Both these teams had terrific years. The Hurricanes finished with 113 points, earning them the top seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Canadiens took a sizable leap from last year, finishing with 106 points, good for third in the Atlantic Division. The Habs and Canes were two of the best teams in the conference this year, but that’s where their similarities end.
This playoffs, specifically the second round series against the Canadiens, was a true breakout for Benson. He had a solid regular season, scoring 13 goals and 43 in 65 games while playing just under 16 minutes a night, but he still felt underappreciated league-wide.
With the season's first series now in the books, it’s only right to look back and (definitely not) overreact to the storylines that made the most headwaves on opening weekend.
The Blue Jackets weren’t widely viewed as Cup contenders at the season’s opening, but I certainly believe there was excitement about the direction of the club, and the team’s record by mid-December wasn’t really reflective of where they would want to be in their journey towards contention. The bright spot for the Jackets at that time was the amount of the season that remained, and they’ve done a great job righting the ship since the new year.
It’s always exciting to see which players get swapped and what teams emerge as buyers and…
This was always meant to happen. Canada and the USA, currently the two most dominant hockey…
These games will feature almost entirely first-time Olympians coming from the NHL, with very little international play to base predictions from. The unfamiliarity with this style of hockey makes it difficult to predict what trends will carry the contending nations…but I’m still going to try.
This past week has not been a kind one to the Toronto Blue Jays. After seeing…
The Canadians find themselves now, out from the league's basement, but not quite seen as legitimate threats to challenge for the cup. As is the case with most rebuilding seasons, this year is still incredibly important to the future of this Canadians core, and as we reach the campaign's halfway point, I think it’s only right to discuss the biggest stories that have headlined an exciting forty-one games of Habs hockey.
