Every Thursday, I’ll look at the next week’s action and point out nationally televised games and a look at the most interesting matchups you need to know about.

Thursday
-It’s opening night on the ice, and Versus and the CBC both have doubleheaders. At 7pm eastern, two divisional favorites collide in DC on Versus as Boston, the beasts of the Northeast, battle Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals. We’ll see if Tim Thomas can replicate the fantastic year he had last year. CBC will have one of the game’s great rivalries at 7 eastern as the Maple Leafs host the Canadiens. Toronto is rebuilding, but will look to gain some early season momentum with a win over Carey Price and the Habs. At 10 eastern, Dany Heatley makes his debut for the Sharks along with new team captain Rob Blake as Blake returns to his former digs in Denver as San Jose visits the Avalanche on Versus. How will Colorado cope in their first season without Joe Sakic? The CBC game will feature Roberto Luongo, the Sedin twins and the rest of the Canucks travelling to the Pengrowth Saddledome to face Jarome Iginla and the Calgary Flames. It’s going to be a great opening night of hockey.
Friday
-The NHL is going international for a second straight time this year, and two east coast afternoon games will take center stage on Friday. At noon eastern, west finalists Chicago open their season with a “home” game against Florida from Helsinki, Finland. And a longtime Central division rivalry will renew itself in Stockholm as the Blues “host” the Red Wings at 3pm eastern. Both afternoon international tilts will be broadcast on Versus. At night, two excellent eastern conference matchups will commence as Philadelphia plays its first game with Chris Pronger anchoring the blue line in Carolina, and the Penguins raise their Stanley Cup title banner against the New York Rangers.
Saturday
-All 30 teams play on this Saturday, with the two international matchups happening again at 12 and 3pm eastern, with the teams switching their jerseys to designate home and away. Hockey Night In Canada makes its traditional Saturday evening debut with Washington visiting Toronto at 7pm and Calgary battling Edmonton at 10 in Western Canada’s fiercest rivalry. Other notable games include top overall pick John Tavares making his NHL debut as the Islanders host Sidney Crosby and Pittsburgh, New Jersey hosting rival Philadelphia, Buffalo hosting Montreal, Columbus hosting Minnesota and Anaheim hosting San Jose. There are no games scheduled on Sunday.
Monday
-There are two games on Monday, including Versus’ traditional Monday game which features the Rangers heading to The Rock to take on the archrival Devils. Columbus visits Vancouver at 10 eastern.
Tuesday
-Versus stays in the east for its Tuesday 7 eastern tilt as Philadelphia hosts Washington, and the battle for Ontario begins TSN’s television schedule as the Leafs travel to Ottawa to take on the Senators. Montreal visits Calgary in what could be the most interesting game of the night.
Wednesday
-The two games on the schedule for Wednesday will both be on TSN, beginning with the biggest mismatch in the league with Pittsburgh hosting Phoenix. Montreal continues its western Canadian swing at 10 eastern as they battle the Canucks.

The greatest show on ice is baaack! to commemorate the beginning of another hockey season, I would like to give you my division standings with the previews of each team. Here we go:

EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division:
1) Pittsburgh Penguins- The most loaded young team in the Eastern Conference, and the defending Stanley Cup Champions (along with giving Marian Hossa the middle finger), the Pens return a year older, which means a year more mature. With Evgeni Malkin almost unstoppable, Sidney Crosby playmaking, Marc-Andre Fleury and his flamboyant yellow pads making save after save, and solid role players around them, this team can make another run this year.
2) New Jersey Devils- Jacque Lemaire has returned to New Jersey, which means only one thing: Hockey in New Jersey will return to being as boring as watching paint dry, which isnt a bad thing when you have Marty Brodeur, in his late 30s and still going strong, between the pipes, and Zach Parise once again scoring 45 from within 3 feet. They lose Gionta, but when you are going to play a ton of 2-1 games, that hardly matters.
3) New York Rangers- John Tortorella and his up-tempo system is a huge change from Tom Renney’s “I’m a Nice Guy” system. The Rangers boosted their scoring by signing 50 games-or-bust Marian Gaborik, and they still have the King. But their defense is young and inconsistent, and their only consistent defender last year was Marc Staal. If the defense comes together, this agressive team can surprise.
4) Philadelphia Flyers- I will get slack for ranking these guys this low, but I have two reasons why: Chris Pronger, and Ray Emery. This team has enormous firepower in terms of scoring, and may end up scoring 300 goals. The issue is that their defense is slow, their big acquisition, Pronger, is overrated, and Ray Emery may end up giving up 300 goals this season if he is the inconsistent self he was in Ottawa.
5) New York Islanders- Good news Islander fans! The Islanders will sell out 3 times this year! The bad news: About 12,000 of the 16,000 occupants in the stands will be Ranger fans! Too bad the most exciting drama that the Isles will have this season will be whether they are moving to Kansas City or not. And whether John Tavares hits 20 goals.

