Morning Skate - Monday, November 28

Morning Skate - Tandems, Trends & Engaging with Eichel

November 28, 2022

Share
Tweet
Forward

Saturday's NHL Scores

Last Night's News 📰

SPLASHVILLE?: A water main break wreaked havoc at Bridgestone Arena, forcing the postponement of two Nashville Predators games over the weekend. Nashville prepared to welcome the Colorado Avalanche Friday and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, with both games getting rescheduled for later dates. Bridgestone Arena was also set to host a collegiate game between Northeastern and Western Michigan, which moved to Ford Ice Center Bellevue.

WARD TO THE HALL OF FAME: Former goaltender Cam Ward will enter the Carolina Hurricanes' Hall of Fame on Thursday, Feb. 16. He holds Caronlina's goaltending records in games played, wins, and shutouts in the regular season and playoffs over 13 years. A former first-round draft pick at 25th overall, Ward joins Rod Brind'Amour, Ron Francis, and Glen Wesley in the Hurricanes' Hall of Fame.

RUFF EARNS 800: On Nov. 26, New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff became the fifth coach in NHL history to win 800 games when his team beat the Washington Capitals 5-1 at Prudential Center. Ruff Joins Scotty Bowman, Joel Quenneville, Barry Trotz, and Ken Hitchcock as the only coaches to hit the milestone. Congrats, Lindy!

SWEATER WEATHER: On Friday, Adidas and the league revealed the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic jerseys for the Jan. 2 tilt between the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins. Both teams will wear custom jerseys that honor the history of their respective cities and organizations.

COMING GIROUX: Four of the five games on Sunday were decided by one goal, with two coming in overtime. Highlighting the night was Claude Giroux, who scored 20 seconds into the extra period to give the Ottawa Senators a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. It was the third-fastest overtime goal in the Senators' history, behind Matt Duchene (seven seconds) and Josh Norris (nine seconds).

Looking Back: 2021-22 Thanksgiving Trends

It isn't until the end of the season that all teams will have played an equal amount of games, so any notion of what constitutes the quarter-point is a rough estimate. Still, with every team but the Colorado Avalanche (who

against the Nashville Predators postponed thanks to a water main break) having played at least 20 games, it seems safe to say we've reached that point in the 2022-23 campaign.

So what does that mean regarding how early trends might play out? Well, we still don't know. But looking back at where things stood at the approximate quarter-mark a year ago offers insight into how accurate the league's current power balance might be. Let's look at some early trends from last year that held on and some that didn't.

Held True: Florida Panthers

Heading into the 2021-22 season, the

looked like a club on the rise but hardly a contender to rule the Atlantic Division. And yet, on this day last year, they stood as one of just five teams to have collected 30 points. That early momentum turned into a dominant campaign that saw Florida earn the Presidents' Trophy. That postseason, however,

.

Didn't Last: Winnipeg Jets

Things are looking up in Winnipeg, where the Jets are 12-6-1 and coming off a 7-2 shellacking of the Chicago Blackhawks. Lest celebrations at

get too wild, it's worth remembering that the team held a respectable 28 points through 24 games last season before the wheels came off.

Held True: Calgary Flames

Before riding high atop the Pacific Division thanks to Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, the Calgary Flames were losing more than they were winning in the pandemic era's North Division. Therefore, it was noteworthy to see Calgary jump to a 12-4-5 start the following year. The Flames proved that start to be no fluke along the way to a division title.

Didn't Last: Los Angeles Kings

Looking at this point last year, the

were nothing, if not streaky. Through just 20 games, they had already reeled off a seven-game win streak and five- and six-game losing skids. No one knew what, exactly, the Kings were, but it didn't quite look like a playoff squad. It was roughly a month later that LA shifted into another gear and kick-started a run of 16 wins in 23 games, putting them firmly in the postseason conversation.

NHL Celebrity Duos

Celebrities stopping by to see NHL games is nothing new. Sometimes, they may even get pictures with some players, making for some interesting iconic duos. On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Penguins posted a photo of Sidney Crosby and Christina Aguilera as she was cheering on her hometown Pens against the Toronto Maple Leafs, in which the caption included "icons." So we thought we would look at some of the other recent celebrity and player sightings!

Matt Duchene & Brantley Gilbert

Country singer Brantley Gilbert visited Matt Duchene and the Nashville Predators on Nov. 15, and we want to hear the mixtape! Duchene has already made his country singing debut at a gig in Nashville back in September, so it wouldn't be surprising if this iconic duo had something up their sleeves!

Alex Tuch & Josh Allen

Alex Tuch is living the hometown dream with the Buffalo Sabres, and he was featured in a picture with Buffalo Bills' quarterback Josh Allen to put the cherry on top. They were also repping each other's jerseys at their respective games. Having these two together is basically like Buffalo royalty at this point, and it's safe to say Buffalo fans love to see it!

Dawson Mercer & Kane Brown

In August, the Prudential Center hosted the MTV Video Music Awards, so naturally, it was only fitting to have a member of the New Jersey Devils there. Forward Dawson Mercer got to be a red carpet host and said he was most excited to see Eminem and country singer Kane Brown. Brown ended up stopping for a chat, where they shared their similarities of having no superstitions, and Mercer even gave him some skating tips. Brown received a Devils jersey as well. We would love to see these two hit the ice together!

Brandon Tanev & DeeJay Dallas

The Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Kraken have something in common; they both have players that have "seen ghosts" in their headshots. Kraken forward Brandon Tanev became famous for his amusing headshots, and Seahawks running back DeeJay Dallas joined in on the fun with a similar pose. Running with the joke, the Seahawks imposed their headshots onto the "Stepbrothers" movie poster. We want to see this iconic duo pose for the picture in real time!

Player Spotlight — Jack Eichel

Jack Eichel has been impressive to start the 2022-23 season, leading the Vegas Golden Knights with 26 points in 23 games. He has five points in his last five games, reminding fans why he was selected second overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. Fans know plenty about what he brings on the ice, but what about his life off it? Let's dive in!

Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images)

Who Will Win the 2022 World Cup?:

What Would Your Job Outside of Hockey Be?:

Dream Concert:

Favorite Video Game:

Best Quality in a Teammate:

I’m Embarrassed ___ Is on My Playlist:

NHL Standings

NHL's Leadings Scorers

Today's NHL Schedule