Author: David Gottlieb

Each year, the National Hockey League (NHL) usually plays multiple outdoor games in front of thousands of fans at big sports stadiums, including the annual Winter Classic on New Years Day. This season, the NHL continued this tradition, but with a twist: no fans (for the most part) were allowed to attend games because of COVID-19 restrictions. Instead of playing outside at a big stadium, the league decided to play the outdoor games in a more natural setting, selecting the picturesque Lake Tahoe for two contests. 

The games featured the Colorado Avalanche taking on the Vegas Golden Knights and the Boston Bruins playing the Philadelphia Flyers on the weekend of Feb. 20–21. The games were not actually played on the lake (much to the dismay of Avs forward Pierre Edouard-Bellemare), but rather on a rink constructed on the 18th fairway of the golf course at the Edgewood Tahoe Resort situated alongside it. This unique setting for a game made for a great TV viewing experience as the teams played with spectacular views of the Sierra Mountains, trees, and the lake in the background of every camera shot. Also, even though no fans were allowed in stands, people pulled up to the rink in boats and kayaks to try to get a glimpse of the action from the lake, which made for a spectacular viewing experience. 

The games themselves were likewise entertaining and fun to watch, especially the first one between the Knights and Avalanche, in which the Avalanche won 3–2. In the game, the Avalanche jumped out to a fast start as they took a 1–0 lead in the first period, with defenseman Samuel Girard scoring just three minutes into the match. After the first period, the game was delayed almost eight hours because the sun was melting the ice, making it unsafe to play on as players were slipping all over the place and getting stuck in ruts during the action. 

Once the game resumed, Vegas responded and tied the game up at one apiece in the second period as defenseman Alec Martinez scored. However, the game did not remain tied for long, as the Avalanche retook the lead shortly after on a goal from star player Nathan MacKinnon. Colorado then added a third goal in the final period from defenseman Devon Toews to take a two-goal lead in the game. Vegas was able to get it back to a one-goal game on a goal from Alex Tuch with six minutes left in the game but could not find a way to tie it up after that as the Avs hung on to win. In goal for the Avalanche, Phillipp Grubauer got the win as he made 27 saves on 29 shots. 

Similar to the first contest, the second game, the next day, between the Flyers and the Bruins, also had to be moved (this time before the game started) because of worries about the sun melting the ice. It was supposed to be played in the late morning out west but was moved to the afternoon. The game itself was not as close on the scoreboard, however, as the Bruins won by a score of 7–3, dominating the Flyers with a four-goal second period after the game was tied at 2 after the first. The Flyers were missing many key players due to them being following COVID-19 protocols, so this scoreline was not that surprising to see. For Boston, star forward David Pastrnak had a hat trick, his second vs. the Flyers this season, and four other Bruins added goals of their own in the blowout. In goal, Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask only had to make 16 saves on 19 shots in the victory as the Bruins outshot the Flyers 35–19.  

As a whole, despite the issues with ice, and having to pause the first game due to these issues, I would say the NHL Outdoors Weekend at Tahoe was a successful experiment, with a great setting and backdrop. Even watching from home, the view of the mountains, trees, and the lake was a welcome change from the usual sights of a big football or baseball stadium. Going forward, it will be interesting to see where else the NHL tries to play outdoor games in the future and if they start putting more outdoor games in unconventional locations. 

 

David Gottlieb can be reached at dgottlieb@wesleyan.edu. 

The NHL finally returned to action on Jan. 13, as its abbreviated 56-game regular season got under way. Because of COVID and accompanying restrictions, the NHL structured its divisional format by region this season in order to limit travel and place all Canadian teams in the same division. The four divisions this year are the East Division, the Central Division, the West Division, and the North Division, with every team only playing the teams that are in its division and the top 4 in each making the playoffs. Here is a look at how each one is shaping up so far.

East Division

In the East Division, the Boston Bruins are in first place as they have gotten off to a torrid 10-2-2 start, led by the efforts of the top line: Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand (who leads the team with nine goals), and David Pastrnak (who has 5 goals and 5 assists in just seven games played so far). Behind the Bruins in the standings are the New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, and Washington Capitals in second, third, and fourth, respectively. The Capitals had been leading the division early on despite losing key forwards Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, as well as goalie Ilya Samsonov and others, due to COVID and COVID protocol violations. They recently had a four-game losing streak that saw them drop behind those other three teams in the division.

