This Week in the NHL: Sharks, Blackhawks meet for first leg of Tank Bowl
So many games. So little time. What should you focus your NHL hockey fandom on if your favorite team’s games don’t scratch the itch enough?
Welcome to This Week in the NHL. From now until April, we’ll lay out a collection of key games, events and deadlines to watch on the league calendar each week.
So what’s on tap for Jan. 15-21?
Jan. 15: USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game
With the World Juniors behind us, it’s prospect showcase season. Among the noteworthy NHL Draft hopefuls competing at this year’s All-American Prospects game in Plymouth, Mich.,: projected 2024 top-five pick Cole Eiserman and projected 2025 high first-rounder James Hagens. Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis will be on hand to scout the action.
Jan. 16: Blackhawks host Sharks in Tank Bowl
San Jose Sharks @ Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m. ET
The two worst records in the NHL belong to the pitiful Sharks and Blackhawks, a combined 22-59-5 this season. They meet Tuesday for the first of three pivotal clashes, with the loser dodging some crucial points in the hunt for the top 2024 Draft Lottery odds. The Sharks have been the league’s saddest team this season, but the Hawks minus injured Connor Bedard are now a serious threat in the Tank Wars.
Jan. 16: Matthews visits McDavid in Edmonton
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Edmonton Oilers, 9:00 p.m. ET
The most manufactured player “rivalry” in hockey resumes when superstar Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs visit Rogers Place. Not only will the battle serve as a good litmus test for two teams with designs on deep playoff runs, but Matthews and McDavid will go head to head a couple weeks later as competing captains picking teams for the 2024 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto.
Jan. 20: Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada
The tradition continues with all seven Canadian teams in action, six of them competing in all-Canadian matchups. First, the Winnipeg Jets visit the Ottawa Senators at 3:00 p.m. ET. Next, it’s the Montreal Canadiens at the Boston Bruins and the Maple Leafs at the Vancouver Canucks in 7:00 p.m. ET tilts. The day ends with the Battle of Alberta as the Oilers visit the Calgary Flames at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Jan. 20: Jonathan Quick returns to Los Angeles for first time to face Kings
New York Rangers @ Los Angeles Kings, 10:30 p.m. ET
To say Quick left the Kings, with whom he won two Stanley Cups, on bad terms would be putting it lightly. He was incensed when they threw him overboard in a shocking deal approaching the trade deadline last year, sending him to Columbus and, eventually, Vegas. Quick is now a backup to Igor Shesterkin, but the Rangers play a back-to-back Saturday and Sunday, meaning Quick should start one of the two games. Will the Blueshirts tap him for a revenge game against his old club? He beat them when they came to his barn, Madison Square Garden, in December.
Marc-Andre Fleury’s chase for second on NHL’s all-time wins list
For so long, it seemed like no longer goaltender could come anywhere close to Martin Brodeur’s NHL-record 691 wins or even Patrick Roy’s second-place mark of 551. In this load-management era, netminders simply don’t play enough. But future Hall of Famer Fleury is a holdover of the previous era and, at 39, accumulated the numbers to catch Roy. When he will pass him? On a badly banged up Wild team, Fleury has lost five of his past six decisions. But the Wild play four times this week, with one back-to-back set, meaning Fleury should get opportunities even with Filip Gustavsson back from injury.
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