The Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes have seen a lot of each other over the last year and change. Thanks to division realignment a season ago, they've actually gone head-to-head nine times.
Of those nine meetings, guess how many featured more than six goals? I'll give you a hint - the answer rhymes with hero. That's right, all nine contests would've at least pushed with a total of six.
I expect the streak to extend to 10 for a few reasons.
Juuse Saros owns a .924 save percentage this season and has saved 18 more goals than expected through 41 games. That's the fourth-highest total in the NHL.
Saros' counterpart has performed just as well, if not better. Frederik Andersen has rebounded in the best way imaginable during his first season in Carolina. His save percentage sits at .928, and only Igor Shesterkin (+26.5) - the odds-on Vezina favorite - has fared better (+24.9) in terms of goals saved above expectation.
The goaltending should be great, and I have faith in both defenses helping their guy out as well. The Predators have been one of the league's best at limiting high-danger chances. The Hurricanes are competent as well, with Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce chewing up big minutes.
With the makeup of each team, and both entering this game having lost at least two in a row, I just don't see this turning into a shootout.
Life is good under new head coach Jay Woodcroft. The Edmonton Oilers have won all four games since he became bench boss and their underlying numbers suggest those results were no fluke.
The Oilers have outshot opponents 112-85 (56.85%) at five-on-five, controlled more than 59% of the expected goals, and beaten teams into the ground on the scoreboard (14-3).
Their superstars have busted out of their slumps (relatively speaking) while the support players have contributed at both ends of the rink.
That's why the Oilers have been scoring at will, and that's why they have allowed fewer shots and chances per minute than every team in the NHL over the last four games. Small sample size, I know, but this is a much different team than we saw under Dave Tippett.
The Winnipeg Jets have spun their wheels for a while now. The offense is inconsistent, they routinely get outplayed, and Connor Hellebuyck is only just coming out of a bad slump.
I see a lot of edges for this red-hot Oilers team and expect their success to continue this weekend.
Bet: Oilers (-120)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
Jack Eichel may have flashed his elite skating and playmaking abilities Wednesday in a 17-minute debut for the Vegas Golden Knights, but overall, his performance was underwhelming. The former Buffalo Sabres star center recorded one shot on goal, won eight of 19 draws, took two penalties, and was on the ice for one of Colorado's goals in a 2-0 loss.
Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer told reporters postgame that it was a "great first step" for Eichel, who's jumping onto a moving train following a nearly year-long layoff. DeBoer's not wrong, Eichel will be fine in time.
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images
Of course, the more interesting part of Eichel's debut was the manner in which he was activated off long-term injured reserve (LTIR). Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon announced Monday that captain and presumed Eichel linemate Mark Stone and his $9.5-million salary-cap hit would be placed on LTIR, freeing more than enough space to fit Eichel's $10 million.
Stone, who missed time earlier this season, is dealing with a nagging back problem. Yet the convenient timing of his move to LTIR raised more than a few conspiratorial eyebrows across the hockey world. Similar to Patrick Kane and Nikita Kucherov in 2015 and 2021, respectively, Stone could potentially be reinserted into the lineup for the first game of the playoffs, where teams can exceed the limit because there's no postseason salary cap.
(It's also possible Stone returns prior to the playoffs, which would force Vegas to shed salary ahead of the March 21 trade deadline. McCrimmon has said Stone's recovery timeline is currently "impossible to predict.")
Jeff Bottari / Getty Images
I poked around a bit this week to see if rival team executives were irked by what appears on the surface to be another convenient LTIR situation.
The consensus view from a few conversations: The 2014-15 Chicago Blackhawks, 2020-21 Tampa Bay Lightning, and (perhaps) the 2021-22 Golden Knights aren't doing anything egregious. LTIR rules, which were agreed upon by the NHL and NHLPA in collective bargaining, allow this kind of maneuvering given the player is, in fact, injured. Clubs are just finding a competitive advantage within the CBA's scope.
"I know the league is making sure teams aren't abusing their LTIR - and I don't think anyone's abusing it, to be clear - but it's a loophole and teams are jumping through it," one executive said. "It sort of is what it is."
"Someday it might be us," the exec said, laughing.
"Look," a second executive said, "if the Leafs traded for a really good player and Auston Matthews got hurt and they shut him down for three months and brought him back for the playoffs, so be it. There's a level playing field here."
If anyone has an issue with what's going on, fingers should be pointing at the NHL andthe players' union, not the teams. Besides, if enough influential people started voicing their displeasure behind the scenes, the league could theoretically rewrite the LTIR rules to punish a team for exploiting this loophole by, say, not allowing the injured player to compete in the first game or two of the playoffs.
