We Love October Hockey!
It’s not the crispest hockey in the world, but October hockey sure is entertaining! In this week’s edition of The Puck Bulletin, I’ll recap my experience attending two NHL home openers, and we’ll take a look at our first full Weekly Roundup of the NHL season.
Home Openers in Carolina & Detroit
The NHL season began in full swing this past week, and I had the opportunity to attend games in both Carolina and Detroit. As this won’t be a weekly occurrence, I thought I’d share a few more detailed thoughts about these two games and my experience.
On October 13th, the Carolina Hurricanes opened their season against the Columbus Blue Jackets, with all eyes seemingly on Johnny Gaudreau making his Blue Jacket debut. Expectations are high in Raleigh this season, and the Caniacs were out in full force at PNC Arena. Despite a slow start and giving up the opening goal to Columbus early in the 2nd period complements of Patrick Laine, Carolina eventually found their game and even the score with a goal from Seth Jarvis. The Canes put up another three tallies, with 2nd line winger Martin Necas factoring in the scoresheet each time (1g, 2a), and cruised to a 4-1 victory. Last season, scoring seemed to be an issue for the Canes, and with Max Patcioretty on LTIR until at least February, Martin Necas could be an X-factor for Carolina this season if he can provide the offensive game that the Hurricanes know he is capable of.
The Carolina Hurricanes treated fans to a ‘Storm Surge’ following a 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Friday, October 15th, I had the opportunity to attend the Detroit Red Wings’ home opener against the Montreal Canadiens, who were coming off a 4-3 season opening victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hockeytown was rocking, and the pregame festivities were highlighted by 2nd-year defenseman Mortiz Seider being presented the Calder trophy at center ice before the puck drop. Though the first and second periods were both scoreless affairs, the Labatt Blues were flowing in Little Caesers Arena, and one could sense the overwhelming positivity and excitement among the Red Wings faithful, who eventually erupted in excitement in the 3rd period as 6’8” rookie Elmer Soderblom opened the scoring for Detroit in his NHL debut. The Red Wings tallied two empty net goals, and goalie Ville Husso went on to earn a shutout victory in his Red Wings debut. There’s a lot of reasons to be exciting in Hockeytown this year, as the Red Wings could possibly be in the mix for a playoff spot under new head coach Derek Lalonde. I’m excited to follow along with this club throughout the season. With newfound depth, in part due to the offseason additions of Andrew Copp and David Perron, I think this Red Wings team will surprise quite a few people.
The view from section 212 at Little Caesers Arena.
The Weekly Roundup
Atlantic:
Boston Bruins (4 pts | 2-0-0)
LW: W 5-2 WSH, W 6-3 ARI
10/17 vs. FLA, 10/18 @ OTT, 10/20 vs. ANA, 10/22 vs. MIN
David Krejci looks like he hasn’t skipped a beat slotting back into the Bruins lineup.
Detroit Red Wings (4 pts | 2-0-0)
LW: W 3-0 MTL, W 5-2 NJD
10/17 vs. LAK, 10/21 @ CHI, 10/23 vs. ANA
The Red Wings impressed on a back-to-back this past week and look solid under new head coach Derek Lalonde.
Florida Panthers (4 pts | 2-0-0)
LW: W 3-1 NYI, W 4-3 BUF
10/17 @ BOS, 10/19 vs. PHI, 10/21 vs. TBL, 10/23 vs. NYI
Matthew Tkachuk has brought his gritty game to Florida and help the Panthers to a good start to open the season.
Toronto Maple Leafs (4 pts | 2-1-0)
LW: L 3-4 MTL, W 3-2 WSH, W 3-2 OTT
10/17 vs. ARI, 10/20 vs. DAL, 10/22 @ WPG
Matt Murray going on LTIR this early is not ideal as the Leafs opened up their season in dramatic fashion as usual.
Buffalo Sabres (2 pts | 1-1-0)
LW: W 4-1 OTT, L 3-4 FLA
10/18 @ EDM, 10/20 @ CGY, 10/22 @ VAN
The Sabres opened well against Ottawa and showed some toughness versus Florida.
Tampa Bay Lightning (2 pts | 1-2-0)
LW: L 1-3 NYR, W 5-2 CBJ, L 2-6 PIT
10/18 vs. PHI, 10/21 @ FLA, 10/22 vs. NYI
A slowish start for the Bolts, but Pittsburgh is a tough opponent on a back-to-back.
