NHL Season Midpoint
We’re near the midpoint of the 2022-2023 NHL season! In this week’s edition of The Puck Bulletin, we’re taking a look at the initial All-Star team rosters. We’ve also got the usual Weekly Roundup and the Player Spotlight!
Initial All-Star Team Rosters
Under a new selection format, the NHL announced the initial rosters of the 2022 All-Star Teams by selecting one player from each team. The remaining members of each division’s team will be selected via a fan vote at the link here. Let’s take a look at the initial selections:
Atlantic:
Boston Bruins - Linus Ullmark, G
Buffalo Sabres - Tage Thompson, F
Detroit Red Wings - Dylan Larkin, F
Florida Panthers - Matthew Tkachuk, F
Montreal Canadiens - Nick Suzuki, F
Ottawa Senators - Brady Tkachuk, F
Tampa Bay Lightning - Nikita Kucherov, F
Toronto Maple Leafs- Mitch Marner, F
Metropolitan:
Carolina Hurricanes - Andrei Svechnikov, F
Columbus Blue Jackets - Johnny Gaudreau, F
New Jersey Devils - Jack Hughes, F
New York Islanders - Brock Nelson, F
New York Rangers - Igor Shesterkin, F
Philadelphia Flyers - Kevin Hayes, F
Pittsburgh Penguins - Sidney Crosby, F
Washington Capitals - Alex Ovechkin, F
Central:
Arizona Coyotes - Clayton Keller, F
Chicago Blackhawks - Seth Jones, D
Colorado Avalanche - Cale Makar, D
Dallas Stars - Jason Robertson, F
Minnesota Wild - Kirill Kaprizov, F
Nashville Predators - Juuse Saros, G
St. Louis Blues - Vladimir Tarasenko, F
Winnipeg Jets - Josh Morrissey, D
Pacific:
Anaheim Ducks - Troy Terry, F
Calgary Flames - Nazem Kadri, F
Edmonton Oilers - Connor McDavid, F
Los Angeles Kings - Kevin Fiala, F
San Jose Sharks - Erik Karlsson, D
Seattle Kraken - Matty Beniers, F
Vancouver Canucks - Elias Pettersson, F
Vegas Golden Knights - Logan Thompson, G
The NHL All-Star weekend is February 3rd-4th! Remember to vote for the remaining All-Star selections!
The Weekly Roundup
Atlantic:
Boston Bruins (68 pts | 32-4-4)
LW: W 2-1 PIT, W 5-2 LAK, W 4-2 SJS, W 7-1 ANA
1/12 vs. SEA, 1/14 vs. TOR
The Bruins defeated the Penguins in the Winter Classic and remain the top team in the NHL.
Toronto Maple Leafs (57 pts | 25-9-7)
LW: L/SO 5-6 STL, L 1-5 SEA, W 4-1 DET, W 6-2 PHI
1/11 vs. NSH, 1/12 @ DET, 1/14 @ BOS
The Leafs had a dud at home against Seattle but got right back to work.
Tampa Bay Lightning (49 pts | 24-13-1)
LW: W 4-1 CHI, L 1-5 MIN, L 2-4 WPG
1/10 vs. CBJ, 1/12 vs. VAN, 1/14 @ STL
Tampa had a 1-2 week against some Central opponents.
Buffalo Sabres (42 pts | 20-15-2)
LW: W 5-4 WSH, W 6-5 MIN
1/9 vs. PHI, 1/10 vs. SEA, 1/12 vs. WPG, 1/14 @ NSH
The Sabres are climbing back up the standings with back-to-back OT wins this week.
Florida Panthers (40 pts | 18-19-4)
LW: W 5-3 ARI, W 3-2 DET, L 1-5 DAL
1/10 @ COL, 1/12 @ VGK, 1/14 vs. VAN
The Panthers are trying to get something going this season.
Detroit Red Wings (39 pts | 16-15-7)
LW: L 1-5 NJD, L 2-3 FLA, L 1-4 TOR
1/10 vs. WPG, 1/12 vs. TOR, 1/14 vs. CBJ
The Red Wings had a rough going 0-3-0.
