While the new NHL season has only just begun, there have been some early points to take away from the opening stages of the new campaign. Following a preseason that seems to have taken ages to get through, we’re now into the serious business of the regular season, and it hasn’t taken long for a number of takeaways that have come out of the first few weeks of the 2015/16 season. Whether it’s injuries to key players, surprise talent or disappointing rookies, the first few weeks of the year have given us enough signs that we could be in for another fascinating and unpredictable campaign.
The NHL always garners plenty of attention with betting fans, and looking at the early-season betting odds from the likes of 32Red and UNIBET suggest this could be another close affair. As ever, this year looks set to be another hard-fought battle until the end, and even factors from this early stage of the season could have drastic consequences on how the story of this NHL year will play out. So, what can hockey fans take away from the first few games of the new campaign?
Injuries
We might only be days into the new NHL campaign but a number of teams are already looking at gaps in their roster caused by some early season injuries. None more so than the Buffalo Sabres, who saw their high-profile summer arrival Robin Lehner pick up an ankle sprain just 28 minutes into his debut for the franchise, which will keep him sidelined for as long as two months. The Carolina Hurricanes only got to enjoy their new top-four defenseman James Wisniewski for 47 seconds before he suffered a potentially season-ending ACL injury. Elsewhere, the New York Islanders are still yet to see Jaroslav Halak this season, and the Boston Bruins have seen Brad Merchand ruled out indefinitely with a concussion suffered against Montreal.
Top picks overshadowed
At the beginning of the season, the likes of 32Red, betway, topbet and other sportsbooks weren’t really looking beyond Connor McDaniel and Jack Eichel when it came to the running for the NHL’s Rookie of the Year. After a handful of games, though, neither of the top-two picks from this year’s draft have exactly burst out of the traps. It has been New York Rangers’ third-line centre, Oscar Lindberg, who has been the most impressive first-year professional so far. With four goals from the first three games, the Swede has shown that this year’s Calder Memorial Trophy might not be the two-horse race many thought it would at the start of the season.
Connor McDavid – Photo by Jack Lima
Penguins fail to take off
Despite the addition of Phil Kessel to a team already containing Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Pittsburgh Penguins have so far failed to live up to the hype that surrounded them heading into the season. While the new arrival scored his first goal for the franchise in his second appearance, it came in a second loss of the season and was the Penguins’ first score of the campaign. Defeats to the Dallas Stars and the Arizona Coyotes might not be enough to sound the alarm bells in Pittsburgh, but it has dampened some of the confidence from a number of Penguins fans who felt this was their season. With so many talented players on the roster, though, it’s seems to be a matter of time before the franchise find their rhythm.
Goalies fight back
NHL goaltenders are an unfortunate bunch. Never really given the glory when a team wins, they are often the first ones to come in for blame when things go wrong. This year has been a bit different so far, and some of the league’s best goalies have really stepped up their game this season. If you’re a fan of incredible saves, this has been a good couple of weeks for you. Whether it’s Henrik Lundqvist’s wonder-stop from Blue Jackets’ Ryan Johansen, Steve Mason’s block to thwart Tyler Johnson or Karri Ramo’s remarkable flick save off Canucks forward Henrik Sedin – you could already put together a packed show reel of saves this season. The way things are going, someone is set for one heck of a job putting together a top-five saves of the season come the end of the 2015/16 campaign.
You must be logged in to post a comment.