The National Hockey League kicks off its 2014-15 campaign with a slate of four games on Opening Night Wednesday in what commences a great first week of hockey as teams begin their journeys toward their ultimate goal of hoisting the Stanley Cup.
Pacific Division Preview And Predictions
There were many surprises last year, with the Los Angeles Kings overcoming the odds to win the Stanley Cup, the New York Rangers emerging as a surprise Cup finalist out of the Eastern Conference and teams like the Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets having memorable years.
The 2014-15 campaign won't be any different and here are some key games to watch in the opening week of the 2014-15 NHL season.
Atlantic Division Preview And Predictions
Wed. Oct. 8: San Jose Sharks @ Los Angeles Kings: The Kings will be proudly rasing the 2013-14 Stanley Cup banner to the Staples Center rafters, but once the puck drops the goal is to win the team's third Stanley Cup in four years come June. The Sharks are likely foaming at the mouth for this Stanley Cup Playoffs opening round rematch after blowing a 3-0 series lead and losing in seven games. With a long summer to think about it -- and after watching their division rivals hoist the Cup -- this is a perfect rivalry to watch on Opening Night.
Wed. Oct. 8, 2014: Toronto Maple Leafs @ Montreal Canadiens: These two Canadian teams will continue their fierce rivalry with Opening Night action in what should be a tremendous game. The Maple Leafs looked destined to make the playoffs until they dropped 12 of their last 14 games last season while the Canadiens are coming off of a tremendous run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2014-15. Each team will be looking to gain their first two points of the season at their rival's expense.
Thurs. Oct. 9: Colorado Avalanche @ Minnesota Wild: The Avalanche had an amazing turnaround in 2013-14, going from being the second worst team in the league in 2013-14 to finishing with the third-best record in the NHL a season ago. Nathan MacKinnon took home the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie while first-year coach Patrick Roy notched the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's best coach. The Avalanche's tremendous season came to an end in the first round of the playoffs at the hands of the Wild in an overtime loss in Game 7 off of a goal by Nino Niederreiter. These two teams have a huge score to settle when the puck drops at the Xcel Energy Center and will play again in Colorado on Saturday.
Mon. Oct. 13: Montreal Canadiens @ Tampa Bay Lightning: This will be a rematch of the first round of this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs as the Canadiens swept away the Lightning thanks in large part to an injury to Tampa Bay goaltender Ben Bishop that kept him out of the series. The Lightning will be out for revenge while Montreal will look to build some momentum in this early season.
Tues. Oct. 14: New York Islanders @ New York Rangers: These two fierce rivals lock horns for the first time in the 2014-15 campaign when the revamped Islanders visit Madison Square Garden in New York City. These teams always play each other tough and early on in the season it shouldn't be any exception when captain John Tavares and the Islanders invade MSG to take on new captain Ryan McDonagh and the Rangers in the Battle of the Big Apple. The Islanders will look to make a statement against the reigning Eastern Conference champions while the Blueshirts will look to knockoff their young adversaries.
The NHL kicks off what should be a memorable season when the puck drops on a jam-packed opening week of NHL action starting Wednesday night.
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