Sidney Crosby is playing like he’s 23 again. William Nylander is playing like he’s the $11 Million Dollar Man. Both these teams have designs on a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Maple Leafs are once again one of the top teams in the Atlantic Division, but the belief remains that they can play better. The Penguins have run hot-and-cold so far this season but are in the thick of the playoff race.
What’s really wrong with the Edmonton Oilers? How about a whole bunch of everything. What’s going right for the young Anaheim Ducks? A lot, though they’ve cooled off a bit as of late. At this stage, both teams will be hard-pressed to make the playoffs, but the big difference is the Ducks weren’t expected to be there. A whole bunch of everything was expected of the Oilers, and so far this season, they’ve been the league’s biggest disappointment. As for tonight, the Oilers can’t hold a lead, and the Ducks love the third-period comeback.
The New York Rangers have been one of the battleship teams right from the get-go this 2023-24 regular season, and they’ve been doing it recently without superstar defenceman Adam Fox in the lineup (due to injury). Their Empire State brethren, the Buffalo Sabres, were expected to do big things this season. There’s still time, but up to this point, the Sabres have not played consistently impressive hockey, which means they’re not playing winning hockey.
This past May, the Panthers eliminated the Maple Leafs from the Stanley Cup playoffs en route to the Cup Final against the eventual champion Vegas Golden Knights. Six months later, both teams are in the thick of the battle for first place in the tough Atlantic Division. The powerhouse Boston Bruins once again have jumped out to a healthy lead in the division, so this may very well be a battle for the second spot, which means home-ice advantage in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs…only five months away.
Who, outside of die-hard Capitals fans, had the DC team sporting an impressive win-loss record at Thanksgiving? Exactly. Yet here they are, even without sniper Alex Ovechkin really sniping yet, and stalwart forward Nicklas Backstrom on the sidelines (for good?) due to recovery from recent surgery. Washington faces a solid Kings team that is beginning to get sizeable contributions from some of their young guards (hello, Quinton Byfield), and the goaltending has held up so far.
A mega-Pacific Division clash between the defending Stanley Cup Champions Golden Knights, and the surprising Canucks. Vegas isn’t suffering from the dreaded Stanely Cup hangover and are once again one of the top teams in the league. Vancouver burst out of the gate and hit very few speedbumps along the way. This game is a good test for both teams.
Two teams that expected to do better this season met up in Ohio. And it’s not early anymore, so it’s two teams that desperately need the two points tonight. While most hockey observers didn’t think the Blue Jackets would make the post-season cut this time around, they also didn’t believe they’d be this tepid. The Senators were expected to push for a playoff spot, yet so far have been a disappointment.
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