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.

Jake Oettinger skating for the Boston Bruins. Photo By Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Oettinger Continues to Shine for the Stars

While there were some questions regarding the Dallas Stars going into the season, one did not have to worry about the team’s goaltending. Stars’ netminder Jake Oettinger, 24, had a great first season in the league last year. He went 30-15-0-1 with a 2.53  goals-against average, a .914 save percentage, and one shutout. Oettinger was […]

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Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images

Hart All Alone in Philly

The Philadelphia Flyers, once a proud franchise that won a lot of hockey games, made it to the playoffs on a consistent basis and were considered a Stanley Cup contender year in and year out, are a bad hockey team right now. As of this writing (Monday, January 9), the team is seventh in the […]

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Photo By Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Is Carey Price a Future Hall of Famer?

The Montreal Canadiens have several goaltenders who are in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Canadiens’ greats like Jacques Plante, Lorne “Gump” Worsley, Georges Vezina, Ken Dryden, George Hainsworth, Bill Durnan, Patrick Roy, and a few others who played with the team at one point in their careers have all been inducted into the HHOF. Goaltenders […]

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Not Trusting the New York Islanders

There is no doubt that New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello is one of the game’s best general managers. Lamoriello won three Stanley Cups with the New Jersey Devils, helped get the Toronto Maple Leafs back into the playoffs on a consistent basis, and made the team he currently manages, the New York Islanders, […]

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How Are the Kings Winning?

Going into the season, many figured that the Pacific Division’s top teams would consist of the Calgary Flames (last year’s division winners), Edmonton Oilers, and the Vegas Golden Knights. It is easy to see why this would be the case. The three teams mentioned above all had recent success, with the Oilers advancing to the […]

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Steven Stamkos on the ice for the Tampa Bay Lightning

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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Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images

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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