The Box Seats: Edition Eight
NHL Games Preview for November 27th-December 3rd
THE BOX SEATS Edition Eight, (November 27th – December 3rd, 2023)
The National Hockey League has cleared through the American Thanksgiving holiday, which for decades had been viewed by many people as the make or break point for whether or not a team would be considered either a championship contender, a playoff hopeful, or a team that would be looking towards the outside or even preparing for a rebuild. Things are a bit different these days, with so much hockey left to be played, and with many clubs still in limbo about their own statuses, it will be interesting to see what personnel moves are made over the next few weeks.
PLAYERS TO WATCH THIS WEEK
Jake Neighbours – Forward, St. Louis Blues
Many St. Louis Blues fans are feeling like the late Mr. Rodgers, singing “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” recently with the offensive burst seen from Jake Neighbours. The 21-year-old left winger scored twice on Sunday against Chicago and now has five goals and an assist in his last five games. The Calgary, Alberta, Canada native has already topped last season’s total of goals and will look to keep the Blues moving forward as they wrap up the Dad’s Trip in Minnesota on Tuesday before taking on Buffalo at home on Thursday and out west against Central Division for Arizona on Saturday night.
Quinn Hughes – Defenseman, Vancouver Canucks
Leading the Vancouver Canucks to their solid start this season is blueliner Quinn Hughes, who has been on fire at both ends of the ice. The 24-year-old Captain from Orlando, Florida has eight goals and 25 assists in just 22 games played. The Canucks have five players with 22 or more points as of press time, with Hughes and veteran forward J.T. Miller tied for the club lead with 33 points.
Team Trends To Watch For
- The Nashville Predators, who are on a 15-3 run to the over in the first period in their last 18 games, continue to lead the league in that stat but also watch out for the Calgary Flames, who have cashed 12 of their last 14 overs in the first twenty minutes of play.
- Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens are tied with eight games going past regulation this season. The Maple Leafs lost 4-3 in overtime on Black Friday to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Habs take on Columbus, Florida and the Detroit Red Wings this week while Toronto is set to battle Florida, Seattle and Boston all at home.
- The New Jersey Devils have the best record for Full Game Overs in the NHL, with 14 of their first 19 games going over the total. Their last win was a 7-2 blowout of the Buffalo Sabres at home on Saturday night. New Jersey takes on Metropolitan Division foes twice this week, with the New York Islanders on Tuesday, then traveling to Philadelphia on Thursday and a home contest against San Jose on Friday in Newark.
NATIONAL TELEVISION SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK:
November 28th
Carolina at Philadelphia 
– 7:00p ET on ESPN+/Hulu
Two heated Metro Division foes clash in the City of Brotherly Love on Tuesday night in this ESPN+ & Hulu exclusive game. The Hurricanes have won eight of their last twelve games overall.
November 29th
Detroit at NY Rangers 
– 7:30p ET on TNT/MAX
An Original Six match-up on a short Wednesday night gets the TNT spotlight as the scorching hot Rangers host a Red Wings club that has won back-to-back contests since returning from their Global Series trip in Stockholm, Sweden.
November 30th
NY Islanders at Carolina – 7:30p ET on ESPN+/Hulu
Carolina gets their second streaming-only contest in three days against another division opponent as Ilya Sorokin and the slumping Isles head down to Raleigh on Thursday.
December 1st
San Jose at New Jersey 
– 7:00p ET on NHL Network
The Sharks look to turn their misfortunes around on the East Coast starting with a journey to Newark to take on familiar face Timo Meier and the Devils.
December 2nd
Tampa Bay at Dallas 
– 2:00p ET on NHL Network
It’s a rematch of the 2020 “Bubble” Stanley Cup Final as the Stars host returning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Lightning in a matinee affair down in Big D.
Boston at Toronto 
– 7:00p ET on NHL Network
Two hated Atlantic Division rivals battle as Mitch Marner and the Maple Leafs take on David Pastrnak and the hot Bruins on Hockey Night in Canada.
December 3rd
Chicago at Minnesota 
– 2:00p ET on NHL Network
Connor Bedard makes his first trip to Saint Paul on Sunday as the Chicago Blackhawks head up north in a matinee showdown with the struggling Minnesota Wild.
San Jose at NY Rangers – 7:00p ET on NHL Network
The Blueshirts are on Broadway for a Sunday night tussle with the San Jose Sharks. Current Sharks Head Coach David Quinn spent three seasons with the Rangers from 2018-2021. New York has won eight of the last nine meetings.
Frozen Fashion: The Hockey Jersey of The Week
Each Week, we will select one NHL team jersey to highlight the design and the history of that specific sweater. This week, we look at a throwback alternate that gained plenty of Hollywood notoriety.
Los Angeles Kings White 1990’s Throwback Alternate Jersey
When “The Trade That Shocked The World” took place in 1988, with superstar Wayne Gretzky dealt from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings, it perfectly coincided with the franchise switching from the “Forum Blue and Gold” colors they shared with the NBA‘s Lakers and switched to Silver & Black, emulating the popular look of the (then) Los Angeles Raiders. Other sports teams like the Chicago White Sox in MLB, most notably, would copy that color scheme and the Kings saw a giant boost in merchandising, led partly by the love of sportswear shown in the rising Hip-Hop community.
The Silver and Black colors were considered “Neutral” amongst gang territories and everyone loved the look. Cut forward to 2021, when the Kings decided to bring back the White version of the iconic jersey, but with a more metallic silver logo and matching silver helmets, which has drawn mixed reactions from fans around the league. Los Angeles has already worn the jersey three times this season and will wear it 12 more times, with two appearances next week.
National Hockey League Trivia Question
Last Week: Which NHL Player scored the most Power-Play Goals in a single season?
Answer: Tim Kerr of the Philadelphia Flyers scored 34 of his 58 goals in the 1985-86 season on the Power Play, the most of any NHL player in a single season.
Q: Who was the First Player in National Hockey League history to wear uniform #99
Hint: It’s not Wayne Gretzky, go further back like nearly a century.
Come Back Next Week to find out The Answer!
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