Northeast Division:
1) Boston Bruins- They may have traded Phil Kessel, but the Bruins still have plenty of depth to overcome the loss. They still have Marc Savard, they still have Milan Lucic, and they still have the Slovakian Giant, Zdeno Chara, a man whose slap shot can burn a hole through a hub cap. This team’s depth will keep them in first place.
2) Buffalo Sabres- As well a coached team as there is in the league, by the great Lindy Ruff, the Sabres no longer have Tomas Vanek. That should not be an issue, however, to finish in 2nd place in this weakened division. They have a solid tender in Ryan Miller, and a good group of solid players that have been in this up-tempo system for years.
3) Toronto Maple Leafs- The Leafs make two enomous moves this off-season. Firstly, they stole Mike Komasarek, as good a shot-blocking defensemen as there is in the game. Next, during training camp, they traded for Phil Kessel, a rising 21 year old star. Their goal-tending is inconsistent, and they may be a couple of years away, but this team is rising.
4) Montreal Canadiens- the offseason this franshise had was befuddling. They lost Mike Komisarek, and didn’t really replace him. Then, they assemble a vibrant (and tiny) first line of Brian Gionta (5’7, maybe), Mike Camalleri (5’9) and the overrated and overpayed Scotty Gomez (5’10). HUH?! With an inconsitent 21 year old goaltender who can’t handle the Montreal pressure, and a tiny 1st overpayed 1st line with little talent behind them (hey, Alex Kovalev was talented), this team will be a disappointment.
5) Ottawa Senators- The Sens had an off-season that Days of Our Lives would be impressed with. The organization and Dany Heatley went back and forth, trying to trade him to anyone possible. Heatley was rumored to have been going to the Rangers, but instead he went to San Jose, for Jonathan Cheechoo, a guy who once scored 56 goals…. because he played with Joe Thornton. Jason Spezza is not Joe Thornton.

Southeast Division:
1) Washington Capitals- This season, the Alex Ovechkin show will have a few sidekicks. Alexander Semin was actually BETTER than Ovechkin during the first month of the season last season. Then he got hurt. Now hes back. And then there’s Mike Green, the defenseman with one of the most accurate wristers in the game. This team is dangerous. With a goaltender, its damn near unbeatable. Semyon Varlamov may be that guy.
2) Carolina Hurricanes- A well-balanced team, the Canes are another up-tempo team. They have a solid goalie, solid defense, and a solid offense led by Staal Brother Numero Uno, Eric. They are a solid team who had a quiet offseason.
3) Florida Panthers- The Panthers had their chance last season, when they still had Jay Buowmeester (if you don’t know hockey, its BO-meester). Now Jay is in Calgary, and the Panthers did not do much this offseason. They are still a young team on the rise, but not a playoff team.
4) Tampa Bay Lightning- Steven Stamkos just had his first season in the NHL. Mazal Tov. We also forget that this team also has Marty St. Louis and Vinny Lecavilier (Howie Rose, its “Le-cav-il-YAY”, not “Le-CAV-il-yay”) This team will score. Their opponents will too. A LOT.
5) Atlanta Thrashers- The city of Atlanta never cared much for hockey, and that truth still rings true. They have a damn good player named Ilya who is as talented as any in the game, and they picked up Nik Antropov. This team will also score. But their opponents will too. A lot. Especially when a 19 year old (Zack Bogosian) is your best defenseman.

