*Note – These write-ups will be more detailed during the regular season as skater lines, data, and other factors are more clearcut.
Games on the Slate
Toronto Maple Leafs at Detroit Red Wings
Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers
Montreal Canadiens at Ottawa Senators
Columbus Blue Jackets at Chicago Blackhawks
Anaheim Ducks at Los Angeles Kings
Top Goalies
Jonathan Bernier (DET)
In a matchup against the Leafs who will rest pretty much every notable skater on their roster, Bernier stands out here at home in a game that I don’t expect to see a lot of fireworks from.
Cam Ward (CHI)
Cam Ward was every bit of Scam Ward in his last start but I expect him to bounce back tonight against Columbus with most of their top skaters getting the night off.
Carey Price (MTL)
Look for Price to get the full game tonight against the Senators in this the Canadiens final preseason game. He’ll look to bounce back from his previous effort in which he allowed 5 goals on 26 shots against Toronto. In his two previous games this preseason, Price allowed four goals on 40 shots against.
Key Three Skaters
This section will cover my three favorite skaters for a particular slate overall.
Vincent Trocheck (FLA)
Centering the second line for the Panthers, Trocheck brings a lot to the table with his speed and plenty of opportunities with his heavy amount of ice time. He boasts a high volume of shots and skates in all situations including seeing time on the top power-play unit and penalty kill. In a game that should see plenty of scoring, look for Trocheck to be involved.
Patrick Kane (CHI)
Columbus is resting virtually all of their top players tonight after last nights goal-scoring barrage against the Penguins. Kane should be able to exploit the Jackets’ defense and take advantage of their backup goaltender with plenty of scoring opportunities.
Anze Kopitar (LAK)
Kopitar is often overlooked playing out West but the fact of the matter is that he’s one of the best two-way centers in the game while seeing ice-time in every situation for the Kings. In five games against the Ducks, last season Kopitar had two goals and five points while averaging 23 minutes of ice time.
Sneaky Skater
Mathieu Joseph (TB)
The 21-year-old prospect has three goals, four assists, and 14 shots on goal in five preseason games thus far for the Lightning. It’s unclear as to which line Joseph will skate on tonight, but with Nikita Kucherov out, there’s a chance we see him skate on Stamkos’ line.
Top Positional Plays
Center
Aleksander Barkov (FLA)
Steven Stamkos (TB)
Jonathan Toews (CHI)
Matt Duchene (OTT)
Brayden Point (TB)
Jeff Carter (LAK)
Nick Schmaltz (CHI)
Dominik Kahun (CHI)
Wing
Mike Hoffman (FLA)
Evgenii Dadonov (FLA)
Alex DeBrincat (CHI)
Jonathan Huberdeau (FLA)
Dustin Brown (LAK)
Jonathan Drouin (MTL)
Ondrej Palat (TB)
Tyler Toffoli (LAK)
Paul Byron (MTL)
J.T. Miller (TB)
Filip Zadina (DET)
Alex Iafallo (LAK)
Brandon Saad (CHI)
Tomas Tatar (MTL)
Alex Killorn (TB)
Defense
Victor Hedman (TB)
Drew Doughty (LAK)
Keith Yandle (FLA)
Duncan Keith (CHI)
Jeff Petry (MTL)
Mikhail Sergachev (TB)
Brent Seabrook (CHI)
Ryan McDonagh (TB)
Henri Jokiharju (CHI)
Favorite Line Stacks
Florida Panthers Second Line
Huberdeau – Trocheck – Hoffman
Los Angeles Kings First Line
Iafallo – Kopitar – Brown
Chicago Blackhawks First Line
DeBrincat – Toews – Kahun