Ottawa Senators (39 pts | 18-18-3)
LW: W 4-0 CBJ, L 4-8 SEA
1/9 vs. NSH, 1/12 @ ARI, 1/14 @ COL
The Sens followed up a shutout by allowing 8 to the Kraken.
Montreal Canadiens (35 pts | 16-21-3)
LW: L 3-6 NSH, L 1-4 NYR, W 5-4 STL
1/9 vs. SEA, 1/12 vs. NSH, 1/14 @ NYI, 1/15 @ NYR
Montreal remains at the bottom of the Atlantic.
Metropolitan:
Carolina Hurricanes (57 pts | 25-8-7)
LW: L 3-5 NYR, L 3-5 NSH, L/SO 3-4 CBJ
1/10 vs. NJD, 1/12 @ CBJ, 1/14 vs. PIT, 1/15 vs. VAN
The Canes followed up an 11-game winning streak by going 0-2-1.
New Jersey Devils (53 pts | 25-12-3)
LW: W 5-1 DET, L 3-5 STL, W 4-3 NYR
1/10 @ CAR, 1/13 @ ANA, 1/14 @ LAK
The Devils look like they could be getting back on track after a tough December.
Washington Capitals (52 pts | 23-14-6)
LW: OTL 4-5 BUF, W 6-2 CBJ, L 2-3 NSH, W 1-0 CBJ
1/11 @ PHI, 1/14 vs. PHI
Washington has a light week coming up with two games against Philly.
New York Rangers (51 pts | 22-12-7)
LW: W 5-3 CAR, W 4-1 MTL, OTL 3-4 NJD
1/10 vs. MIN, 1/12 vs. DAL, 1/15 vs. MTL
The Rangers remain hot in the Metro.
Pittsburgh Penguins (46 pts | 20-13-6)
LW: L 1-2 BOS, L 2-5 VGK, W 4-1 ARI
1/10 vs. VAN, 1/13 vs. WPG, 1/14 @ CAR
The Penguins finally got a win against the Yotes after losing six-straight.
New York Islanders (46 pts | 22-17-2)
LW: W 6-2 VAN, L 2-4 EDM, L 1-4 CGY
1/10 vs. DAL, 1/12 vs. MIN, 1/14 vs. MTL
The Isles seem to be slowly falling in the Metro standings.
Philadelphia Flyers (37 pts | 15-18-7)
LW: W 4-1 ANA, W 6-2 ARI, L 2-6 TOR
1/9 @ BUF, 1/11 vs. WSH, 1/14 @ WSH
John Tortorella revealed his distaste for the All-Star game.
Columbus Blue Jackets (26 pts | 12-25-2)
LW: L 0-4 OTT, L 2-6 CAR, W 4-3 CAR, L 0-1 WSH
1/10 @ TBL, 1/12 vs. CAR, 1/14 @ DET
Rookie Kirill Marchenko scored his first career hat trick in the Blue Jackets’ win over the Canes.
Central:
Dallas Stars (54 pts | 24-11-6)
LW: L 2-3 LAK, L 0-2 ANA, W 5-1 FLA
1/10 @ NYI, 1/12 @ NYR, 1/14 vs. CGY
I won’t yet say Dallas is the team to beat in the West.
Winnipeg Jets (53 pts | 26-13-1)
LW: W 3-2 CGY, W 4-2 TBL, W 7-4 VAN
1/10 @ DET, 1/12 @ BUF, 1/13 @ PIT, 1/15 vs. ARI
The Jets had another quiet 3-0-0 week. This team doesn’t get talked about enough.
Minnesota Wild (47 pts | 22-14-3)
LW: W 5-1 TBL, OTL 5-6 BUF, L 0-3 STL
1/10 @ NYR, 1/12 @ NYI, 1/14 vs. ARI
The Wild had a bit of a meh week ending with being shutout at home by the Blues.
Colorado Avalanche (43 pts | 20-15-3)
LW: L 2-3 VGK, L 2-4 VAN, W 3-2 EDM
1/10 vs. FLA, 1/12 @ CHI, 1/14 vs. OTT
The Avs had another not-so-great week and still look to get things going.
