The NHL certainly has a sense of humor-or forced drama, based on the Opening Night schedule. On Tuesday, October 7, the NHL will open the season with a tripleheader. Smack dab in the middle of those three games is the New York Rangers– Pittsburgh Penguins match at 8 pm at MSG.
Hey Mike Sullivan, we know it’s your debut as Rangers’ coach. But to try and add a little drama – and draw more eyeballs, at least initially, to the contest – we will have you face the real you coached for a decade plus. The story lines certainly will be there, though that should likely only last until puck drop. However, we certainly know the in-game interview will ask Sullivan his view on facing his prior team, same with his former players. In addition, the post-game angle is already written, irrespective of whether he wins or loses.
The bookend contests could have been more interesting. I know the NHL is trying to sell Connor Bedard as the Next One, at least for now. But I would have rather seen Panthers-Maple Leafs as a rematch of their playoff contest. Similar for the last game, Colorado-LA is a solid matchup, but Avalanche-Stars would have been a lot more intriguing following last season’s postseason matchup.
The full NHL schedule will be released on Wednesday, July 16 at 6 pm
To me, this is the best case scenario. Sully gets this one out of the way, right away, and we can move on from any storyline drama