The NHL is back and so is my will to live
The NHL is back and so is my will to live
Some fun moments and observations after two nights of NHL hockey
Hockey is back and after two nights of games I have watched a LOT of it. I’ve also clipped a lot of it for Twitter, but I figured I could organize my thoughts and observations in a more organized manner here. Usually my pieces focus on in-depth player analysis through a bigger picture type lens, but, since we only have two night’s worth of hockey games, this one will just be unloading some early observations I’ve found interesting and/or fun.
Karill Kaprizov is here and he is wonderful
Kaprizov was taken in the fifth round (135th OA) of the 2015 NHL draft out of the KHL by the Minnesota Wild. Since then all he’s done is score goals there and show up on my Twitter timeline every once in a while with a ridiculous play.
He finally arrived on the scene in his first NHL game on Thursday night against the Kings and he was exactly as advertised. Wild head coach Dean Evason was clearly convinced in training camp that this kid was legit, because he played nearly 22 minutes, during which he recorded two primary assists in regulation to go along with the OT winner. You couldn’t script a better debut.
This kid alone looks like he can make the Minnesota Wild an entertaining team to watch. The highest praise I could possibly give a player.
Connor McDavid is going to get 500 points in the North Division
McDavid was held off the scoresheet in game one against Braden Holtby and the Canucks, but it wasn’t for a lack of chances. He drew two penalties, had five shots on net, was absolutely robbed by Holtby and it seemed like he set up Alex Chiasson for grade-A chances five times, but Chiasson just isn’t really that good.
You just knew after that game with the Oilers and Canucks playing again on Thursday night that McDavid was going to be on an absolute mission and he didn’t disappoint. McDavid scored three times on nine shots and added an assist, with his second goal making me laugh out loud.
What do you even do to defend against this? If I’m Alex Edler here I’m just faking an injury as soon as McDavid crosses the blueline when he’s coming at you with that kind of speed. Then he stops on a dime and cuts to the middle as soon as Edler begins to pivot to the outside. Just extremely rude, honestly.
McDavid’s hat-trick goal came off of a ridiculous Leon Draisaitl pass, who had four assists in this game.
These games were jarring to watch as both teams have several top-end players and then a bunch of random dudes. One second you’re watching the best hockey you’ve ever seen and the next you’re watching Jay Beagle and Josh Archibald fumble around with the puck.
Nils Hoglander is very good
Hoglander was drafted 40th OA in 2019 and he just turned 20 a few days before Christmas. He was highly touted by almost every prospect Twitter account on my timeline his entire draft year and he already looks like an absolute steal. Despite his youth and stature, he’s already the net front guy on the Canucks powerplay and he looks like he’s going to thrive there. He’s only 5’9, but he’s around 200 pounds and he’s got great hands.
He even scored in his first NHL game on Wednesday night!
Hoglander is also a crafty puck carrier and passer away from the net and he looked totally comfortable from the minute the puck was dropped.
The Canucks have a really good one on their hands and his teammates seem well aware of it already.
William Nylander is back on his bullshit
Nylander is out to prove last year’s goal scoring outbreak was no fluke as he scored two goals in the Blue and White game followed by two more and an assist in the opener against the Montreal Canadiens.
It’s no secret that I love this player and nothing makes me happier than watching him dominate, so here’s hoping opening night was a sign of another big year for my original Swedish son.
Auston Matthews is going to score a lot of goals this year
Hot take, I know, but Matthews already equaled last year’s single game high of 14 shot attempts in game one and somehow didn’t score. Seven of those attempts were on net and one of them hit the post on a quick dash in alone in the third.
Matthews also played 25 minutes in game one, five of which came on the powerplay, a mark he reached only three times last season. He even spent a bit of time on the penalty kill as the FOGO guy (faceoff get off), which I’m in favour of between him and Jason Spezza. The Leafs got torched on the PK last year and a big reason was that Zach Hyman took a huge portion of the faceoffs there and got absolutely caved in, which makes sense as he’s not a centre. Faceoffs are generally way overblown on broadcasts in terms of their importance at 5v5, but they really do play a huge role on special teams. Matthews also actually blocks a good amount of shots at 5v5 anyway and there is no proven correlation between penalty killing and injuries, for those worried about that part of it.
Filip Forsberg’s mustache is a force of nature
It’s not fair that this man can look like a victorian era detective while replacing the top hat with that ugly yellow helmet and still be way better looking than anybody I know.
He’s also still extremely good at hockey.
Some people just have it all.
Captain Mark Stone forever
Stone was named the first captain in franchise history for the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday and it honestly felt kind’ve weird that he’d never been a captain before. From a purely on-ice perspective, since that’s all I personally have to go off of, he seems tailor-made for the role. He’s a force in all aspects of the game and he does so by being extremely detailed oriented. He just does everything very well despite not always looking like one of the most talented players in the world. He was a late draft pick who has done nothing but blow expectations out of the water ever since. I’m happy for him.
His debut as captain went just as expected, too, as he scored a goal and added an extremely on-brand assist.
Never change, Mark.
Experience Canes Hockey™
Classic. The Red Wings suck, obviously, but this Canes team is going to be a real problem in the Central, even for the Tampa Bay Lightning. They’ve always been a team that dominated in the shots/chances share department, but they’ve got some serious talent at every position now. Watch out.
Last, but definitely not least..
Rest in piss Tony DeAngelo