St. Louis Blues (43 pts | 20-18-3)
LW: W 6-5 TOR, W 5-3 NJD, L 4-5 MTL, W 3-0 MIN
1/10 vs. CGY, 1/12 vs. CGY, 1/14 vs. TBL
The Blues are slowly coming around this season.
Nashville Predators (42 pts | 18-14-6)
LW: W 6-3 MTL, W 5-3 CAR, W 3-2 WSH
1/9 @ OTT, 1/11 @ TOR, 1/12 @ MTL, 1/14 vs. BUF
The Preds had a great week on the road.
Arizona Coyotes (31 pts | 13-21-5)
LW: L 3-5 FLA, L 2-6 PHI, L 0-2 CHI, L 1-4 PIT
1/10 vs. SJS, 1/12 vs. OTT, 1/14 @ MIN, 1/15 @ WPG
The Yotes look to be back near the early season expectations.
Chicago Blackhawks (24 pts | 10-25-4)
LW: L 1-4 TBL, W 2-0 ARI, W 4-3 CGY
1/12 vs. COL, 1/14 vs. SEA
I enjoy that this Chicago team consistently plays teams hard.
Pacific:
Vegas Golden Knights (56 pts | 27-13-2)
LW: W 3-2 COL, W 5-2 PIT, L 1-5 LAK
1/12 vs. FLA, 1/14 vs. EDM
Jack Eichel has returned to the Vegas lineup.
Los Angeles Kings (52 pts | 23-14-6)
LW: W 3-2 DAL, L 2-5 BOS, W 5-1 VGK
1/9 vs. EDM, 1/11 vs. SJS, 1/14 vs. NJD
The Kings are closing in on Vegas in the Pacific.
Seattle Kraken (48 pts | 22-12-4)
LW: W 5-2 EDM, W 5-1 TOR, W 8-4 OTT
1/9 @ MTL, 1/10 @ BUF, 1/12 @ BOS, 1/14 @ CHI
The Kraken offense has humming this past week.
Calgary Flames (46 pts | 19-14-8)
LW: L 2-3 WPG, W 4-1 NYI, OTL 3-4 CHI
1/10 @ STL, 1/12 @ STL, 1/14 @ DAL
Calgary still looks like a middling team.
Edmonton Oilers (45 pts | 21-17-3)
LW: L 2-5 SEA, W 4-2 NYI, OTL 2-3 COL
1/9 @ LAK, 1/11 @ ANA, 1/13 @ SJS, 1/14 @ VGK
The Oilers could very well not make the playoffs this year.
Vancouver Canucks (37 pts | 17-19-3)
LW: W L 2-6 NYI, W 4-2 COL, L 4-7 WPG
1/10 @ PIT, 1/12 @ TBL, 1/14 @ FLA, 1/15 @ CAR
Vancouver simply seems to lack consistency.
San Jose Sharks (32 pts | 12-21-8)
LW: OTL 4-5 ANA, L 2-4 BOS
1/10 @ ARI, 1/11 @ LAK, 1/13 vs. EDM
The Sharks had a light week that saw them go 0-1-1.
Anaheim Ducks (28 pts | 12-25-4)
LW: L 1-4 PHI, W 2-0 DAL, W 5-4 SJS, L 1-7 BOS
1/11 vs. EDM, 1/13 vs. NJD
Anaheim is closing in on San Jose to get out of the Pacific cellar.
Player Spotlight
Andre Burakovsky, Seattle Kraken
This week’s player spotlight is on Seattle Kraken forward Andrew Burakovsky. The 27-year-old Austrian-born player leads the Kraken in scoring this season with 32 points (11g, 21a) in 38 games.
Drafted #23 overall in 2013 by the Washington Capitals, Burakovsky has won two Stanley Cups, once as a member of the Capitals in 2018 and once as a member of the Colorado Avalanche in 2022. Following the 2021-22 season, Burakovsky signed a five-year, $27.5M contract with the Seattle Kraken. A fun fact about Burakovsky is that although he was born Austrian, he grew up in Sweden and represents Sweden in international play.
When you watch the Kraken play this season, you’ll be sure to notice Burakovsky. He’s quite the sniper and is sure to find the back of the net if given ample space!