Placing behind the Capitals are the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have been playing well as they try to make yet another run at a championship with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. They are followed by the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, and Buffalo Sabres. The Rangers are probably the biggest disappointment so far this season; many people expected them to take a step forward as they had a strong end to last season before losing in the qualifying round, but have a lot of offensive talent that has underperformed so far this year. As for New Jersey and Buffalo, not much was expected of either the Devils or the Sabres this season, so seeing them at the bottom isn’t a surprise. In addition, both recently had to shut down for two weeks due to COVID outbreaks. In general, outside of the bottom three teams, this division will be captivating to watch as the season progresses. It is going to be a battle between the top five teams for the four playoff spots, and a really good team is going to have to miss the playoffs.

Central Division 

The Central Division has had some surprising results so far as some teams have played better than people expected heading into this season. Currently, the Florida Panthers lead the division with a record of 10-2-2, as they have looked vastly improved compared to last season, when they finished 10th in the East and lost in the qualifying round. In the three playoff positions behind the Panthers are the Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning (who probably will end up winning the division), and Carolina Hurricanes. The Blackhawks are likely the team that people least expected to see in a playoff spot, given the fact that they lost captain Jonathan Toews and talented forward Kirby Dach due to injuries and other health issues before the season even started. As for the bottom half of the division, two teams that are lower in the standings than expected right now are the Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars. However, in the case of the Stars, they have only played 12 games (some teams in the division have played as many as 18) due to COVID and other issues, so once they begin to make up their games, I would expect to see them near the top of the division given they made the Stanley Cup Final last year. All in all, it will be interesting to see how this division plays out and if these surprising results at the top continue (with the exception of the Lightning being in the hunt once again as well as Carolina being in the top 4), or if the teams people expected to be good start to play better and move up in the standings.

West Division

The West Division has been the most predictable division so far this season. Before the season, everyone expected the Vegas Golden Knights, St. Louis Blues, and Colorado Avalanche to finish in the top three in some order, with the rest of the teams in the division battling it out for the fourth spot. That is exactly what is happening. At the moment, the Knights are in first place in the division with a record of 10-3-1 as they have gotten off to a great start. The Knights are led by Max Pacioretty, who leads the team with 8 goals, and Mark Stone, who leads the team in points and assists. Behind the Knights in the standings are the Blues followed by the Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes’ current position in the fourth spot is somewhat unexpected. However, only four points separate the Coyotes from the Minnesota Wild (who are last in the division), so all five teams (the Arizona Coyotes, San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, and Minnesota Wild) ranked below Colorado have a good opportunity to grab the final playoff spot. Going forward, it will be intriguing to see how the battle for the fourth playoff spot plays out, but other than that, I would not expect much to change in terms of playoff positioning.

North Division

The North Division has been the most compelling division to watch so far as it is just the Canadian teams playing against one another. Right now, the Toronto Maple Leafs currently lead the division as they have gotten off to a superb 12-3-2 start, led by Auston Matthews who currently places highest within the league for goals, with 14 to his name. In second are the Montreal Canadiens (one of the bigger surprises this season), followed by the Edmonton Oilers in third and the Winnipeg Jets in fourth. As for the teams currently not in the top four, the team that has been the most disappointing so far has been the Vancouver Canucks, since many people expected them to be near the top of the standings after making a run to the second round of the playoffs last year. That has not been the case so far, as the Canucks have not played well to start this season; they sit in sixth place with a losing record behind the Calgary Flames and ahead of the Ottawa Senators. However, this can easily change, as only 3 points separate 2nd through 7th in the division standings. Any of the teams behind Toronto (with the exception of the Senators) have a shot to claim one of the other three spots. Overall, this division will be fun to watch as the teams battle it out to make the playoffs, and it will be fascinating to see who ends up making it along with Toronto.

 

David Gottlieb can be reached at dgottlieb@wesleyan.edu

The 2020 Masters finally took place in Augusta, Georgia last week, after a seven month delay due to the pandemic. Known as the ““tradition unlike any other,” this year’s edition of the tournament was unique in many ways. In normal times, it would have been played in front of large crowds during in the spring. This year, however, the golfers teed off in front of barely anyone in the middle of Nov. Heading into the tournament, golf fans had two major questions: whether Bryson DeChambeau’s monstrous drives would overpower Augusta and whether Tiger Woods would claim a repeating title as Masters champion. However, it was Dustin Johnson who ultimately stole the show, as he put on a dominant performance to win the Masters by five strokes while setting the scoring record for Augusta at 20 under par. Here is the recap of all four rounds and how the leaderboard shaped up after each round.

