Posts by @Dom Lunardo

For a team that’s missed the playoffs for the past seven seasons, there sure is a lot of optimism surrounding the Arizona Coyotes. For starters, there’s a new owner in town. His name? Alex Meruelo, who’s brought a new outlook to the hockey operations department down in Glendale. In addition, there’s general manager John Chayka, who brought the likes of Taylor Hall and Phil Kessel to the desert with hopes of gaining some semblance of hockey relevancy. Head coach Rick Tocchet heads the list as one of the most innovative and well-respected coaches in the National Hockey League.

After an up-and-down last few seasons in the City of Brotherly Love that saw the team miss the postseason in four of the last seven years, the Flyers seemed to have found their “mojo” in 2019-20. This mojo appears in the form of the perfect balance of youth, good coaching, veteran leadership, and a stud goaltender. Mix these all together and you had a team on the path to the NHL playoffs before the NHL hit the pause button due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Boston Bruins came within one win of a Stanley Cup triumph last spring, losing to the eventual champion, St. Louis Blues in a hard-fought seven-game series. The deciding game coming on home ice at the TD Garden, which makes it all the more painful for Patrice Bergeron and co. This year, the “Killer B’s” have turned the page, picked up right where they left off, and have played a tremendous brand of hockey. Prior to the halt in the NHL season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bruins sat atop of the Atlantic Division with 100 points through 70 games. All indications pointed towards yet another deep playoff run in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Dom Lunardo | April 25th, 2020 It’s been five seasons since the Buffalo Sabres drafted Massachusetts-born star centerman, Jack Eichel, second overall during the 2015

Dom Lunardo | April 24th, 2020 From 2010-2015, the Chicago Blackhawks won three Stanley Cups and were widely regarded as one of the best pro

“You really don’t remember, was it something that he said? Are the voices in your head calling, Gloria?”. What a team. What a ride. What a moment for the St. Louis Blues during their 2019 Stanley Cup Triumph, the first cup in the franchise’s history. It’s been a long time coming for the Blues and their passionate fan base out in the Midwest, but it all came together in mesmerizing fashion during the 2018-19 campaign.

If someone were to ask me seven to eight years ago if the National Hockey League would ever put a team in Vegas, I’d probably laugh. Low and behold the NHL now has a team in Las Vegas, and in just three short seasons, the Golden Knights have taken the league by storm. As they say at T-Mobile Arena, home of the Knights…“Vegassss, itsss knighttt Timmeee”.

Anaheim, California. Although certainly not a traditional hockey hot-bed, Lord Stanley was raised here during the 2006-07 season. Fast forward nearly 14 seasons later, and that Ducks team without question looks much different. That so-called “Death Valley”, California road trip, has a whole new persona behind it with the drop in the play of the San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, and Anaheim Ducks.

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang. Not only are these three all future hall-of-famers, but they also represent the core of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team. When hockey fans think of the Penguins, their first thought is usually that of Sidney Crosby (aka Sid the Kid), and why wouldn’t it be? Crosby is an integral part of the city of Pittsburgh, and one of the most respected and celebrated players in the National Hockey League. Simply put, there’s been something special about the Pens since Crosby entered the league 15 years ago.

Mathew Barzal, Josh Bailey, Devon Toews, Ryan Pulock, Anthony Beauvillier, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. These are just some of the names that make up a pretty good hockey team in the New York Islanders. on the New York Islanders hockey club. When the face of the franchise, John Tavares left for Toronto last summer (yes, Islander fans are probably still ruing over it to this day), not many expected the team to play as well as they did. The days of the“run and gun” Islanders have been replaced by a solid four-line team, that can break a game open with their skill. In just a few short seasons, the islanders have morphed into one of the most exciting teams in the National Hockey League.

When you think of the Washington Capitals one thing comes to mind, and that’s “The Great 8”, Alex Ovechkin. For the past 15+ seasons, “Ovie” has been the face of the Capitals franchise with 700+ goals to his name. Quite simply, Ovechkin is one of the single-greatest goalscorers in the history of the National Hockey League. He’s consistently dominant, feared amongst opponents, lethal all over the ice, and awakened a fan base in D.C. that was rather dormant prior to his arrival back in 2005-06. Oh, and let’s not forget that Ovechkin also spearheaded the team to their first Stanley Cup triumph two seasons ago after years and years of playoff shortcomings and disappointments.

Dom Lunardo | April 15th, 2020 The Columbus Blue Jackets…the team that sent shock waves across the National Hockey League. It’s been just about 12