 WESTERN CONFERENCE
Central Division:
1) Chicago Blackhawks- For the first time in almost 50 years, Chicago has a legitimate cup contender. With rising young guns Jonathan Toews (its TAVES people) and the taxi-cab driver Patrick Kane, the Hawks already had a talented team. Then, Chicago goes out and signs Marian Hossa to a 12 year contract. With great role players surrounding the 3, the Hawks are legit contenders for a long time to come (then again, the Hawks are the Bengals of the NHL. Something ALWAYS goes wrong with them.)
2) Detroit Red Wings- the perennial contenders the Wings are still their annoyingly good selves. They can defend, they can score, they have Niklas Lidstrom, who is as close to a god as a hockey defenseman can get (check out his stats), and they have Pavel Datsyuk, who has the sickest hands this side of Mr. Miyagi. Detroit’s only problem is their goaltending. Which Chris Osgood will show up?
3) Columbus Blue Jackets- a team with probably the strangest name in the history of pro sports (close behind are the Utah Jazz), the jackets finally made the playoffs under the guidance of Ken Hitchcock. Rick Nash, one of the more underrated players in the game, is back, as well as Steve Mason, last season’s rookie of the year. I would not be surprised if these well-coached team hits the playoff jackpot again.
4) St. Louis Blues- John Davidson is building a team. After going 2 decades of making the playoffs, and going half a decade of not, the Blues finally made it back last season. The team is still on the fringe, but with a good mix of veteran and young (Paul Kariya, Erik Johnson), they may be back (and they will have good attendance. After all, the Rams suck.). Oh, and they have a guy named Cam Janssen. Wonder if he was named after the book.
5) Nashville Predators- I kind of feel bad for the Preds. They have a great coach, a pretty decent team, and are playing in the wrong division. Oh well, they can resonate with Toronto Blue Jays fans.

Northwest Division:
1) Vancouver Canucks- The NHL was kind of mean to the Canucks in the schedule-making department this season. The Olympics just so happen to be in Vancouver this year, and the NHL puts the Canucks on road trips before AND after the olympiad. Terrible. It shouldn’t bother them though. They have the Sedin twins, who I predict will have 79 points each this season, and they have one of the best in the game between the pipes in Roberto Luongo. The team is one of the most well balanced in the NHL.
2) Calgary Flames- The Saddledome should be rocking again this season. The Flames got the prized defenseman of the summer in Jay (i do not want to spell his last name again), a great goalie in Miiiiiikka Kiprusoff, sloppy seconds in Dion Phaneuf, and one of the best scorers in the game still in Jerome Iginla. This team may be just as good as the Canucks if they stay consistent.
3) Minnesota Wild- Ah, Jacque Lemaire is gone. Damn, so is Marian Gaborik. The Wild will be a little more wild this year after spending 6 years as the most boring team in hockey. However, the boredom was beneficial to Niklas Backstrom, who was well protected in good ol’ Jacque’s system. I’m curious to see how Backstrom responds. And the rest of the team, for that matter.
4) Edmonton Oilers- The tiny city of Edmonton almost had a larger than life figure when they almost acquired Dany Heatley. Unfortunately, the trade failed, and the team has to live with middling scorers, and Sheldon Souray’s slapshot. They acquired Nikolai Khabibulin, but which Nikky will show up between the pipes?
5) Colorado Avalanche- a team in transition, their greatest player, Joe Sakic, retired. Now, as a young team with a number of young promising players, this team is 2 or 3 years away from contention. But you never know in this NHL.

Pacific Division:
1) San Jose Sharks- Dany Heatley fit into California pretty easily, with his missing front tooth and long blond hair. He’ll also fit in pretty easily with Joe Thornton, a god of a passer who got a guy named Cheechoo to win the goal scoring title once (I may have mentioned that earlier). But Thornton and Heatley isn’t all they have. They have Evgeny Nabokov (who has the coolest goalie mask in existence), Rob Blake, Darin Setoguchi, Dan Boyle, Pa… ok this team is too good.
2) Anaheim Ducks- No longer mighty, the Ducks still play hockey well. They have a veteran blue-line with a solid goalie. Actually, TWO solid goalies. A defensive-minded team who likes to fight, they will intimidate into the playoffs.
3) LA Kings- A team also in transition, the Kings of Hollywood are young and growing up. They have a couple of enigmas, but if the enigmas straighten out, they will be a force.
4) Dallas Stars- the stars are no longer aligned in Dallas. after years and years of solid teams, this is the year I think they will take a dive. When your best players are aging Brad Richards and Mike Modano, I can see why. Then again, maybe they have something I don’t know. Like an actually consistent Marty Turco.
5) Phoenix Coyotes- The Hamilton Coyotes, or whereever they are going to be, are the Montreal Expos. No owner, no care in the world, and Wayne Gretzky couldn’t save them. At least bankruptcy court is exciting!