Round One

In Round One, Johnson, along with Paul Casey and Dylan Frittelli, set the pace for the tournament, as all of them shot a 65 and sat tied for the lead at seven-under with Webb Simpson, Justin Thomas, and Xander Schauffele all tied for second, only two shots back. Round One was also Tiger’s best round of the tournament: he shot a 68 with no bogies and sat three shots back at four under with many others at the end of the day. As for DeChambeau, he did not have as good of a round. He struggled throughout the day to drive accurately, but did still manage to shoot two-under to sit five back.

Round Two

Round Two saw the leaderboard begin to shuffle a bit. Frittelli and Casey struggled and fell off the top of the leaderboard. Johnson, however, continued to play stellar golf as he shot a 70 to sit tied for the lead at nine-under, along with four others, including Justin Thomas and Jon Rahm. Round Two also saw Woods have another solid round of one-under to sit just four shots back. DeChambeau struggled again to keep the ball in play, shooting a 74 and finishing nine shots back at even par.

Round Three

Round Three was when Johnson finally took control of the tournament. He shot another 65 to move to the solo lead at 16 under after 54 holes. Cameron Smith, who was tied for the lead after two rounds, shot a 69 to move to 12 under and sit tied for second with Im Sung-Jae and Abraham Ancer. Other notable golfers who were in the top ten included Justin Thomas, who was sixth at ten under par, and Rory McIlroy, who was tied for 10th along with three others at eight under par. As for Woods, after two solid rounds, he struggled in Round Three to get anything going and finished up way out of contention at almost seven shots back. DeChambeau, on the other hand, rebounded to shoot three-under after a rough second round.

Round Four

During Round Four, Johnson stumbled a bit as he bogeyed two of his first five holes, which left his lead at only one stroke over Im . However, he rebounded over the final 13 holes to close out the Masters with another sub 70 round of 68 to finish at 20 under par. Im and Smith both shot three-under to sit in a tie for second behind Johnson at -15 and Thomas finished in fourth at -12. Other golfers who finished in the top ten include McIlroy, who shot a 69 (three under par) to finish tied for fifth at 11 under, and Brooks Koepka, who shot a 70 (two under par) to finish tied for seventh. Lower on the leaderboard, Woods had his worst round of the tournament, as he shot four over and had a ten on a par three hole to finish at one-under for the tournament and in a tie for 38th place; fellow cellar-dweller DeChambeau shot one over to finish at -2 under. As for the champion Johnson, it was a stellar tournament, as he had the fewest bogies ever in tournament history in addition to setting the scoring record while claiming his first Green Jacket.

All in all, while the atmosphere might have been different, the golf was still great to watch. Now the anticipation begins for next year’s Masters, which will kick off the majors season for 2021 in April.

 

David Gottlieb can be reached at dgottlieb@wesleyan.edu.

After a shortened 60-game regular season followed by four playoff rounds, the Major League Baseball season came to an end the same way it began, with a positive COVID-19 test. Yes, the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series over the Tampa Bay Rays in six games, their first since 1988. However, all anyone could talk about after the Dodgers won was how Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner, after testing positive for COVID-19 and leaving Game Six, defied protocol and came back out to celebrate postgame. It was a fitting end to a season that was unlike any other.

Heading into the series, both teams were coming off seven-game series wins in their respective league championship series. However, their respective paths to the championship looked completely different. The Rays nearly blew a 3–0 series lead against the Houston Astros before winning in seven and the Dodgers had to come back from 3–1 down against the Atlanta Braves to win their series and advance.

In Game 1, both teams tried to build off of their advancing momentum and take an early advantage in the series. However, it was the Dodgers who ultimately wound up on top by a score of 8–3, fueled by home runs from Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger and a stellar pitching performance by Clayton Kershaw. Behind strong pitching by Blake Snell, however, Tampa was able to respond in Game 2 with a 6–4 win to even the series at one apiece. 

The Dodgers rebounded in Game 3, as starter Walker Buehler only gave up one run and the offense was strong again across the board as the Dodgers took a 2–1 series lead, winning by a score of 6–2. This set the stage for the most dramatic finish of the entire series in Game 4. In the ninth inning, the Dodgers led by a score of 4-3 and were poised to take a 3-1 series lead. However, with two outs and two men on, closer Kenley Jansen gave up a hit that Chris Taylor misplayed in the outfield. Both runners were able to score, despite the second runner, Randy Arozarena, tripping on the way home and surviving only on a mistake by Dodgers’ catcher Will Smith. Tampa Bay stunned the Dodgers by a score of 5–4 to even the series. 

