NHL 2023-24

[InThe313]

Hockey finally comes back tonight with our first puck drop coming in (I can't believe I'm going to say this) Melbourne, Australia.  Here's where you post your news and notes regarding the NHL up to the hoisting of the Stanley Cup.  I want to remind everybody to post with respect to other fans and to NOT BE AN ASSHOLE!  Anyway, let's have fun watching the greatest game on ice this season.

[InThe313]

Opening Night is here and holy crud, we’ve got some huge games to start the season.  We’ve got a meeting between two teams who proved hockey works in the Sun Belt, Connor Bedard starting his NHL career against Sidney Crosby and a banner ceremony in the desert.  Here’s the full first day schedule:

Nashville Predators at Tampa Bay Lightning today at 5:30 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks at Pittsburgh Penguins tonight at 8 p.m.
Seattle Kraken at Vegas Golden Knights tonight at 10:30 p.m.

[InThe313]

Lace up the skates!  The NHL season is starting now with the Predators playing the Lightning.  The Blackhawks will play the Penguins at 8 p.m. as the Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard makes his NHL debut.  That is all a part of a triple header.  Updates to come.

The Lightning beat the Predators, 5-3.
The Blackhawks beat the Penguins, 4-2.
The Golden Knights beat the Kraken, 4-1.

[InThe313]

At first, I thought this was an accident, but I guess there was something more to it.  Police in Sheffield, England, made an arrest related to the on-ice death of former NHL player Adam Johnson.

[InThe313]

Go and make yourself famous!  The Penguins’ Tristan Jarry etched his name into the record books, becoming the 17th goalie to score in NHL history during a 4-2 win over the Lightning.

[InThe313]

What a thriller tonight in Columbus!  There was a fight in the net when the Blue Jackets’ Elvis Merzļikins traded blows with the Capitals’ Tom Wilson as an overtime brawl broke out that resulted in a costly penalty in a 3-2 Capitals win.

[InThe313]

Anybody up to see grown men playing hockey like kids?  The NHL-All Star Game is on now as hockey’s biggest stars take center stage in Toronto.  Updates to come.

Team McDavid beat Team MacKinnon, 4-3, in a shootout.  (What a thriller today in Toronto!)
Team Matthews beat Team Hughes, 6-5, in a shootout.
Team Matthews beat Team McDavid, 7-4.

[InThe313]

Get your popcorn ready!  The Maple Leafs and Atlantic rival Bruins are tied, 1-1, at the end of regulation of Game 7 in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.  Updates to come.

UPDATE:  What a thriller tonight in Boston!  The Bruins won it in overtime as David Pastrňák sent TD Garden into a frenzy with a spectacular winner to close out the Maple Leafs in Game 7, 2-1.  The Bruins will play the Atlantic rival Panthers beginning on Monday in Sunrise, Fla.

[InThe313]

I think it’s a safe bet Macklin Celebrini will be playing hockey down by the Bay.  The Sharks won the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL draft lottery.  The Blackhawks, Ducks and Blue Jackets rounded out the Top 4.

[InThe313]

If I were getting beaten this badly, I would get a little fired up, too.  The Bruins’ David Pastrňák and the Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk initiated a brawl after the Panthers poured in with six goals in a 6-1 win.

[InThe313]

As much as I loathe this team, my hope is he comes back in better shape mentally.  Avalanche star Valeri Nichushkin, the NHL’s co-leader in goals this postseason, was suspended six months and placed in Stage 3 of the NHL’s Player Assistance Program.  Updates to come.

The Avalanche lost to the Central rival Stars, 5-1.

[InThe313]

Could this be the year of the Rat Trick?  The Panthers reached their second straight Stanley Cup Final by eliminating the Rangers, 2-1, in Game 6.

[InThe313]

Canada still has a chance to bring its favorite trophy home.  Connor McDavid and the Oilers defeated the Stars, 2-1, in Game 6 to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the eighth time and first since 2006.  The Oilers will play the Panthers beginning on Saturday in Sunrise, Fla.

[InThe313]

It’s time to bring the season to a close.  The Oilers are playing the Panthers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.  The Panthers are 2-0 against the Oilers this season.  Updates to come.

UPDATE:  Will we get a rally?  Sergei Bobrovsky has 28 saves as the Panthers lead the Oilers, 2-0, entering the third period of Game 1.

UPDATE 2:  Who built a wall in South Florida?  Bobrovsky became the fifth goalie to record a shutout in Game 1 of a Stanley Cup Final in the past 40 seasons in a 3-0 Panthers win.

[InThe313]

It’s showtime from the suburbs of Miami.  Connor McDavid and the Oilers are looking to solve Sergei Bobrovsky and the Panthers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final and even the series.  Updates to come.

UPDATE:  This is anybody’s game.  The Oilers and Panthers are tied, 1-1, entering the third period of Game 2 of the Cup Final.

UPDATE 2:  This series appears to be well under control.  The Panthers took a 2-0 series lead as Evan Rodrigues became the first player in Panthers history with a multigoal game in the Stanley Cup Final in a 4-1 win over the Oilers.