"They can definitely amend it with the players' consent," the first exec noted. "I've always thought a good solution is to just put in some kind of penalty."
Or, as the second exec pointed out, let teams continue to do the LTIR dance as is. There's no guarantee it'll work out, anyway. Vegas, for instance, is not only without its No. 1 winger for an extended period but is also unable to test out a line of Eichel-Stone-Max Pacioretty until, potentially, the playoffs.
"Yeah, you're benefiting from the salary cap, and so on and so forth, but you're also hurting your team," the second exec said.
Wild's quiet dominance
David Berding / Getty Images
Six teams currently boast a points percentage of .700 or higher, and five of them (Colorado, Florida, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Toronto) are generating plenty of buzz as legitimate Stanley Cup front-runners.
Minnesota - the other .700 team - has been, from my observations, mainly labeled a fringe contender. It's a bit unfair, although the disconnect may be as simple as this: The Wild's biggest strength is their depth, and depth isn't sexy.
Kirill Kaprizov is the Wild's lone star attraction, with the crafty Russian winger tied for seventh in league scoring with 59 points in 44 contests. Yet, since another 11 Wild skaters have points-per-game rates of 0.50 or higher, Minnesota owns the third-best offense as measured by goals per game (3.8).
Dean Evason's team comes at the opposition in waves.
"We want to be an aggressive team, a team that's attacking at all times and on the right side of the puck at all times," captain Jared Spurgeon said in an interview earlier this week. "Having that depth definitely helps keep us fresh. Guys can go over the boards feeling like they're really able to attack, attack."
Bruce Kluckhohn / Getty Images
Six players have already reached double digits in goals - Kaprizov (22), Ryan Hartman (19), Marcus Foligno (17), Joel Eriksson Ek (15), Mats Zuccarello (15), and Kevin Fiala (14). Matt Boldy has dealt with multiple injuries in his rookie season but is close to joining the list; in 14 games, the rangy winger has pitched in seven goals (including a hat trick Monday) and seven assists.
"He's pretty special," Spurgeon said of Boldy. "Just the way he can shield the puck from opponents and the vision he has on the ice - not just passing-wise and how he can create for his linemates, but he also has a great shot."
"For being 20 years old, Bolds is so mature and so calm and cool with the puck," the blue-liner added. "He's very confident in his skill set, but at the same time, he's just out there having fun, making plays. He's been awesome."
The depth extends to other areas. Ice time is split fairly evenly between the top two defensive pairings, and between the pipes, starter Cam Talbot (29 starts) is sharing the workload with the promising Kaapo Kahkonen (16).
Amazingly, the Wild have had only one extended losing streak all season, dropping five straight games from Dec. 11 to Jan. 1, despite playing in a competitive Central Division.
"We have a mature group, and we know what we need to fix. So the next night we try to get back to our game," said Spurgeon, the longest-tenured Wild player. "It's the maturity of the group and the depth that we have at all positions."
You can say that again.
3 stunning Habs stats
Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images
The Montreal Canadiens have earned 25 points in 49 games for a .255 points percentage, the lowest rate since the salary cap was introduced in 2005-06.
The Habs' results thus far have been worse than the 2019-20 Detroit Red Wings (.275) and 2016-17 Colorado Avalanche (.293). They're even well behind this year's so-obviously tanking Arizona Coyotes (.292). Trades made ahead of the March 21 deadline (like Tyler Toffoli earlier this week) will do nothing to help the on-ice product in Montreal.
Extreme winning/losing tends to bring out stunning stats. Here's a few:
The Canadiens have lost by three or more goals 23 times. In 2022 alone, they've lost 14 of their 16 games - eight of them by three or more goals, including blowouts of 8-2, 7-2, and 7-1. Sad and demoralizing.
Montreal is the only team without a player in the top 100 in scoring. Nick Suzuki is tied for 126th (28 points). Toffoli, who's now with Calgary, is tied for 142nd (27). Jonathan Drouin and Artturi Lehkonen are both tied for 227th (20).
The Habs have a five-on-five expected goals against per 60 minutes rate of 2.81. In other words, not only are they losing often, and by a lot, but they're also getting destroyed territorially. Since shot-based metrics started being tracked in 2007-08, only the 2010-11 Islanders (2.84) and 2012-13 Hurricanes (2.82) have recorded worse five-on-five xGA/60 rates, according to Evolving Hockey.