Unfortunately for the Rays, though, they were not able to keep the momentum going from the dramatic victory, as Kershaw once again shut down the Rays offense. Max Muncy and Joc Pederson both added home runs to lead the Dodgers to a 4–2 victory in Game 5 and a 3–2 series lead. 

On the brink of elimination in Game 6, the Rays got off to a good start, leading 1–0 and poised to force a Game 7, before manager Kevin Cash made one of the worst coaching moves in recent sports memory. Cash pulled superstar starter Blake Snell in the sixth inning, despite the fact that Snell had thrown well under one hundred pitches and had only given up two hits. This move gave the Dodgers the break they needed to come back against the Tampa Bay bullpen to win Game Six 3–1 as Mookie Betts scored the go-ahead run in the sixth and added a home run in the eighth to clinch the title. 

After the game ended, Corey Seager, who had a stellar series with two home runs and five RBIs, was named the MVP for the World Series. However, this was overshadowed by Turner’s positive test. It would have been interesting to see how MLB would have handled the positive test if a Game 7 was needed to decide a champion. Thankfully for baseball, however, this was not necessary, as the Dodgers were able to close out the championship and finish the most unique baseball season in history. This season began with the Marlins’ entire roster basically testing positive, and ended with the World Series being played on a neutral site and a player testing positive. Now we wait to see what 2021 brings for the sport. All in all, in a year where a lot of unexpected things happened, the team everyone in baseball expected to win it all delivered in the moments when it mattered most.

 

David Gottlieb can be reached at dgottlieb@wesleyan.edu. 

Eleven months and three weeks after it began, the 2019–20 NHL season finally came to an end last week. The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars 2–0 in Game 6 to win their second ever Stanley Cup championship by winning the series 4–2. This series was hard fought and full of memorable moments, making it a great way to cap off the most unique NHL season ever. 

Heading into this series, both teams had played strong hockey in their respective series victories in the Conference Finals. In the West, Dallas had beaten the top-seeded Vegas Golden Knights in five games to advance to the Cup Final behind outstanding goaltending from unlikely playoff hero Anton Khudobin and some timely scoring throughout their lineup. Likewise, in the East, Tampa looked impressive in its six-game series win over the New York Islanders.

The stage was set to decide who would go home with the Stanley Cup.

Perhaps due to their longer rest period before the game, Dallas got off to a strong start in Game 1, scoring three times across the two periods as goals from Joel Hanley, Jamie Oleksiak, and Joel Kiviranta powered them to a 3–1 lead heading into the third period. In the final period, Anton Khudobin preserved the lead by making 22 saves on 35 shots as Tampa found its offensive stride. The Stars won Game 1 by a score of 4–1 despite getting outshot 36–19 throughout the entire game.

Game 2 was a different story: Tampa, building off of the momentum of a strong third period in Game 1, scored three in the first period before hanging on to win 3–2 and tie up the series. Brayden Point, Ondrej Palat, and Kevin Shattenkirk each scored once as Andrei Vasilevskiy made 27 saves on 29 shots in the victory. Tampa’s win and the resulting series tie set the stage for possibly the most memorable moment of the series in Game 3. 

Heading into Game 3, the one Tampa player that everyone was talking about had not yet played a shift in the playoffs, as the hockey world anticipated the eventual return of Tampa captain Steven Stamkos from injury. Their anticipation was well rewarded as Stamkos, who had yet to play in a game since the restart, scored on his first shot of the series in the first period of Game 3 to stretch the Tampa lead to 2–0 (Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov had already scored). Stamkos’ comeback provided the emotional lift needed in order to power the Lightning to a 5–2 win and a 2–1 series advantage. It was his only goal of the series, as he later left the game after re-aggravating his injury.

After an emotional win in Game 3, Tampa looked to build off of the momentum of it in Game 4, but it was Dallas who came out playing with a sense of urgency as they scored the game’s first two goals. However, Tampa responded, as Point scored two consecutive goals to tie the game up at two. The teams then traded two goals each in the final two periods. The game remained tied at the end of the fourth period. In overtime, a bad penalty call against Stars captain Jamie Benn resulted in Shattenkirk scoring on the power play, winning the game for the Lightning by a score of 5–4 and giving them a 3–1 series lead.

