What's Happening: Season 30 officially starts on Sunday, June 10th. Teams are playing their own division plus a couple teams from the other division in their conference. Games of the Week Sunday June 10th - 9:00 PM EST Ottawa Senators at Detroit Red Wings Many people's picks for the top two teams in the Atlantic get to play each other on the first possible game time of the season, and it's likely going to be a great game to watch. Both teams did well during the regular season in S29, and both lost to their conference's eventual Stanley Cup Final representative in the playoffs. A statement game against what could end up being a division rival would be a nice way to start the season. Monday June 11th - 11:00 PM EST Edmonton Oilers at Arizona Coyotes Two of the several teams with French owners match up on Monday night, and they both seemingly went different ways with their roster. The Oilers seem to have focused on getting forward depth whereas the Coyotes have stacked their defense with plenty of talent. Who will win the first of several match ups between these two teams? Tuesday June 12th - 9:00 PM EST Colorado Avalanche at Anaheim Ducks Two of the deeper teams in the league forward-wise will play on Tuesday, and it's anyone's guess what lines will be playing. In all likelihood, there's going to be a mismatch here, but both of these teams have three solid lines. I wouldn't be surprised if one team's depth line turns this game into a dogfight. Wednesday June 13th - 10:00 PM EST Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals Both of these teams had a couple question marks surrounding them post-bidding, and a good first week would help solidify either team as a playoff contender. By the time this game rolls around, we'll likely know who's going to have the better week. Then again, it could be a game that's going to push one team over the other. Regardless, a win for the last game of the week is sure to be a morale boost for one of these teams. Players to Watch - Draft Pick Edition @No Regretzkys The #1 overall pick has got to be a player to watch in his season debut. Likely playing with @SoY LoS 19 and @Basful , he'll be surrounded by a lot of talent on forward. I'd expect them to get some decent match ups throughout the week if the Rated R line is indeed playing both on Sunday. It will be very interesting to see how his line plays, and how he performs in his first week on @Dahlin x 8 and @THRA5HER5 The 5th and 6th overall draft picks may be d partners. Plus the 6th overall pick's gamertag is Dahlin, so very big expectations to live up to here. @Dahlin x 8 is 33-8-2 with 46 points and a +60 in the CHL. @THRA5HER5 is 18-6-1 with 24 points and a +43. CHL stats aren't exactly a great predictor of success, but they're all we have to go on right now. Seems to be an interesting combination of offense and defense on this pair, and let's be honest, Florida needs these two to produce wins. Hopefully, they start the season off with a good week. @Zer0 Tension Drafted 46th overall, @Zer0 Tension appears to be one of just two goalies chosen in the draft that are playing in the NHL this season, and would appear to be the only starter as the other goalie, @Crisper 19 , seems to be behind @BizyBounce on the depth chart for the New York Rangers. This has to be one of the best starting situations for a goaltender in the league with a great d-corps and some good center depth. We should see a stellar NHL debut. Milestone Watch Goals: @J a IMI e S x22 is 1 goal away from 300 career goals @l Volcom x 28 l is 1 goal away from 300 career goals Assists: @Schlemko x 17 is 1 assist away from 400 career assists @Po1andsFinest is 1 assist away from 400 career assists @SamDelisle9 is 3 assists away from 300 career assists Hits: @Jer Dubz is 2 hits away from 1000 career hits @Merle is 2 hits away from 1000 career hits Saves: @Th3 l AnD 0n1y is 20 saves away from 3600 career saves @SteveB9211 is 28 saves away from 3300 career saves The Hot Seat Carolina Hurricanes - @jyeti15s One of many first time owners in the NHL this season needs his team to have at least a decent start. Many were appalled that the Hurricanes spent just 3 million on their entire d-corps, and were silently saying prayers for the two goaltenders who they figured were ready to face an absolute onslaught all season in @Winston Payne and his backup. Jyeti has done his best to remedy this situation by making some shrewd moves to acquire @Really Good Dad and @Johnson x 92 who should give the Carolina players (and fans) a bit more confidence in this defense. However, will this be enough to place @jyeti15s and his team into the top 8 in the East? We won't know until the season ends I guess, but a good first week would be the first move towards that.
