The Box Seats: Edition Ten NHL
NHL Games Preview for December 11th-17th, 2023
THE BOX SEATS
Edition Ten, The Week of December 11th-17th, 2023.
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 heads into another week of action. We saw a new record set by the Los Angeles Kings, who won their first ten road games, breaking the record previously shared by the 2005-2006 Buffalo Sabres and the 2009-2010 New Jersey Devils.
After coming back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 in overtime on Thursday night, the Kings would drop a 3-2 overtime decision to the Islanders on Saturday and then suffer their first regulation loss away from Hollywood on Sunday as the New York Rangers, led by former Kings veteran Jonathan Quick, picked up the 4-1 victory at Madison Square Garden.
The Edmonton Oilers keep on rolling hot with new coach Kris Knoblauch. The club has now won seven games in a row, and the Power-Play has come alive again, scoring eleven goals in 27 chances with the man-advantage over their last eight games. The Oilers will look to keep their streak rolling with three home NHL games this week against Chicago, Tampa Bay and Florida. We’ll touch on one of those contests a bit later, but first, let’s focus on a top player to watch for this week.
PLAYER TO WATCH THIS WEEK
Jonathan Quick – Goalie, New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are on a tear right now in the Metropolitan Division (the Eastern Conference). One of the big reasons for their recent success isn’t just due to their starting goalie Igor Shesterkin, but their backup netminder, 38-year old Jonathan Quick.
The Medford, Connecticut native won two Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe Trophy with the Los Angeles Kings, even beating the Blueshirts in 2014 to earn that second ring. But after a pair of trades to Columbus and Vegas last season, where he captured a third ring, Quick decided he wanted to give it another year on the ice, and he signed a one-year deal with the Rangers to backup the former Vezina Trophy winner.
All Quick has done is go 8-0-1 with a 2.20 goals-against average, a .920% save percentage with two shutouts in nine starts this season. Quick has only appeared in the All-Star Game once in his career back in 2012. We could see the 383-game winner make it to Toronto representing the Metro Division in February. The Rangers host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday and the Anaheim Ducks on Friday before a trip to Boston against the Bruins on Saturday night.
Team Trends To Watch For
- The Dallas Stars have become the new hot team to watch out for with the First Period Over. After cashing in six consecutive games, the Stars are now on a 14-6 run in their last 20 contests and 18-5 on the season toward the Over in the first twenty minutes of play.
NATIONAL TELEVISION SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK:
December 12th
Detroit at St. Louis 
– 7:30p ET on ESPN
The Detroit Red Wings, with newly acquired winger Patrick Kane, will take on an old Central Division foe in St. Louis to kickoff the ESPN national doubleheader.
Chicago at Edmonton 
– 10:30pm ET on ESPN
It’s the first ever Battle of the Connor’s as the Blackhawks with Connor Bedard take on the Oilers with Connor McDavid. No word yet on if people named Connor will get to attend the game for free.
December 13th
Boston at New Jersey 
– 7:00p ET on TNT/MAX
The Boston Bruins head on down to Newark to take on the Devils in the first of a doubleheader of NHL Hockey Games Preview on TNT and MAX. The Bruins have won six straight meetings and eight of their last nine overall against the Devils.
Buffalo at Colorado 
– 9:30p ET on TNT/MAX
The Avalanche look to get revenge at home on the Buffalo Sabres. Back on October 29th, goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped all 23 Avalanche shots to earn a 4-0 shutout win. Buffalo also beat Colorado at Ball Arena 363 days ago in a 4-2 victory.
December 14th
Carolina at Detroit – 7:00p ET on ESPN+/Hulu
The Red Wings return home to take on a struggling Carolina Hurricanes club that is currently sitting in a tie for fourth place in the Metropolitan Division NHL Standings with the New Jersey Devils as of press time.
December 15th
Nashville at Carolina – 7:30p ET on ESPN+/Hulu
The Hurricanes return for a second straight night on streaming only, this time for a home contest against the Nashville Predators as one of the top NHL Matchups on a short Friday slate.
December 16th
Vancouver at Minnesota 
– 2:00p ET on NHL Network
The Wild return back home after a road trip out on the West Coast, where they played the Canucks and dropped a 2-0 decision last Thursday night. Vancouver netminder Casey DeSmith earned a 26-save shutout in the victory.
Washington at Nashville – 8:00p ET on NHL Network
It’s a rare Saturday night match-up of two American clubs this week in the NHL Network evening slot as Alex Ovechkin and the Caps head down to the Music City to battle the Predators.
December 17th
Vancouver at Chicago – 2:00p ET on NHL Network
The Canucks play their second matinee in as many days, now traveling from Downtown Saint Paul to the West Side of Chicago to take on the Blackhawks.
Washington at Carolina – 6:00p ET on NHL Network
Once again, the Capitals are on NHL Network, taking on division rivals Carolina in an early evening showdown in Raleigh to wrap up the weekend action.
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 take a look at a classic that now ranks as one of the most iconic alternates in the league.
The Vancouver Canucks started as a National Hockey League expansion franchise in 1970, utilizing the colors of Green, Blue, and White, to reflect the forest and ocean themes of the beautiful Canadian city. In 1978, the club made a drastic change to their uniforms, going with a yellow, orange and black color scheme, and a “Flying V” logo that dropped from the collar and shoulders to the bottom of the jersey.
These were nicknamed the “Halloween” uniforms and lasted until 1985, when we saw the first iteration of the “Flying Skate” logo. In 1989, the road jerseys were changed from yellow to white, but the logo remained until 1997, when the franchise unveiled a new colorway and logo of an Orca busting out through the letter C. In 2020, the Flying Skate returned for four games, and after the pandemic-shortened 2021 season, the Canucks brought back the uniform as a full-time alternate, wearing it for 15 times in total this season.
National Hockey League Trivia Question
Last Week: Who’s the Oldest Player to win the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year?
Answer: Sergei Makarov was on the gold-winning Soviet national ice hockey team in the World Championships in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989 and 1990. In 1989, he was allowed by the Soviet Union to join the National Hockey League and the Calgary Flames, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as “rookie” of the year at the age of 31. As a result, a new rule was introduced (the Makarov Rule) so that only players under 26 qualify for the award.
Q: Name the only National Hockey League team without an official Team Mascot
Hint: They are an Original Six club.
Come Back Next Week to find out The Answer!
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