Down 3–1, Dallas was able to stave off elimination by coming back and winning Game 5 in double-overtime on a goal by Corey Perry, before Tampa was able to clinch the series in Game 6. 

During the postgame celebration, defenseman Victor Hedman—who scored the most goals by a defenseman in a single playoffs (10) since Brian Leetch in 1994—was presented with the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP. That was then followed by the presentation of the Cup to Stamkos and Tampa.

With that, a remarkable playoff journey that saw 24 teams hunker down in two bubble cities to play for the right to hoist the Stanley Cup was complete. It was an incredible feat for the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the Cup; it’s perhaps more impressive, however, for the NHL to have successfully pulled off an extensive bubble operation that allowed a champion to be crowned without a single positive COVID-19 test along the way.

January and the 2021 season can’t come soon enough. 
David Gottlieb can be reached at dgottlieb@wesleyan.edu

On Feb. 2, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers to win their first-ever Super Bowl. The world has changed a lot since then, and it is under that backdrop that the NFL returns to action as the 2020 regular season kicks off in full this weekend. Here are some previews and predictions for how each division will turn out. 

AFC East

For the first time since the day I was born, Tom Brady is not a member of the New England Patriots, meaning that the AFC East is wide open. This will be an interesting division to watch, as the young quarterbacks for the other three teams (the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets) will try to step up and dethrone the Patriots. The Patriots should not be left out of the conversation, though, as they have an intriguing talent in their quarterback, Cam Newton. However, the loss of Brady, combined with other key players opting out for this season, will likely prove too difficult to overcome despite the addition of the former league MVP Newton. All things considered, I am picking the Bills to win the division because of a stout defense, led by players such as cornerback Tre’Davious White, and an offense that could make strides with the combination of QB Josh Allen and newly acquired receiver, Stefon Diggs. 

Pick: Bills

 

AFC South

The AFC South title race this season will be a battle between the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts. I predict the Houston Texans, despite their world-class quarterback Deshaun Watson, having lost too much talent after trading away superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, for a weak return. Hopkins’ likely replacement as the Texans’ number one receiver, Will Fuller, has potential but he has never demonstrated the ability to stay healthy through an entire season.

The Jaguars traded everyone away and don’t have the requisite talent to compete for the division title this year. That leaves the Colts, who have a talented roster and have acquired Philip Rivers as a quarterback, and the Titans, who are coming off an AFC title game appearance and are bringing back the majority of their roster from last season. Between the two teams, the Colts will likely win the division with their strengths in having the better quarterback and overall roster top to bottom, especially with the addition of rookie Jonathan Taylor at running back. 

Pick: Colts 

 

AFC North

The AFC North will be the most competitive division as all four teams come into the season with positive momentum. After winning the division with ease last year, before a brutally disappointing performance in the playoffs, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens are coming in as motivated as ever to get back to the playoffs. However, their road to a division title will be much more difficult in 2020, as veteran Ben Roethlisberger returns to helm the Pittsburgh Steelers. Likewise, Odell Beckham Jr. and the Browns hope to avoid flushing yet another season down the drain, this time betting that a new coach can help them play like fans expected them to last season. As for the fourth team, the Bengals are still rebuilding but could make some noise with Joe Burrow at QB and Joe Mixon at running back. Ultimately out of these four teams, I predict the Ravens will win the division because of Lamar and their defense, with the Steelers not far behind in second and in a likely wild-card spot.

Pick: Ravens 

 

AFC West

The AFC West is the Chiefs to lose. They brought back all of their pieces from their Super Bowl run and have the most talented roster by far. The Broncos and Chargers are still rebuilding their offense around young quarterbacks, and I don’t expect much from Derek Carr and the Raiders this season. 

Pick: Chiefs 

 

NFC East

The East will be yet another battle between the Cowboys and Eagles. While Washington and the Giants are looking to improve, they are still nowhere close to contending status. The Cowboys are coming into this season with a new coach and the hopes that QB Dak Prescott and RB Ezekiel Elliot play up to expectations. At the end of the day, I think they will come up just short, as the Philadelphia Eagles, with QB Carson Wentz and head coach Doug Pederson in tow, remain the favorite to win the division.

