The Chicago Blackhawks return to United Center with their championship banner in tow. After raising it up to the rafters, they then face fierce Original Six rivals the New York Rangers for their season opener. The Rangers are looking for another deep playoff run after exiting in the Eastern Conference Finals last season. A big-time matchup against the defending Stanley Cup champions should help gauge where they are to start the season.
It’s rivalry night in the NHL! Check out the big matchups for the first night of the season in the Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs and Sharks vs. Kings.
It was another disappointing Stanley Cup Playoffs run for the New York Rangers. They were knocked off contention after losing Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Madison Square Garden against the Tampa Bay Lightning. A year before, they were dominated 4-1 in the Stanley Cup finals by the Los Angeles Kings.
[sc:NHL240 ]Not much has changed for the Rangers. They’ll still be led by a stellar goalie in Henrik Lundqvist, who has been with the Rangers his entire 10-year career. The last four seasons have been solid for Lundqvist and the Rangers with two first-place finishes in the Metropolitan, a President’s Trophy, three Eastern Conference Finals and a Stanley Cup final appearance.
Lundqvist could be up for a solid start in the 2015-16 NHL Season. He’s 5-1-2 with a 1.98 GAA and a .934 save percentage against the Chicago Blackhawks. Lundqvist went 14-5-1 with a 2.14 GAA in 20 road starts last season.
The Rangers are still pretty much solid on offense. Six of the seven players with 45 points or more last year return for the 2015-16 campaign. Rick Nash leads the way after finally breaking out in New York with a career-high 42 goals and 27 assists. He was just five goals shy of his total (47) in his first two seasons as a Ranger. But Nash has not scored a goal in 11 straight games at United Center.
Nevertheless, the Rangers won’t be putting all their hopes on Nash’s game. While Martin St. Louis (retirement) and Carl Hagelin (trade) are now gone, Derick Brassard and Derek Stepan return after solid performances in the 2014-15 season. Brassard finished with 60 points, while Stepan had 55. Chris Kreider and Kevin Hayes are also there to lend their speed. Kreider scored a career-high 21 goals last season, while Hayes had 17 in his rookie campaign.
The Rangers have won three of their last four at United Center.
Betting on the Chicago Blackhawks
While the Rangers are pretty much the same team that went to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, the Chicago Blackhawks bid farewell to a handful of key personnel. Gone are Brandon Saad, Patrick Sharp and Brad Richards among others that helped Chicago win the Stanley Cup last season.
Retaining the core of Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Brent Seabrook, Andrew Shaw, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Duncan Keith and goaltender Corey Crawford should still ensure the Blackhawks remain one of the league’s top teams. Star forward Patrick Kane also returns (for now), but is currently under investigation on suspicion of sexual assault which allegedly occurred in early August.
Having off-ice distractions could subdue Kane’s performance at least in the early goings of the season. But some youngsters looking to make a name for themselves should give the Blackhawks a spark. 21-year-old Teuvo Teravainen should be a solid addition to Chicago’s first line alongside Toews and Hossa. Teravainen contributed four goals and six assists in the postseason to help the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup.
While the Blackhawks’ young hotshots should provide plenty of energy, the defending champs may still rely on their captain, Toews, to lead the way against the Rangers. Toews has been solid against the Rangers in his career, taking seven career points in nine head-to-head matchups.
Crawford has also been solid between the pipes in his career against New York. He has a 2.03 GAA and .931 save percentage against the Rangers, but he’s just 1-2-1 in four career starts.
The total has gone under in four of Chicago’s last five home games against the Rangers.
Writer’s Prediction
The Rangers steal a win on the road, 2-1, against the defending Stanley Cup champs. Create a betting account now and get in on the fast-paced hockey action to come.