Parting thoughts
Old guard: What a week for dudes over 30. Drew Doughty, 32, played in his 1,000th game. Sidney Crosby, 34, became the 46th player in NHL history to reach 500 goals. Alex Ovechkin, 36, scored his 30th and 31st of the season to stay in the hunt for the "Rocket" Richard and Hart trophies. And Jaromir Jagr, who turned 50 on Tuesday, laced up in Czechia's top pro league.
Jaromir Jagr turns 50 tomorrow. He is still playing hockey. Between the NHL, European leagues, regular season, and playoffs he has played more 2,410 professional hockey games since *1988*
Dallas Stars: Of the NHL's 32 teams, the Stars might be the biggest unknown with just a month left before the trade deadline. They're right around the playoff cut line in the Western Conference and certainly have enough talent to secure a postseason spot down the stretch. Yet John Klingberg is reportedly on the trade block and Joe Pavelski, if made available, would be a hot commodity. That's two veterans who could command a haul of draft picks and prospects. Is it worth selling, though? Does general manager Jim Nill instead stand pat? Buy, even?
Sam Reinhart: Following seven dreadful seasons in Buffalo, Reinhart is enjoying a career year with the juggernaut Florida Panthers, recording 45 points in as many games. The 26-year-old winger is also enjoying how the intensity can really ratchet up in the regular season when there's something to play for. That said, as Reinhart humorously pointed out to reporters after Florida's 3-2 overtime win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday, it's all so fresh.
Thursday was yet another winning day for our props. While Nick Suzuki didn't get the job done, Dylan Larkin and Patrick Kane did, pushing our record this week to 6-2.
We'll look to continue our success as we comb through the best values for Friday's four-game slate.
Aleksander Barkov over 3.5 shots (+105)
Another day, another Aleksander Barkov shot prop. He's been absolutely lethal of late, recording at least four shots in eight of his last nine games. Barkov has hit against the likes of the Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes, so it's not like he's just beating up on bad teams.
His recent success should carry into Friday. The Minnesota Wild are a strong team, but they're not bulletproof, especially when it comes to preventing shots. They sit 21st in shots against over the last 10 games.
What adds to Barkov's appeal is how badly Minnesota has struggled to limit opposing centers' shots. Only five teams have given up more per game to the position.
I'm happy to take my chances with Barkov at plus money.
Joel Eriksson Ek over 2.5 shots (-125)
Joel Eriksson Ek is a machine on home ice. He's registered 39 shots over his last 10 games in Minnesota and gone over the number (2.5) in eight of his last nine. But Eriksson Ek isn't just grinding out wins; he's picking them up with room to spare. He's registered four shots or more in seven of the last nine and averaged 4.4 per game over the last five.
The Florida Panthers, like Minnesota, are a strong squad, but they also give up plenty of volume to opposing centers. Only seven teams concede more shots per game against centers.
Given Florida's struggles with the position and Eriksson Ek's insane volume on home ice, this line feels too soft.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
Maple Leafs legend Mats Sundin believes Toronto's future is bright despite a slew of early exits in the postseason.
"The playoff success is going to come. Let these players mature and also lose a couple times in the playoffs," the Hall of Famer said on Sportsnet's "The FAN Morning Show" Thursday. "They'll learn how to be successful and start winning in the postseason as well."
The Maple Leafs haven't won a playoff series since 2004, when Sundin still played for the club. The squad ousted the Ottawa Senators in a seven-game series that year before being eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers in the conference semifinals.
Toronto has gotten chances to break the cold spell as of late, but the team has failed to make it past the first round in its last six postseason appearances. The Leafs didn't even touch the opening round in the 2020 playoff bubble after the Columbus Blue Jackets eliminated them in the qualifying round.
Sundin, who captained the Leafs from 1997-2008, understands the harsh spotlight of playing in Toronto and the pressure fans put on players to succeed, but he isn’t pushing the panic button on the team.
"I wouldn't trade the core of the Toronto Maple Leafs for any other core around the league," he said. "The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to have chances to win a championship in the next 10 years, 15 years by (continuing to) keep building and keep improving."
He added, "I'm very, very optimistic of what management of the Toronto Maple Leafs has done to build this young core of great players."
Sundin also noted the Maple Leafs' depth has a certain championship pedigree.
Sundin is still the franchise's all-time leading scorer with 420 goals in 981 games, but the 51-year-old said he's rooting for Matthews to break his record "as soon as possible." The reigning Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy winner has 231 goals in 377 career contests.
