Author: Patrick Hoffman
Patrick covers the NHL for Inside The Rink. He has previously covered the league for The Ultimate Hockey Fan Cave, WTP Sports, Sportsnet.ca, Kukla’s Korner, Spector’s Hockey, NHL Network Radio blog, TheHockeyNews.com, The Fourth Period, Stan Fischler’s “The Fischler Report”, as well as a slew of others.
Bolts Playing Like Cup Contenders
It is amazing that the Tampa Bay Lightning have been to the Stanley Cup Final three years straight and won two of them (2020 and 2021) against the Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens, respectively. In the team’s quest to win their third straight Cup last season, the Colorado Avalanche knocked the Lightning off the pedestal […]
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Hellebuyck Playing Like a Vezina Candidate
When it comes to looking at the best goaltenders in the NHL this season, it is not a surprise that Boston Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark is the first name that gets mentioned. Ullmark, 29, is currently (Sunday, January 8) 22-1-0-1 with a 1.87 goals-against average, a .938 save percentage, and two shutouts. He has clearly […]
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Hughes Doing it All for the Devils
When Jack Hughes was taken first overall by the New Jersey Devils back in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, much was expected of him. At the time, the Devils were a struggling franchise looking to return to being a team that contended for the Stanley Cup every single season. Hughes, 21, was expected to get […]
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The Emergence of Rangers Defenseman Braden Schneider
When you are a defenseman on the New York Rangers, it is easy to fly under the radar. The Blueshirts have a plethora of excellent to solid defensemen. Guys like Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox, team captain Jacob Trouba, K’Andre Miller, and Ryan Lindgren have all made positive impacts on this hockey club, especially in […]
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Predators Back in Playoff Hunt with Strong Play
For much of this season, the Nashville Predators played inconsistent hockey. They would win a bunch of games and then lose a bunch of games. There was never a middle ground, and up until this point, it was costing the Predators in terms of staying in contention in what is a very tight Western Conference. […]
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Markstrom Needs to Step Up for The Flames
Everything, except winning the Stanley Cup, seemed to go right for the Calgary Flames last season. The Flames won the Pacific Division, were the sixth-best team in the league, and they managed to win a playoff round in seven games over the Dallas Stars. They also had the league’s sixth best offense (291 goals) thanks […]
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Going Wild in Minnesota
There are a lot of good teams in the NHL that are getting talked about a lot. Teams like the Boston Bruins (62 points), Carolina Hurricanes (56 points), Vegas Golden Knights (54 points), Toronto Maple Leafs (53 points), Dallas Stars (52 points), and the New Jersey Devils have been the team garnering the most attention […]
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The Lowly Blackhawks
When it comes to the Chicago Blackhawks, the first word that used to come to my mind is tradition. This franchise had a tradition of winning. They had a habit of winning Stanley Cups, especially between 2010 and 2015 when they hoisted hockey’s Holy Grail in 2010, 2013, and 2015. Fast forward to now, and it seems […]
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Defense and Goaltending A Problem for the Oilers
When it comes to the Edmonton Oilers, the offense is never going to be a problem. It starts with Connor McDavid. McDavid, still just 25 years of age, leads the NHL with 73 points on 33 goals and 40 assists. McDavid is the game’s best offensive player and produces just about every single night. The […]
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Senators Progressing In the Murky Middle
The Ottawa Senators and their fans had a lot to look forward to going into this season. They have a young and talented roster, they upgraded their goaltending with Cam Talbot, they added the likes of Claude Giroux and Alex DeBrincat, and it was a brand new start. Everyone was expecting them to be competitive, and […]
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