Montreal Canadiens (2 pts | 1-2-0)
LW: W 4-3 TOR, L 0-3 DET, L 1-3 WSH
10/17 vs. PIT, 10/20 vs. ARI, 10/22 vs. DAL
Cole Caufield and the Haabs looked better than I thought they would to open the season.
Ottawa Senators (0 pts | 0-2-0)
LW: L 1-4 BUF, L 2-3 TOR
10/18 vs. BOS, 10/20 vs. WSH, 10/22 vs. ARI
The Senators followed up a tough opener with a hard-fought game in the Battle of Ontario.
Metropolitan:
Pittsburgh Penguins (4 pts | 2-0-0)
LW: W 6-2 ARI, W 6-2 TBL
10/17 @ MTL, 10/20 vs. LAK, 10/22 @ CBJ
Sidney Crosby and the Penguins showed some offensive firepower to open the season.
Philadelphia Flyers (4 pts | 2-0-0)
LW: W 5-2 NJD, W 3-2 VAN
10/18 @ TBL, 10/19 @ FLA, 10/22 vs. NSH, 10/23 vs. SJS
John Tortorella’s Flyers got just the start they needed to help build this team’s identity.
Carolina Hurricanes (4 pts | 2-0-0)
LW: W 4-1 CBJ, W 2-1 SJS
10/17 @ SEA, 10/20 @ EDM, 10/22 @ CGY
Martin Necas hot start helped lead the Canes to wins in both games this past week.
New York Rangers (4 pts | 2-1-0)
LW: W 3-1 TBL, W 7-3 MIN, L 1-4 WPG
10/17 vs. ANA, 10/20 vs. SJS, 10/23 vs. CBJ
The Rangers’ PP is already off to a hot start this season.
New York Islanders (2 pts | 1-1-0)
LW: L 1-3 FLA, W 7-1 ANA
10/18 vs. SJS, 10/20 vs. NJD, 10/22 @ TBL, 10/23 @ FLA
Scoring seemed to be an issue on Long Island last season, but a 7-goal outburst against the Ducks is promising for the Isles.
Washington Capitals (2 pts | 1-2-0)
LW: L 2-5 BOS, L 2-3 TOR, W 3-1 MTL
10/17 vs. VAN, 10/20 @ OTT, 10/22 vs. LAK
We can’t expect too much from an injury-ridden Caps team to open this season.
New Jersey Devils (0 pts | 0-2-0)
LW: L 2-5 PHI, L 2-5 DET
10/18 vs. ANA, 10/20 @ NYI, 10/22 vs. SJS
Miles Wood’s remarks to the media only one game into the season is a bit concerning.
Columbus Blue Jackets (0 pts | 0-3-0)
LW: L 1-4 @ CAR, L 2-5 TBL, L 2-5 STL
10/18 vs. VAN, 10/20 vs. NSH, 10/22 vs. PIT, 10/23 @ NYR
A tough start for the Jackets to open the season, and Patrick Laine being out 3-4 weeks with an elbow sprain does not help.
Central:
Dallas Stars (4 pts | 2-0-0)
LW: W 4-1 NSH, W 5-1 NSH
10/17 vs. WPG, 10/20 @ TOR, 10/22 @ MTL
Mason Marchment is already proving his previous season in Florida was not a fluke.
Nashville Predators (4 pts | 2-2-0)
LW: L 1-4 DAL, L 1-5 DAL
10/18 vs. LAK, 10/20 @ CBJ, 10/22 vs. PHI
A bit of an odd start to the season for the Preds, who have played four games against only two teams.
Winnipeg Jets (2 pts | 1-0-0)
LW: W 4-1 NYR
10/17 @ DAL, 10/19 @ COL, 10/20 @ VGK, 10/22 vs. TOR
The Jets looked strong in their home opener against a Rangers team on a back-to-back.
St. Louis Blues (2 pts | 1-0-0)
LW: W 5-2 CBJ
10/19 @ SEA, 10/22 @ EDM
The Blues were solid in their opener against a tired Blue Jackets team on the 2nd night of a back-to-back.
Colorado Avalanche (2 pts | 1-1-0)
LW: W 5-2 CHI, L 3-5 CGY
10/17 @ MIN, 10/19 vs. WPG, 10/21 vs. SEA, 10/22 @ VGK
The defending Cup champs opened the year with a back-to-back and came out with split results.