The Maple Leafs currently sit in third place in the throes of a strong Atlantic Division with a 31-12-3 record.
When Eric Staal and Josh Ho-Sang left the AHL to play for Canada at these Olympics, people wondered if NHL contracts would await them on their return. Most Olympic teams entered the tournament with a guy or three in this position - the veteran minor leaguer or overseas pro who has the remote chance to impress a GM.
Other Olympians know where their careers are trending. This year, the U.S. and Canada combined to send 18 NHL prospects to Beijing. Eight of them are teenagers.
Both countries lost in the quarterfinals, but these players mostly shone en route. Prospects led the U.S. in scoring (Sean Farrell), shots on net (Brendan Brisson and Matthew Knies), and ice time (Brock Faber among defensemen, Matty Beniers up front). Owen Power logged major minutes for Canada. Kent Johnson racked up five points.
This used to be a hockey tradition: standout college and junior players, plus Europeans of the same age, foreshadowing at the Olympics that they'd produce in the NHL. That stopped when established NHLers overran the tournament, but PyeongChang 2018 revived the trend.
Canada's youngest 2018 Olympian was 25 years old, but college recruits Ryan Donato and Troy Terry brightened the U.S. team's seventh-place performance. Donato scored five goals in as many contests, while Terry dished four assists in two knockout games alone. Donato debuted in the NHL the next month, while Terry's torrid offensive start to this season earned him an All-Star nod.
Troy Terry in 2018. Bruce Bennett / Getty Images
The European Olympians who leaped to the NHL range from Miro Heiskanen and Rasmus Dahlin (All-Star defensemen) to Eeli Tolvanen and Dominik Kubalik (complementary forwards) to the young core of the 2018 gold-medal Russian team. Vladislav Gavrikov played 23:17 in the final; Artem Zub assisted on the last-minute, game-tying marker; Kirill Kaprizov's fifth goal in PyeongChang clinched gold in overtime, and now he's top 10 in NHL scoring.
Their rise to prominence mirrored what happened in 1994, back when the NHL had never gone to the Games.
Slovakian prospect Zigmund Palffy led all scorers at those Olympics with 10 points, while his 19-year-old teammate, Miroslav Satan, bagged nine goals. Finland's great young trio - Jere Lehtinen, Saku Koivu, and Sami Kapanen - left for the NHL in 1995. Peter Forsberg was 20 when he popularized his namesake shootout move in the Olympic final. Soon-to-be NHL goalie Tommy Salo stoned Paul Kariya's next attempt to win Sweden the gold.
Kariya, a college superstar and Canada's top Olympic scorer at 19 years old, shook off the loss and, like Forsberg, eclipsed 100 points as an NHL sophomore in 1995-96. Some of his '94 teammates and American opponents, including Adrian Aucoin, Todd Marchant, and Brian Rolston, stuck in the NHL for almost 20 seasons.
1992's precocious Olympians hailed from all over. Finland's Teemu Selanne sniped 76 goals as a rookie in '93. Canada's Eric Lindros won the Hart Trophy in '95. The U.S.' Keith Tkachuk became a 500-goal scorer. Czech forward Robert Lang and Poland's Mariusz Czerkawski became NHL All-Stars. The Unified Team won gold, then sent to the NHL a slew of under-22 standouts: Alexei Kovalev, Alexei Zhamnov, Alexei Zhitnik, Sergei Zubov, Dmitri Yushkevich, and Darius Kasparaitis.
Eric Lindros in 1992. Graig Abel / Getty Images
The 1988 Olympics teed up the NHL debuts of Brian Leetch, Kevin Stevens, Mike Richter, Dominik Hasek, Alex Mogilny, Teppo Numminen, and Jyrki Lumme. Budding stars in 1984 included Pat Lafontaine (the U.S.' top scorer as an 18-year-old), Chris Chelios, Russ Courtnall, Kevin Dineen, and Tomas Sandstrom. Three Canadian or U.S. Olympians - Kirk Muller, Ed Olczyk, and Al Iafrate - were drafted at Nos. 2-4 in '84 behind Mario Lemieux.
1980 is remembered for the Miracle on Ice, but Lake Placid's Olympics doubled as a stepping stone to the NHL for:
Canada's Glenn Anderson and Finland's Jari Kurri, who potted two Olympic goals apiece as 19-year-olds and joined Wayne Gretzky on the Edmonton Oilers the following season.
Brothers Peter and Anton Stastny, who combined for 22 points in six games, then defected that summer from Czechoslovakia to the Quebec Nordiques.
