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Which NHL teams have surprised us by starting the season badly? Some teams are expected to have a weak start cough-Ottawa-cough, but others should be better. Let’s take a look at some teams that we had higher expectations of by this stage of the season: New Jersey Devils – Ed The excitement of the 2019 off-season was short-lived, as New Jersey got off to a slow start to the 2019-20 season, going 0-4-2 in their first six games before back-to-back wins over the Rangers (3-2) and Canucks (1-0 shutout). Though the offensive firepower has been there at times, New Jersey’s defense struggled heavily out ofRead More →

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We’ve seen rebuilds go horribly wrong and teams crumble before our eyes. But what happens when we see a rebuild go horribly right? The New York Rangers seem to be knocking this rebuild out of the park, but what exactly are we in for? Let’s preview the Rangers’ upcoming season: Notable Players In: Kaapo Kakko, Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba Embed from Getty Images Notable Players Out: Neal Pionk, Kevin Shattenkirk First Key Game: Washington Capitals – October 18th. This game will be the first big challenge for the growing Rangers. They play a few divisional rivals beforehand but a road game against a recent StanleyRead More →

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Over the past three seasons, the New York Rangers have put together an incredible pool of prospects. Through a very confusing, accelerated rebuild, they’ve been given some top picks and have made plenty of smart selections. It’s time to take a dip into the Rangers’ prospect pool! Kaapo Kakko, F Starting off this review will be the second overall selection in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Kaapo Kakko. Kakko seemed to be penned in as the set-in-stone 2nd overall pick for most of last season. As draft time came around, quite a lot of the general public realized just how good Kaapo Kakko is andRead More →

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The New York Rangers; a team with a legacy enveloped in tradition dating back to the days of the Original Six. They have done everything there is to do in the NHL, well, almost. They may have led the league in every on-ice stat at least once in the last 90 plus years, but there is an unseen and unusual category off the ice, that they find themselves dead last in. To elaborate, let’s bring things back to September 24, 2018. The Philadelphia Flyers unveiled their newest member of the team. A large and in-charge monster with wild eyes and a personality to match. Gritty,Read More →

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Through the month of October, it is hard to believe that the Buffalo Sabres are 8th in the Eastern Conference. After 13 games last season, they were below .500 (4-7-2) to kick off a last-place finish. Despite selecting a defenseman thought to be generational (Rasmus Dahlin), most have expected growing pains to continue. Truth be told, the blue and gold have had ugly moments. On the other end of the spectrum, Buffalo has had some bright spots. And going into Saturday night’s game vs the Ottawa Senators, the Sabres have a winning record (6-5-2). Embed from Getty Images GM Jason Botterill‘s changes have shown promiseRead More →

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Anyone hoping that the Buffalo Sabres would be their relief after the Bills (football) mess probably turned off Thursday’s game after two periods. The second major sports team in this small city was as bad the other. Despite all of the noted changes to the roster, the Sabres dropped their home opener to the Boston Bruins without a goal. After being the worst goal scoring team in the NHL, losing 4-0 is not a good start. Though if you are being an optimist, the Bruins were shutout the night before. Let’s not beat around the bush: the Sabres’ performance sucked. There were still some ofRead More →

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The tilt of the Earth’s axis slowly moving away from the sun can only mean one thing; fall will soon be here and we can all rejoice at the impending return of the NHL. Here at 4th Line Towers we can’t wait to watch some proper hockey again. This year we’re approaching our previews in a different way; the word count for each team’s preview has been dictated by the number of points that team scored last season. To further mix things up, we’ve divvied up the teams between our writers. Let the Metropolitan division preview begin! Our other previews are: Central Division 2018/19 Preview PacificRead More →

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Picture the scene if you will: it’s the year 2000 and my family has embarked on a Christmas vacation to the Big Apple. Being from the UK, our winters are normally damp and full of rain. Coming to the sub-zero temperatures of a New York December meant pounding the sidewalks was a real task. New York seemed like a metropolis compared to life in buttoned-down Winchester. Standing under the bright neon advertisements in Time Square, I felt like the luckiest kid in the world. Keen to make the most of our trip, whilst sheltering from the cold in Macy’s, my Dad suggested the possibility of headingRead More →

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This weekend has a been one to forget for the New York Rangers. Two heavy losses to both the Senators and Flyers have alarm bells ringing at MSG. Henrik Lundqvist, in particular, has been put under the microscope. The 35-year-old Swede has looked out of sorts and almost lost. Due to the Rangers rebuild, key names will be traded. Rick Nash and Ryan McDonagh have apparently given trade lists. Should Broadway Blue management look to Lundqvist to secure future talent? Embed from Getty Images First of all, I highly respect Lundqvist and over his 13 seasons in the Big Apple, he has carried this team.Read More →

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Over the past few weeks, we’ve been counting down the 12 best players to ever be drafted 2nd overall. So far Eric Staal, Tom Lysiak, Jason Spezza, Dave Babych, Trevor Linden, Kirk Muller, Brad Park, Daniel Sedin, Brian Bellows, Marcel Dionne and Patrick Marleau have all been inducted into our own hall of fame, and as it’s Christmas day, it’s time to reveal the 4th Line Podcast’s best number 2 draft pick of the modern NHL Entry Draft Era. He’s the man who used to wield the ban, now he’s the man with the plan. Sorry, Carl, it’s not Gabriel Landeskog! 1. Brendan Shanahan, LWRead More →