Chicago Blackhawks (2 pts | 1-2-0)
LW: L 2-5 COL, L 0-1 VGK, W 5-2 SJS
10/21 vs. DET, 10/23 vs. SEA
Chicago looked okay in their opening week, playing a tough game against Vegas and coming back with five unanswered goals in San Jose.
Minnesota Wild (0 pts | 0-2-0)
LW: L 3-7 NYR, L 6-7 LAK
10/17 vs. COL, 10/20 vs. VAN, 10/22 @ BOS
The Wild need to address some glaring defensive issues… allowing touchdowns in both games to open the season is a tough look.
Arizona Coyotes (0 pts | 0-2-0)
LW: L 2-6 PIT, L 3-6 BOS
10/17 @ TOR, 10/20 @ MTL, 10/22 @ OTT
The Yotes looked at least looked feisty to start the season.
Pacific:
Vegas Golden Knights (6 pts | 3-0-0)
LW: W 4-3 LAK, W 1-0 CHI, W 5-2 SEA
10/18 @ CGY, 10/20 vs. WPG, 10/22 vs. COL
Vegas appears to be back to their usual winning ways, at least for the time-being.
Calgary Flames (4 pts | 2-0-0)
LW: W 5-3 COL, W 4-3 EDM
10/18 vs. VGK, 10/20 vs. BUF, 10/22 vs. CAR
The Flames sent a strong message to the other Western Conference contenders to start the season.
Seattle Kraken (3 pts | 1-1-1)
LW: OTL 4-5 ANA, W 4-1 LAK, L 2-5 VGK
10/17 vs. CAR, 10/19 vs. STL, 10/21 @ COL, 10/23 @ CHI
I’m not sure what to make of the Kraken thus far, but a 4-1 win against LA was surely surprising on the 2nd night of their back-to-back.
Edmonton Oilers (2 pts | 1-1-0)
LW: W 5-3 VAN, L 3-4 CGY
10/18 vs. BUF, 10/20 vs. CAR, 10/22 vs. STL
The Oilers overcame a slow start against the Canucks but weren’t as successful coming back from their slow start against Calgary.
Anaheim Ducks (2 pts | 1-1-0)
LW: W 5-4 SEA, L 1-7 NYI
10/17 @ NYR, 10/18 @ NJD, 10/20 @ BOS, 10/23 @ DET
The Ducks followed up an exciting overtime win in their home-opener by laying an egg in Long Island.
Los Angeles Kings (2 pts | 1-2-0)
LW: L 3-4 VGK, L 1-4 SEA, W 7-6 MIN
10/17 @ DET, 10/18 @ NSH, 10/20 @ PIT, 10/22 @ WSH
The Kings appear pretty sloppy to open this season, but at least showed some firepower against the Wild.
Vancouver Canucks (0 pts | 0-2-0)
LW: L 3-5 EDM, L 2-3 PHI
10/17 @ WSH, 10/18 @ CBJ, 10/20 @ MIN, 10/22 vs. BUF
The Canucks surrendered 2-goal leads in their first two games of the season… not exactly what you’re looking for.
San Jose Sharks (0 pts | 0-4-0)
LW: L 1-2 CAR, L 2-5 CHI
10/18 @ NYI, 10/20 @ NYR, 10/22 @ NJD, 10/23 @ PHI
The Sharks played tough against the Canes in their home-opener, but only showed up for one period against Chicago.
Player Spotlight
Gabe Vilardi, Los Angeles Kings
This week’s player spotlight is on Los Angeles Kings winger Gabe Vilardi. The 23-year-old Kingston, Ontario native opened the scoring for the Kings in their 4-3 home opener loss against the Vegas Golden Knights. Through the first three games of the season, Vilardi has tallied 4pts (2g, 2a), all recorded at even-strength. The 11th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, Vilardi has spent his entire career thus far in the Los Angeles Kings organization and has spent considerable time the past couple seasons playing for the Kings as well as their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.
Having showed glimpses of success as an NHL mainstay, including putting up 23 points in 54 games for the Kings in the 2020-2021 season, the Kings are looking for a productive season from Vilardi, who appears to be poised for a breakout season. He’s an exciting, dynamic player who is fun to watch and is currently providing the Kings with scoring depth on their 3rd line alongside Alex Iafallo and Quinton Byfield. Lastly, I’ll leave you all with this fun fact about Vilardi… In his NHL debut on February 20th, 2020, Gabe Vilardi set an NHL record scoring his first career NHL goal ten seconds into his first career shift.