Pick: Eagles

 

NFC South

Heading into the season, the biggest storyline in the entire league is the hype surrounding the Buccaneers after the addition of Tom Brady as a quarterback. A lot of people have the Bucs as the frontrunners in the division title race, but not this writer; that label still belongs to Drew Brees and the Saints until proven otherwise. They are still the best team in the division and I expect Sean Payton and Brees will find a way to win another division title. The Bucs will have kinks to work out and won’t be as good as expected. Similarly, both the Falcons and Panthers are not quite there talent-wise. 

Pick: Saints

 

NFC North

The Packers are in the strongest position in the NFC North because they have Aaron Rodgers. However, that does not mean it won’t be intriguing, as both the Vikings and Lions will battle it out to try to dethrone the Packers. Getting Matthew Stafford back from injury and adding Adrian Peterson will make for a more potent Detroit offense and an improved record from last year. Likewise, I think that Kirk Cousins will take the momentum from playoff success last year and have a better regular season. However, I have them coming up short. The Bears are the team in the division left out of this battle, but that’s not surprising since they kept Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback. Trubisky has been disastrous for Chicago, at times demonstrating miserable accuracy and a suspect ability to even throw to the left side of the field. Ultimately, the Packers will win the division, but I expect the Vikings and Lions to be in playoff contention for a wild card spot. 

Pick: Packers

 

NFC West

The NFC West will be the closest division battle out of all the NFC divisions, coming down once again to the Niners and Seahawks. The Niners are hoping to recreate last year’s success that saw them come up just short in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs. The Seahawks, on the other hand, are hoping to redeem themselves after losing the division last year in Week 17. I think the Seahawks will win the division because it is unlikely that Jimmy Garoppolo can recreate the success he had last year. The Seahawks, on the other hand, will be motivated and has superstar QB Russell Wilson. As for the other two teams in the division,  the Rams and Cardinals are on the rise and could both vie for a wild card spot. At the end of the day, it will be Seattle winning the division with San Francisco in second.

Pick: Seahawks

 

Wild Card Teams

AFC: Steelers, Titans

NFC: 49ers, Vikings

 

David Gottlieb can be reached at dgottlieb@wesleyan.edu.

Like every other professional sport, the NHL was forced to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to finish their season and award the Stanley Cup. The NHL used the cities of Edmonton and Toronto, Canada to play an expanded 24-team postseason in two separate bubbles. So far, both bubbles have been successful. No one has tested positive for the virus since entering either bubble. More importantly, the product has also been exciting to watch on the ice.

Here are my three observations from the NHL restart as we near the end of the second round of the playoffs, with seven teams still in the hunt for a championship:

1) There were lots of upsets early in the postseason, but favorites have prevailed in the later rounds.

At the beginning of the playoffs, one of the major questions going in was how teams were going to look on the ice after such a long time away. As it turned out, the time off led to some surprises, at least early on. During the qualifying round of the postseason, the 12th and 11th-seeded teams in the West upset the fifth and sixth seeded teams respectively. The 12th and 9th-seeded teams in the East also pulled upsets, beating the 5th and 8th-seeded teams. As a result, teams such as the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators were eliminated early, while teams that were not expected to advance, like the Arizona Coyotes and Montreal Canadiens, snuck through the qualifying round. However, like last year’s playoffs, the upsets have been few and far between. As the playoffs have gone on, the more talented teams have played up to their potential. There are seven teams left (Flyers, Islanders, Avalanche, Stars, Golden Knights, Canucks, and Lightning), and five of them finished in the top of four of their respective conferences.

2) Backup goalies have been put in an unusual spotlight.

In a normal postseason, with off days in between games in the series, teams usually rely on one goalie to get them through a playoff run (last year’s Islanders–Hurricanes series being a notable exception). However, this year, more games have been played back to back. This, as well as goalie injuries, has placed backup goalies in the spotlight. So far, the 24 teams have used 41 goalies — significantly more than the 22 used by the 16 teams in last year’s postseason. Teams that look like championship contenders have used two goalies at different times. These include the Golden Knights with Marc Andre-Fleury and Robin Lehner, and the Colorado Avalanche, who have remained alive despite having had to play their third string goalie (because of injuries to the other two). The Dallas Stars have also ridden their backup to being one win away from the conference finals. In the case of the Golden Knights, it will be interesting to see if the two goalie tandem can work all the way to a Stanley Cup championship, as usually a team rides the hot hand, or glove, to a title.