Paul MacLean, the future 40-goal scorer and NHL coach.
Pelle Lindbergh, Europe's first great NHL goalie. The Swede with the white mask who won the Vezina Trophy in 1985 died in a car crash that fall at 26.
As for the Miracle team: U.S. captain Mike Eruzione quit hockey after 1980, but Neal Broten, Dave Christian, and Mike Ramsey embarked on 1,000-game NHL careers. Ken Morrow joined the New York Islanders as soon as the Olympics ended and won the next four Stanley Cups. Decent run for him.
Ken Morrow raises the Stanley Cup in 1983. Bruce Bennett / Getty Images
Last week, when the U.S. beat Canada in the Beijing preliminary round, CNN's recap story likened the triumph to the Miracle on Ice. The framing raised eyebrows: Why was anyone surprised the U.S. won? This Canadian roster was no Soviet Red Machine, and to doubt players such as Beniers and Faber because they're teens is to underrate their maturity and nerve.
Losing to Slovakia was the real stunner, but bright pro futures await, as they did for Kaprizov and Forsberg once upon a time.
Shot props have been very good to us this campaign. With Alex Pietrangelo and Aleksander Barkov hitting on Wednesday night, our record sits at 4-1 this week.
We'll aim to keep the good times going with three plays for tonight's slate.
Dylan Larkin over 2.5 shots (-134)
Dylan Larkin is the Detroit Red Wings' most consistent shot generator, leading the team in both attempts and shots on goal this season - and by wide margins. If we zoom in and focus on the last 10 games, he still finds himself on top. Simply put, Larkin's taking a lot of shots.
Tonight Larkin finds himself in a sneaky good spot against the New York Rangers. While the Rangers are a good squad, they give up a lot of shot volume, especially to centers. Believe it or not, only the Montreal Canadiens concede more shots to the position on a per game basis.
Larkin should have plenty of looks at the net in this contest.
Nick Suzuki over 2.5 shots (+110)
It's no secret Martin St. Louis would rather have Habs players make their own reads with the puck than take away their creativity and box them into a system, which figures to benefit skilled players like Nick Suzuki. The early returns suggest as much, with Suzuki piling up 11 shots on goal and seven scoring chances through three games.
The St. Louis Blues allow more shots to the center position than all but Montreal and New York, so Suzuki finds himself in a strong spot to keep the shot volume trending upwards.
Patrick Kane over 3.5 shots (+105)
Patrick Kane lives for home games. The winger has averaged a whopping 4.1 shots on goal per game in Chicago for the Blackhawks this campaign, including 4.6 over his last five. Kane is a legitimate threat to hit four shots every single night regardless of matchup, and he just so happens to have a very good one tonight.
The Columbus Blue Jackets bleed shots more than most other clubs, and their numbers are progressively getting worse. The Blue Jackets have allowed 35.58 shots per 60 minutes over the last 10 games at five-on-five - only the Canadiens have conceded more. Columbus is also bottom-eight in suppressing shots on the penalty kill over that span. Be it at five-on-five or on the power play, Kane should routinely find himself in good positions to shoot.
Priced at less than a coin flip, I love backing Kane at home in this spot.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
Women's hockey will be in great shape when the Olympic final, for the first time ever, excludes both Canada and the United States. Until then, they'll keep playing instant classics.
Canada withstood the U.S.'s furious third-period charge to win the gold medal in Beijing on Thursday, the country's fifth in seven tries. Marie-Philip Poulin scored twice in the 3-2 victory to prolong an immaculate streak: The Canadian captain has sniped the golden goal in every Olympic title game she's won. Ann-Renee Desbiens stopped 38 American shots, and Canada mobbed her when the buzzer sounded at 1:23 a.m. ET.
Amanda Kessel's power-play goal with 12.5 seconds left almost sparked an epic American comeback, but the U.S. couldn't surmount the three-goal lead that Poulin's line built early. Sarah Nurse opened the scoring and, on a second-period rush, assisted Poulin's dexterous finish from a sharp angle. That was Nurse's 18th point of the tournament, eclipsing Hayley Wickenheiser's Olympic record (17) that Poulin matched on the same play.
This Canadian team scored at will in China. It might be the best that's ever graced Olympic ice, avenging the U.S.'s golden shootout win from 2018 at the end of a chaotic quadrennial.
