This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
The Heritage Classic gave us a fun Alumni Game and outdoor hockey, which is at least more fun than the exact same game indoors, but the Jets didn't make much of a game out Sunday afternoon's spectacle.
With two quick goals in the second, the Oilers provided some brief thrills on a Mark Letestu shortie and a nice pass from Connor McDavid to Darnell Nurse, fresh out of the box. However, this side of that nifty move by Patrik Laine, it wasn't the most exciting game we're likely to see this season.
But it was win number five for the Oilers. They're the first team in the NHL to hit five wins. Are we finally seeing them round the corner? Three or four rebuilds later, is this the one that's finally going to stick? It's still early but it's an impressive start for a team that was near the bottom of the league in most categories last year.
Featured Matchups
Flyers (PP: 13, PK: 21) at Canadiens (PP: 20, PK: 8), 7:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Steve Mason (1-2-1, 3.35, .882), Carey Price (2-0-0, 2.02, .920)
Key Injuries:Torrey Mitchell (eye), Zach Redmond (foot), Michael Del Zotto (lower body), Radko Gudas (suspension), Scott Laughton (knee), Michael Raffl (abdomen), Dale Weise (suspension)
We'll have to wait a bit for Weise to get a match against his former club, but we will see Price in just his third NHL game since November of last year. He faces a Philadelphia team that is seeing dividends on their patience with burgeoning stars. Rookie Travis Konecny has been a grinding offensive presence and rookie defenseman Ivan Provorov has been excellent, even if his success isn't always showing up on the score sheet. He has an impressive stick and does a nice job taking care of his own zone.
Montreal hasn't been outstanding, but they're showing signs that they're improved from last year. They got things done while Price was out during the season's opening week and they reside in the middle of the pack in shots for and against. The praise isn't overwhelming, but it's improvement and that means that players in the middle of the roster have more value than they did last year when nothing at all was working after October.
Flames (PP: 30, PK: 23) at Blackhawks (PP: 10, PK: 30), 8:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Brian Elliott (0-3-0, 4.72, .839), Corey Crawford (1-3-0, 3.35, .886)
Key Injuries:Andrew Desjardins (lower body), Trevor van Riemsdyk (upper body)
Chicago is still one of the league's best teams, but they might not be in that upper echelon any longer. So far, the goals have been coming, but much more rapidly than the shots, which are a better indicator of how they're playing. At even strength, they're shooting 12.17 percent, which is pretty high. That will need to come back down (only one team was above nine percent last season). That's not to say there aren't a lot of useful players in Chicago, but the early success of the middle of the pack -- Richard Panik and Tyler Motte – might not continue. On the other hand, the other players having success in Chicago are Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Marian Hossa, Artem Anisimov, Artemi Panarin, and Brent Seabrook. Their success isn't surprising in the least.
For Calgary, things haven't gone to plan, but in terms of fantasy, they're producing well enough, as long as you're not playing Brian Elliott. The defense in Calgary has not been good enough and, like last year, the goaltenders are suffering for it. It's hockey, anything can happen, but Elliott should be at the bottom of your list of goaltenders for the day.
Recommended Pickup
Travis Konecny, C, PHI — The undersized 19-year-old center doesn't appear to be having any issues adapting to the physicality and pace of the NHL. In five games, he's got five points. He hasn't seen a ton of ice time, but he's made smart plays, shows some physicality, and is averaging over two shots per game. He's not a world beater, but he might be one of the league's best rookies this season and he's largely flying under the radar, for now.