3) Return to Play Agreement Brings Something Rare to the NHL: Labor Peace

My biggest observation is that the NHL restart enabled players and owners to come together to tie in a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) to the Return to Play agreement. This is something that has not been seen in the NHL for almost 30 years. Since 1994, there have been three separate labor disputes that have led to seasons being delayed and shortened, as was the case in 1994–95 and in 2012–13. Some seasons have been missed altogether, such as the 2004–2005 season. Needless to say, the CBA marks an important and intriguing development.

David Gottlieb can be reached at dgottlieb@wesleyan.edu.

Last Monday was probably one of the most important sports days on the calendar that almost no one talks about: the NHL trade deadline. Unlike here in the United States, trade deadline day is treated as a national holiday in Canada, with both major Canadian sports networks (TSN and Sportsnet) having 8–10 hour shows that spend the whole day breaking down trades. The deadline as a whole usually brings a lot of excitement; some teams try to shore up their rosters to make runs for the playoffs, while others try to rebuild by trading players for draft picks. This year was no different, so here are my three takeaways from this year’s deadline.

The Arms Race in the East

This year, the main storyline of the deadline for me was the arms race in the Eastern Conference. Three of the four main contenders (Pittsburgh, Washington, and Tampa) added pieces to their roster that could put them over the top in what looks like a tough playoff fight. Right now, the Penguins, Capitals, and Lightning are all looking up at the Boston Bruins, who have been an offensive juggernaut all year. As a result, the three other teams made moves to upgrade their lineups offensively, hoping that the additional scoring punch will give them a better shot at advancing to the Stanley Cup Final. 

Out of these three teams, the Penguins probably made the biggest move, adding Jason Zucker from the Minnesota Wild back on Feb. 10th. Zucker has had a superb last couple of years with the Wild, scoring a career-high 33 goals during the 2017-18 season. Zucker, paired with stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, should improve the Penguins offense to the level where it can compete in what is an offensively stout conference. 

Similarly, the Lightning made moves to bolster their offense. Tampa Bay traded for Blake Coleman, formerly of the New Jersey Devils, who has been having a superb year with 21 goals in 57 games. This move looms even larger now with the news that Tampa Bay’s captain and offensive leader, Steven Stamkos, will be out with an injury for the next 4–6 weeks. In all likelihood, Coleman will be called upon even more to provide the same offensive firepower he’s shown in New Jersey this season. 

Lastly, the Capitals, even with players such as Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, clearly felt the need to improve their offense, as they added forward Ilya Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk had struggled with the Los Angeles Kings last season after returning from the Russian Kontinental Hockey League. However, he has finally been showing some signs of life offensively with the Canadiens this season. Kovalchuk had 9 goals and 14 assists on what has been a bad team in Montreal, so it will be interesting to see what he can do with a great team like the Caps. All in all, it will be interesting to see who comes out of the East out of these four teams—I think it will be one of these four—and having these high powered offenses will make the playoffs a fun watch.

Rangers Starting to Build a Contender

My second takeaway from the trade deadline is the decision by the New York Rangers to hold on to talented players such as Chris Kreider, who many people believed was the biggest player on the market due to his offensive firepower. Kreider has scored 24 goals this year after scoring a career-high 28 last year. However, after two-plus years of trading players for draft picks and building for the future, the Rangers finally decided to build for now by committing seven years to a player in Kreider that has been a force for them for many years. It is the right time for them to do this, as they finally have the pieces to compete in the next one or two years. Their signing of Artemi Panarin has paid off in a big way, as he has added a lot to an offense that already included Kreider, Pavel Buchnevich, and Mika Zibanejad, and they seem to have found their goalie of the future in Igor Shesterkin, who has only lost one game in his 10 starts so far. Another star player for them this year has been defenseman Adam Fox, who has been superb on both ends of the ice in his rookie year. He is well on his way to being part of the team’s top defensive pairing. With the talent they have across their roster and their decision to keep Kreider, I believe the Rangers are on their way back to being playoff and Cup contenders in the near future.

West Teams Make Depth Improvements in Tight Pacific Division Race 

Even though most of the focus has been on the East and what the top teams have done, teams in the Western Conference have also made critical moves to improve their rosters in the home stretch of the season. The team that made the biggest move was the Vancouver Canucks, acquiring Tyler Toffoli from the Los Angeles Kings. Vancouver has been one of the most surprising teams this season, as they have played better than many expected. They have gotten great goaltending as well as huge offensive contributions from players such as Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller, both tied for the team lead with 26 goals this year. Adding Toffoli, who was a critical piece on the Kings’ Stanley Cup-winning team in 2014 and has 21 goals so far this year (4 of them with the Canucks), will further bolster their offensive lineup as they try to make the playoffs out of a tough Pacific Division. 

