The 2020-21 NHL season starts Wednesday with five scheduled games, including the current Stanley Cup champion, Tampa Bay Lightning, hosting the Chicago Blackhawks.
[PROJECTED LINEUPS FOR TODAY’S GAMES]
PINGUINS (0-0-0) in FLYERS (0-0-0)
17:30 eastern time; NBCSN, SN1
The regular season begins with the first of eight Battle of Pennsylvania games scheduled in MassMutual’s Eastern Division. The Philadelphia Flyers have won the last four openings of the season since 2016-17, including a 4-3 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL Global Series 2019 at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic, on October 4, 2019. Carter Hart, The 22-year-old goalkeeper from Philadelphia and Tristan Jarry, a 25-year-old who is the new No. 1 goalkeeper for the Pittsburgh Penguins, can be faces in this rivalry for a long time. Evgeni Malkin Centers (15 points; five goals, 10 assists) and Sidney Crosby (14 points; six goals, eight assists) are third and fourth, respectively, in the history of the Penguins by points in the season’s opening games behind Mario Lemieux (20 points; six goals, 14 assists) and Jaromir Jagr (16 points; three goals, 13 assists).
Status report
Penguins ahead Kasperi Kapanen and Defender Flyers Shayne Gostisbehere are not available due to the COVID-19 protocol.
CANADIENS (0-0-0) in MAPLE LEAFS (0-0-0)
19h east time; SN, TVAS, SN, NHL.TV
Joe Thornton will start his 23rd season in the NHL and first for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the 41-year-old can debut on the left wing in a row with Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner. Matthews scored 11 points (nine goals, two assists) in four openings of the season and is one of four players to start his career in the NHL by scoring a goal at the opening of his team in four consecutive seasons (Dit Clapper, Dave Andreychuk and Sergei Fedorov) . Montreal Canadiens reveals a renewed list with the addition of attackers Tyler Toffoli and Josh Anderson, defender Joel Edmundson and goalkeeper Jake Allen, which will back up Carey Price.
Status report
The Maple Leafs made an optional morning skate … The Canadiens made a complete morning skate.
BLACKHAWKS (0-0-0) on LIGHTNING (0-0-0)
8 pm eastern time; NBCSN
The current Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning will have no striker Nikita Kucherov for the season because of hip surgery. front Steven Stamkos will be in the squad after recovering from an injury to the central muscle that kept him out of all but one game in the 2020 Stanley Cup final. The Blackhawks start the season without a captain Jonathan Toews (medical problem), which is out indefinitely, and center Kirby Dach (right wrist surgery), which is out of 4 to 5 months. front Patrick Kane scored 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 13 openings of the NHL season, tied with the Washington Capitals striker Alex Ovechkin (18 points; 11 goals, seven assists) for most active NHL players.
Status report
Blackhawks Center Carl Soderberg has had his visa problems cleared and is undergoing a mandatory seven-day quarantine in Chicago. … Lightning forward Tyler Johnson and defender Luke Schenn they are expected to return to the lineup on Friday after the exemptions are released.
CANUCKS (0-0-0) at OILERS (0-0-0)
10:00 pm Eastern time; SN, SN1, TVAS2, NHL.TV
Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers face off for the second consecutive season after the Oilers defeated the Canucks 3-2 on October 2, 2019. Vancouver is led by a 22-year-old pivot. Elias Pettersson and 21-year-old defender Quinn Hughes. They also have Thatcher Demko, a 25-year-old goalkeeper who should start the season on a timeshare with Braden Holtby. Leon Draisaitl, elected last season’s Hart Trophy winner as NHL MVP, and Connor McDavid led the Oilers after the centers finished first and second in the NHL in scoring last season (Draisaitl, 110 points; McDavid, 97 points).
Status report
Goalkeeper Mikko Koskinen with start for the Oilers … Coach Travis Green has not revealed whether Holtby or Demko will start for the Canucks. … Edmonton signed a $ 700,000 contract with Devon Shore for one year and placed him under exemption.
BLUES (0-0-0) in AVALANCHE (0-0-0)
22:30 eastern time; NBCSN
Two of the best teams in the Western Conference last season face off in their first of eight games scheduled in the West Honda Division, starting with their debut at the Arena Ball. Torey Krug will debut for the St. Louis Blues after the defender played seven full seasons for the Boston Bruins. The Blues also added Mike Hoffman, who scored at least 20 goals in six consecutive seasons and named center-back Ryan O’Reilly as captain after defender Alex Pietrangelo signed with the Vegas Golden Knights. The Colorado Avalanche is considered one of the main candidates for the Stanley Cup, and pivot Nathan MacKinnon, finalist of the Hart Trophy last season, said he believed they are more than capable of winning.
Status report
The Blues placed forward Vladimir Tarasenko in LTIR and referrals promoted Jordan Kyrou and Mackenzie MacEachern from the taxi squad to the active squad. … Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Erik Johnson did not participate in the camp because the defender tested positive for COVID-19. He’ll be back on Saturday if all goes well.