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In episode #329 of The 4th Line Hockey Podcast, the boys are discussing Connor McDavid‘s amazing tally of 100 points in this shortened season. Stevie Nick says this: …would McDavid be putting up this amount of points if he had to play every other team in the league? It’s a good question, and before the Edmonton fanbase starts waving their pitchforks, we all know that McDavid is absolutely the best player in the league. No argument there. Has he been helped by the fact that he’s only playing against six other teams? We’ll never know the answer for certain, but we can compare his unbelievableRead More →

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The Pacific Division is always a difficult one to predict at the best of times. This season will be no exception, especially with a shortened season in hand. The winner of this division will be hard to predict as over the last few seasons teams have made key upgrades. Let’s take a look at the contenders in our midst. Anaheim Ducks On The Christmas List: Draft lottery favor The Ducks will be hoping to improve on an underwhelming 6th place in 2019-20. Their off-season acquisitions have been quieter than fans would’ve liked, but let’s not forget they are rebuilding. Kevin Shattenkirk was signed on a 3-yearRead More →

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The 2019-20 NHL season is well under way now. Some teams have had hot starts, while others are struggling to find a win. Which teams have had the hottest starts though? We sat our writing team down around the table to get their opinions on which teams have been dominant and have made the most of their early fixtures.   Colorado Avalanche – Carl There’s nothing more dominant than getting a point in every game so far this season. At the time of writing, the Avalanche sit atop the standings with a record of 7-0-1, a pace that certainly will not be maintained. But canRead More →

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Edmonton. Where so much expectation sits on the shoulders of so few. It’s cool though, Ken Holland has arrived to finally give the team that nudge it needs to be competitive again. Or has he? Let’s preview! Notable Players In: James Neal, Mike Smith, Tomas Jurco, Josh Archibald Embed from Getty Images Notable Players Out: Milan Lucic, Cam Talbot, Andrej Sekera, Al Montoya, Ty Rattie, Tobias Rieder First Key Game: Vancouver Canucks – October 2nd Odds to win the division 11:1 (4th overall) (via Betway) Is this a bet worth taking? While betting on Connor McDavid is often the smart move, this isn’t one ofRead More →

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While teams can’t make no moves in the offseason, some teams took that to the extreme. In the opposite direction, some teams win free agency day one and then by the trade deadline they are selling off those big summer signings for draft picks. There are teams that simply keyed in on their depth third and fourth lines, third pair defensemen and minor league additions for their ECHL and AHL affiliates. As there are injuries that happen throughout any season, the depth is a critical portion of any NHL team. Tampa Bay Lightning Embed from Getty Images Most significant offseason moves: Ryan Callahan to injuredRead More →

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Before the puck even drops for the regular season, let’s make crazy predictions. Who will win the 2018-2019 Stanley Cup? Which NHL team will surprise you? And which team will let you down? The Surprise: St. Louis Blues With newly acquired forwards like Tyler Bozak (11G, 32A), Patrick Maroon (17G, 26A) and Ryan O’Reilly (24G, 37A) the St Louis Blues have added grit and point producers this off season. These new acquisitions should bring a big jump to the team who respectfully finished fifth in the extremely tough Central division. Ryan O’Reilly might be the most exciting piece the Blues have added, but he isRead More →

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Growing up in the Buffalo area exposes one to every opinion on tanking for the best draft odds. The local media shares contrasting views as the Sabres were in last place, for two consecutive years. As Buffalo is close to last in the NHL again, the debate is ongoing. The 2015 race for 30th achieved the desired result: a franchise center. Before you comment; yes, Jack Eichel is a franchise center despite the suckfest that is the Buffalo Sabres. Lacking significant improvement since then, certain media claims that tanking leads to a losing culture. Just look at Twitter and notice the heated discussions about theRead More →

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A dream season for the Edmonton Oilers has officially turned into a nightmare. They have lost six out of their last seven games and been outscored 16 to 3. Confidence is low and the team looks completely lost on the ice. What has caused this dramatic dip in form? All fingers point towards one man: head coach Todd McLellan. Many feel time is running out for this man, but does he really deserve the chop? Pre-season the Oilers were hot favorites for the cup. Captain Marvel Connor McDavid had been majestic the season before. McLellan seemed to have a winning team together and fans atRead More →

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Hockey is practically here. The World Cup of Hockey is a distant memory and preseason games don’t count. Shortly the talking stops and the games begin. That also means it’s time for the last in our series of schedule previews. Today we’ll be looking at the the road trips that the teams in the Pacific division will be facing. As always we’ll start alphabetically: Anaheim Ducks The Ducks’ performances on the road have dipped over the last few seasons, and that might not improve with the season opener that this team has to contend with. The Ducks start the season with a five game roadRead More →