Vancouver was not the only team in the Pacific who improved their roster for the playoff push, as both Las Vegas (adding goaltending depth behind Marc-Andre Fleury in Robin Lehner) and Edmonton (acquiring more speed with Andreas Athanasiou, as well as obtaining additional depth on the blueline in Mike Green) also made adjustments to bolster their star-powered rosters. Right now, the top four teams in the Pacific are separated by a total of only six points, so it will be an exciting race to see who makes it to the playoffs out of this division. 

 

David Gottlieb can be reached at dgottlieb@wesleyan.edu.

The men’s hockey team capped off their regular season with one win and one loss against no. 7 Trinity. On Friday night, the Cards upset the Bantams on the road by a score of 4–1. It was their second upset over a top-10 opponent in just three weeks, having beaten no. 9 Williams at home two weeks prior. 

The game got off to a positive start for the Cards. After falling behind early in each of their last three games, Walker Harris ’20 scored just six minutes in. The Cards took this lead into the second period, where they were able to add to it immediately; Harris and Michael Kerbrat ’23 scored within 10 seconds of each other in the first minute of the period, putting the team up 3–0. Trinity finally got on the board four minutes later to cut it to 3–1, but Harris added a third goal in the third period to complete the hat trick and secure the 4–1 victory for the Red and Black. With the three-goal performance, Harris also scored the 100th point of his career. On offense as a whole, Wesleyan was actually outshot by the Bantams 47–21, but goalie Tim Sestak ’20 was stellar in net, stopping 46 of those 47 shots. 

Following this victory, the two teams descended upon Wesleyan’s Spurrier-Snyder Rink on Saturday to play the second of the home and home set. In this second game, the script was flipped: Trinity won by a score of 3–1. In the first period, Trinity got off to a fast start, scoring just under three minutes into the game. The game remained 1–0 for the rest of the first and most of the second, until Trinity doubled their lead with only a minute to go in the second period. Wesleyan ended the Bantams’ shutout bid early in the third as Harris scored yet another goal on the power play just over a minute in. After getting on the board, Wesleyan had ample opportunities to tie the game but came up short as Trinity iced the game with an empty-net goal in the final minute of regulation. On the stat sheet, Trinity once again outshot the Cards 31–26. In goal for Wesleyan, Sestak made 28 saves. 

Despite yet another 1-1 weekend, Captain Spencer Fox ’20 was ecstatic with how the team played in the two games.

“The team played its two best games all year this past weekend,” Fox said. “We were prepared for the playoff atmosphere and showed tremendous effort, execution, and discipline in going toe-to-toe against one of the top teams in the country.”

Fox remarked that the key to pulling the upset on the road was finding ways to score as well as feeding off of Wesleyan’s great defensive play.

“Our execution on Friday night was key to winning the game, as we were able to score four against a team that doesn’t give up many goals,” Fox said. “We were also able to kill off a two-minute 5-on-3, which gave us great confidence and momentum.”

Ironically, Fox also felt that the team played better on Saturday in the losing effort than on Friday when they won.

“The differences between those games were that although we possessed the puck more on Saturday, we weren’t able to bury our chances and two mental mistakes cost us,” Fox said. “In a tight game against a very good opponent, you need to be as close to perfect as possible.”

Next up, the Cards begin their NESCAC playoff campaign as the fifth seed with a quarterfinal matchup against fourth seeded Middlebury on the road on Saturday at 4 p.m. Since they last played three weeks ago, Middlebury went 2–2 in their four conference games to finish the season with a conference record of 8–7–3. They also finished in the top three in total scoring offense in the NESCAC this year, so this will be a tough matchup. The Panthers and Cardinals have split their two matchups so far this year, with Middlebury taking the most recent contest. Fox, confident in the team’s ability to win, says that the key to victory will be playing up their speed advantage over the Panthers.

“The key to beating Middlebury on the road will be our speed,” Fox said. “The massive ice sheet at Middlebury allows faster teams to win more foot races and get more separation when skating up and down the ice. We were able to beat them 3–1 on the road earlier this year, and we look forward to the opportunity to do it again.”

David Gottlieb can be reached at dgottlieb@wesleyan.edu.