The Box Seats: Edition Seventeen
NHL Preview For the Week of January 29th - Feb. 4th, 2024
THE BOX SEATS
Edition Seventeen, January 29th-February 4th, 2024.
Hello, and welcome to “The Box Seats”, a column designed to keep Pro Hockey fans informed, educated and entertained with the news and notes from around the National Hockey League. So kick back, and read along every week during the National Hockey League season.
The National Hockey League has just six NHL games taking place over the next three days as the All-Star Break is upon us. We will detail all six contests, and the weekend’s festivities in Toronto, along with getting some updated trends and odds, and a new segment at the end of the edition to celebrate Black History Month for February and it’s impact within the Game of Hockey.
As we now head into the new month, let’s take a glance with a couple of hockey players to watch for in this week’s NHL Hockey Recap Games 2024
PLAYERS TO WATCH THIS WEEK
Nathan MacKinnon – Forward, Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche are primed and ready to make a run in the second half of the National Hockey League Regular Season, with their star skater Nathan MacKinnon going on a tear offensively as his club heads into the All-Star Break.
Known lovingly by Avs fans as “Nate Dogg”, the 28-year old former Lady Byng Trophy winner has 31 goals and 84 points already in just 49 games played. A Hat Trick and an assist against Washington last Wednesday helped boost those numbers.
MacKinnon has eight goals and four assists in his last four games. Colorado sits in first place in the Central Division with 67 points, just one point ahead of the Dallas Stars and two points in front of the Winnipeg Jets.
Sam Reinhart – Forward, Florida Panthers
The 28-year old Vancouver native has been on an absolute scoring frenzy for the Florida Panthers this season, scoring 37 goals and 62 points in just 49 games played, with 20 of those goals coming on the power-play.
He’s just the eighth player in National Hockey League history with 20 or more power-play goals and he’s just 14 away from tying Tim Kerr’s season record of 34 PPG’s, set in 1987. (which was a trivia question here back in Edition Six of The Box Seats a couple months ago) Florida is currently in second place in the Atlantic Division, with 66 points, five points behind the Boston Bruins, as of press time.
Team Trends To Watch For
(Stats as of 1/28/24)
Edmonton Oilers: Sixteen-game winning streak is not only the longest in franchise history, but is now the second longest winning streak in National Hockey League history, just one win behind the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins, who hold the All-Time record with 17 consecutive victories. Edmonton is on a current run of 23-3 in their last 26 games overall.
Top Five Teams Games Past Regulation:
1. 
New York Islanders: 19 Games (38.7%)
2. 
Toronto Maple Leafs: 17 Games (36.1%)
3. 
Montreal Canadiens: 17 Games (34.6%)
4t. 
Boston Bruins: 15 Games (30.6%)
4t. 
Columbus Blue Jackets: 15 Games (30.6%)
4t. 
Dallas Stars: 15 Games (30.6%)
Top Five Teams to First Period Over 1.5 Goals/Game
1. Ottawa Senators: (31/45 = 68.89%)
2. Vancouver Canucks: (32/49 = 65.31%)
3. St. Louis Blues: (31/48 = 64.58%)
4t. Calgary Flames: (31/49 = 63.27%)
4t. Detroit Red Wings: (31/49 = 63.27%)
5. Colorado Avalanche: (30/49 = 61.22%)
NHL FULL SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK
January 29th
Nashville at Ottawa 
– 7:00p ET on NHL Network
The Predators are looking to get two points in Canada’s capital city against a scrappy Sens team.
January 30th
Columbus at St. Louis 
– 8:00p ET on NHL Network
The Blues look to grab two points before the break to stay on the right side of the Wild Card race battling against a fatigued Blue Jackets club, that will be playing their fifth game in nine days before going on hiatus.
Seattle at San Jose 
– 10:30p ET on ESPN+ Power-Play
The Kraken have rebounded nicely over the last month and will take on division foe San Jose before heading into the All-Star Break.
January 31st
Ottawa at Detroit 
– 7:00p ET on ESPN+ Power-Play
Two Atlantic Division teams hoping they can make a run towards the Wild Card in the second half face off in the Motor City to kickoff the last night of action before the All-Star Break.
Los Angeles at Nashville – 7:30p ET on TNT/MAX
This is a rematch from a tight 2-1 contest won by the Predators in Los Angeles back on January 18th. Los Angeles has dropped 14 of their last 16 games overall and have lost 12 of their last 15 meetings against Nashville.
San Jose at Anaheim 
– 10:00p ET on ESPN+ Power-Play
The first half of the season officially wraps up with a battle of Pacific Division cellar-dwellers as Anaheim hosts San Jose to wrap up the Weekly NHL Preview
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 brand new alternate jersey out by the bay that is simply stunning.
San Jose Sharks 2023-2024 “Cali Fin” Black Alternate Jersey
The San Jose Sharks recently unveiled their newest third jersey to their collection after a few photos showing some of the design details leaked online before their official debut this past Friday.
This gorgeous jersey features a black base with a brand new Fin logo that is marking the first time a full shark is not on the front of an original San Jose jersey. (The club had a “Sharks” wordmark in the style of the California Golden Seals when they wore the Adidas Reverse Retro 2.0 jerseys in 2021)
The teal and white primary colors make up the stripes on the bottom of the jersey, along with the sleeve design, which takes inspiration from the “Yarn-Dye” patterns that are iconic with the hispanic heritage throughout the Bay Area and Northern California regions, along with a shoulder patch, saying “Northern California” adorned with another shark fin and the state outline. This jersey will be worn for All Sharks games in February and March, starting with their NHL regular season contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets on February 17th.
Last Week’s National Hockey League Trivia Question
Last Week: Which National Hockey League Player has the most Conn Smythe Trophies, which are handed out to the Most Valuable Player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Answer: Hall-of-Fame Goaltender Patrick Roy, who won four Stanley Cups, two with the Montreal Canadiens in 1986 and 1993, and then two with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and 2001, has the record for the most Conn Smythe Award wins with Three (1986, 1993, 2001)
With Black History Month starting on February 1st, The Box Seats will depart from NHL Trivia for the next five editions to give you a moment of Hockey History from a Black Perspective
GREAT MOMENTS IN BLACK HOCKEY HISTORY
January 18th, 1958: Willie O’Ree Breaks NHL Color Barrier
Forward Willie O’Ree made history on January 18th, 1958, when he suited up for the Boston Bruins against their rivals, the Montreal Canadiens. His call-up that night made him the first black player to skate in a National Hockey League contest.
What made the feat even more impressive was his secret, that two years prior, O’Ree lost sight in one eye while playing in the Minor Leagues. O’Ree never let anyone know about that NHL injury and persevered to make it into the NHL. O’Ree played a total of 10 games in the NHL, but had a Pro Career in various North American leagues that spanned over two decades.
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018, and in 2022, his #22 jersey was retired by the Boston Bruins. O’Ree, currently age 88, still works as a Diversity Ambassador for the National Hockey League’s “Hockey is for Everyone” program.
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