Hockey is Back

On opening night of the NHL season we saw the Chicago Blackhawks raise their banner and Alex Ovechkin get his first goal of the year. The Maple Leafs get a huge win on the road in a divisional game and the Montreal Canadiens look like they have some things to work on. The Oilers showed some good signs but if they don’t fix their goaltending then it will be another long season for the Oilers. For Winnipeg, it looks like they have a future star on the blue line in Jacob Trouba.

First we saw the Blackhawks raise their championship banner and then we saw why they raised the banner. The Hawks won 6-4 with some amazing goals by Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa. For Washington, new addition Mikhail Grabovski netted the hat trick and he looks like he is on a mission in Washington. Alexander Ovechkin, the reigning MVP, scored early in the first period and he looks like he is ready to defend his trophy. Both teams goalie play looked shaky but it’s just one game and no one expects that to continue.

The Maple Leafs started off their season well by winning 4-3 in the Bell Centre against the Montreal Canadiens. James Van Riemsdyk scored very early into the game to quiet the crazy crowd. Lars Eller had a good game for Montreal scoring two goals and he can be a big piece for the Canadiens this season. The Canadiens got 37 shots while the Leafs got 38 shots on goal, but the alarming stat for both teams is the 1-7 showing on the power play by the Leafs. If Montreal keeps going to the box that many times it will be a long season and if Toronto can’t capitalize on their chances then the Leafs will struggle to have a winning season.

In the final game of the night the Winnipeg Jets went into Rexall and beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4. The Oilers showed the ability to score and once Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Sam Gagner return the Oilers will really be able to light the lamp. The problem for the Oilers is in between the pipes. Devan Dubnyk was just awful last night letting up terrible goals, the worst of them all being the tying goal by rookie defenseman Jacob Trouba. If the Oilers let up goals at this pace and turn the puck over like they did last night it will be another long season for the fans in Edmonton.

For Winnipeg, the standout player was Trouba. This young American defenseman looked great. This kid can do it all. His ability to check is amazing. He lines guys up and hits them clean. Trouba looks like he will be a force for a long time.

Folks, it’s only one out of 82 so a loss isn’t the end of the world, but if the trends we saw on opening night continue, then some teams look like they will be having long seasons.