Sergei Bobylev / TASS / Getty Images
During the four-year cycle that led into Beijing, Canada's women's pro league folded, and members of both national teams left the top U.S. league in response. They formed the traveling Professional Women's Hockey Players Association, which holds weekend showcase tournaments when COVID-19 permits. They want to see a new league created that, most crucially, would pay players a living wage.
As the national teams geared up for Beijing, they kept playing barn burners. Canada beat the U.S. 3-2 in overtime in the 2021 world championship final, and at the end of six Olympic tuneup games this past fall, Canada led by a combined score of 13-11. Desbiens made 51 saves in their first Olympic encounter last week, a 4-2 Canadian win.
That was either squad's only close game until Thursday. Between Group A play and the knockout stage, Canada outshot opponents that weren't the U.S. 284-80 and outscored them 50-6. The Americans outscored non-Canadian teams 26-4. Programs that used to challenge them couldn't keep up.
Elsa / Getty ImagesElsa / Getty Images
One culprit was Finland, which suffered worse defeats than expected en route to winning the bronze medal. Canada thumped the Finns 11-1 after star goalie Noora Raty was omitted from the roster, reportedly because Finland's coaches thought she shouldn't start and wouldn't be a suitable backup. That decision wrongfooted Finland, while Sweden, the Olympic silver medallist in 2006, slumped to an all-time worst eighth-place finish.
That neck of the standings produced some happier stories. China entered the Olympics ranked 20th in the world but stunned Denmark and Japan on home ice. In Czechia's Olympic debut, it beat China and Sweden and held the U.S. to four quarterfinal goals, riding Klara Peslarova and her sublime .945 save percentage. Almost every game in Group B, the tournament's second tier, was decided by one or two goals.
Dismayed by Group A's imbalance, Toronto Star columnist Rosie DiManno wrote that the Olympics should drop women's hockey. People around the sport mounted a counterargument: To make the sport more competitive, invest in it, don't kneecap it. Responding to DiManno in the Star, PWHPA consultant Jayna Hefford and women's hockey builder Allyson Fox called for more national federations to fund their teams adequately, like Canada and the U.S. do.
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images
The conversation calls for historical context. The 2022 Olympics were the seventh Games to feature women's hockey. Back in 1952, the seventh Olympic men's tournament featured these lopsided scores:
Canada 15-1 Germany Canada 13-3 Finland Canada 11-2 Switzerland Canada 11-2 Norway Canada 11-0 Poland U.S. 8-2 Germany U.S. 8-2 Finland U.S. 8-2 Switzerland Sweden 17-1 Poland Sweden 9-2 Finland Switzerland 12-0 Finland Czechoslovakia 11-2 Finland
Today, Finland is second in the IIHF men's rankings, Germany is fifth, Switzerland is eighth, and Norway is eleventh. They regularly beat or threaten to upset the U.S. and Canada. The Olympics didn't scrap men's hockey at a precarious point, and following decades of investment and development, the world got deeper.
Men's pro hockey is a century older than the women's pro game - plenty of time to iron out kinks. After the NHL launched in 1917, franchise instability and contraction afflicted the league for 25 years, at which point the Original Six teams remained.
Abandoned by the PWHPA players, the Premier Hockey Federation is in its seventh season, and it maintains that it's the sustainable women's league that the PWHPA desires. PHF teams play in Toronto, Minnesota, and throughout the American Northeast. The league announced plans in January to expand to Montreal and increase its salary cap to $750,000. Next month's PHF championship game will air live on ESPN2.
Sergei Bobylev / TASS / Getty Images
Questions about the future abound. Does women's hockey need the NHL to fund a pro league, or can the PHF keep growing incrementally? How much longer can the sport's stars sit out of league play? What opportunities are lost when they don't play many games throughout the season? Could the league that sticks around long term attract top talent from Europe and elsewhere, maximizing the level of competition?
Maybe the next quadrennial will bring clarity. This moment belongs to Canada, quite the bounce back for the program that lost to Raty's Finns in the semifinals of the 2019 worlds. Head coach Troy Ryan changed the team approach, empowering the Canadians to play loose and chase offense. The U.S. on Thursday couldn't match Canada's breakout speed, depth, or star power, especially with top center Brianna Decker out injured since the tournament opener.
If healthy, Decker would have buzzed around the Canadian zone in that frantic third period. Instead, she watched from ice level as the U.S. hit posts and flipped breakaway attempts into Desbiens' gear. Hilary Knight fired six shots at the Canadian netminder and scored shorthanded, yet fell to 1-3 in Olympic finals compared to Poulin's 3-1 record.
This one was tense until the last horn. The result will be celebrated and rued for four years.
