Preusser’s NHL Rundown: It’s Almost the Weekend; What Do We Have to Look Forward to
Photo Courtesy: NHL.com, in article by Nicholas J. Cotsonika, 2022 NHL Stadium Series ice crew protects rink from rain, warm weather
There are some big things and big games to look forward to this weekend, so let’s take a look.
One of the games I’ll be paying attention to is the Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars on Thursday, Feb. 24. This game consists of two teams in the Central Division with sort of playoff potential. Nashville sits in fourth in the division with 62 points, and Dallas sits in fifth with 58 points. Why does this matter? It matters because if Dallas can pull out a win, the team can come within two points of Nashville. Then, Nashville is set to play Tampa Bay in the Stadium Series game on Saturday, which I’m predicting that the Lightning will come out on top of that one. This means the Stars would go into its Sunday game against the Sabres still two points away from Nashville. Therefore, the Stars have the capacity to tie Nashville in points… AND THEN Dallas has two fewer overtimes than Nashville, which means it puts them in a better position to catch up to the other front runners. That was a lot, hope you kept up.
Another divisional matchup that I’ll be watching is the Rangers against the Capitals also on Thursday. The Rangers have continued to impress throughout the season, so this game against the mighty Capitals will be a good one. The Rangers sit in third with 69 points, and the Capitals sit in fourth with 65 points. A sort of similar situation with Nashville and Dallas where if the Capitals can win it, the team puts themselves in a good spot just two points away from the Rangers. However, if the Capitals were to go on and win against Philadelphia on Saturday, they don’t have the same ability to overtake the third-place spot with their nine overtimes compared to the Rangers’ five. The Rangers also get to have a look at the Penguins on Saturday, so with those two big games, the Metro could get shaken up a little.
The Pacific Division is interesting to me because Calgary is in the top spot with 66 points, which is eight points behind the next top spot (Carolina – 74). Why is this division so much closer? Are the teams better? I can’t really say. The LA-Anaheim matchup on Friday will be one to look out for since Anaheim is only three points behind LA and tied with Edmonton. The Oilers play Florida on Saturday, which I am predicting will result in a Florida win, which may open the door for Anaheim.
There is plenty of hockey on this weekend, so make sure to tune in! These are just some of the games I am looking forward to, but I will obviously be watching my Chicago Blackhawks… even though those games don’t mean much for the standings anymore #RIP.