15 @ SEA

   • Goaltending is a big question in Vegas to start the season,

6. Anaheim Ducks (Proj. 6th in Pacific)

   • 10/12 vs. SEA, 10/15 @ NYI

   • The young Ducks could surprise this season.

7. San Jose Sharks (Proj. 7th in Pacific)

   • LW: L 1-4 NSH, L 2-3 NSH

   • 10/14 vs. CAR, 10/15 vs. CHI

   • The offseason trade of Brent Burns signals total rebuild mode in San Jose.

8. Seattle Kraken (Proj. 8th in Pacific)

   • 10/12 @ ANA, 10/13 @ LA, 10/15 vs. VGK

   • Some of the best sweaters in the league, but sweaters don’t win you hockey games.

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Player Spotlight

Cole Sillinger, Columbus Blue Jackets

This week’s player spotlight is on Columbus Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger. Born in Columbus, OH, the 19-year-old Canadian was the youngest player in the NHL last season and tallied 16 goals and 15 assists in 79 games. Sillinger spent the previous couple seasons playing for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL and the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL.

The son of former NHLer Mike Sillinger, Cole Sillinger has Columbus Blue Jackets hockey in his blood. Even though all eyes in Columbus will be on Johnny Gaudreau this season, Sillinger will be one of the most exciting young NHL players to watch this season and will be responsible for many cannon blasts inside Nationwide Arena this year.