THE BOX SEATS: NHL Matchups Recap
NHL Preview for the Week of February 26th to March 3rd, 2024.
THE BOX SEATS – NHL Matchups Recap
Edition Twenty-One, Week of February 26th-March 3rd, 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 is wrapping up the month of February, and the action on the ice is heating up just like the weather around most of North America. We’ll jump into all the action going on in the league over the next several days. We’ve seen some top-tier clubs like the Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights go through some slumping ways, while the New York Rangers just had their ten-game winning streak snapped on Sunday night, one victory shy of their club record. Despite the loss, it’s still been a big week for the Blueshirts. We’ve got a ton of great action ahead as we are just around a week away from the NHL Trade Deadline on March 8th, So let’s start things off with Team Betting Trends for in this week’s NHL Matchups Recap.
Team Trends To Watch For
- Boston Bruins: Five Consecutive Games Past Regulation
- New York Rangers: 10-1 SU last 11 games overall
- Detroit Red Wings: 8-3 SU last 11 games overall
- Edmonton Oilers: 15-5 SU last 20 games at home
- Arizona Coyotes: 0-11 SU last eleven games overall
NHL FULL SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK:
February 26th
NY Islanders at Dallas 
– 8:00p ET on NHL Network
Patrick Roy’s Islanders haven’t been able to navigate the waters of the Eastern Conference Wild Card race well, and now they head to Dallas to take on a solid Stars squad.
February 27th
Buffalo at Florida 
– 7:00p ET on ESPN/ESPN+
The Florida Panthers have the Atlantic Division title in their sights, and this matchup against division foe Buffalo could be two pivotal points toward that goal.
Dallas at Colorado 
– 9:30p ET on ESPN/ESPN+
A huge showdown in the Central Division as the Avs and Stars clash in Denver. With Colorado winning eight of their previous twelve head-to-head meetings.
February 28th
St. Louis at Edmonton 
– 7:30p ET on TNT/MAX
Keep an eye out for the St. Louis Blues, who are in the middle of the Wild Card race in the Western Conference, taking on the Edmonton Oilers.
February 29th
Carolina at Columbus 
– 7:00 pm ET on ESPN+/Hulu
The Carolina Hurricanes head to the Buckeye State to battle the Blue Jackets as they need points within the Metropolitan Division.
Colorado at Chicago 
– 9:00p ET on ESPN
The Chicago Blackhawks host the Colorado Avalanche in a late home start on the Worldwide Leader. The Avs sit in first place in the Central Division as of current press time.
March 2nd
Winnipeg at Carolina – 12:30p ET on NHL Network
The weekend starts with an early puck drop in Raleigh as the Hurricanes host the Winnipeg Jets.
Minnesota at St. Louis – 3:00p ET on ABC/ESPN+
This is the showdown of the day as two hated Central Division foes clash in a battle for one of the final Wild Card spots in the West. Expect fireworks in this battle.
Vegas at Buffalo – 7:00p ET on ESPN+/Hulu
Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel will miss his return trip to Buffalo, where he was drafted first overall back in 2015.
March 3rd
Arizona at Washington 
– 1:00p ET on NHL Network
Alex Ovechkin looks to continue his chase towards Wayne Gretzky’s record for the Most Goals in NHL history as the Capitals take on the Arizona Coyotes in a Sunday matinee.
New Jersey at Los Angeles 
– 3:30p ET on TNT/MAX
Wrapping up the Weekly NHL Preview, it’s a cross-conference clash as the Kings host the New Jersey Devils in a rare afternoon tilt in Los Angeles. The Kings are 4-1-1 in day games this season.
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 sleek look down south that has drawn mixed reviews.
Florida Panthers 2016-current Red Home Jerseys
The Florida Panthers burst onto the hockey scene way back in 1993, and their logo reflected a leaping cat, lunging to attack, and in due time, a hockey stick was added to the mouth of said cat, looking a little bit less fear. While the club has always stayed true to their color scheme of Red, Navy Blue, and Gold or Yellow, and in 2016, the team unveiled a new look that drew inspiration from the 101st Airborne Division infantry of the United States Army, with the owner of the club at that time, Vincent Viola, being a graduate of West Point Academy. The Badge-shaped crest and state of Florida flags on the shoulders certainly ring towards the design marks, with a smooth Panther staring off into the distance replacing the famous leaping cat.
The NHL Trivia Will Return in Episode Twenty-Two of The Box Seats
As we wind down in February, we will have one more piece of Black Hockey History.
GREAT MOMENTS IN BLACK HOCKEY HISTORY
2000-2001: Edmonton Oilers have five black players on Active NHL Roster at one time.
The Edmonton Oilers have been a franchise in the world of Hockey since their inception back in 1972 in the World Hockey Association, and in their history, they have shown a tremendous amount of support for players of color, signing more than any National Hockey League team in history with 13 black players. Currently, forward Evander Kane and defenseman Darnell Nurse play with Edmonton.
In the 2000-2001 Regular Season, the Edmonton Oilers had enforcer George Laraque (Haitian-Canadian), forwards Mike Grier (African-American), Anson Carter (African-Canadian), defenseman Sean Brown (African-Canadian) and goaltender Joaquin Gage (African-Canadian) all on the active roster for several games during the year, setting the record for most Black players on one NHL team in a season.
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