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.
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
Playoffs are Not a Guarantee for the Devils
There is no doubt that the New Jersey Devils have taken huge strides this season. That may actually be an understatement. As of this writing (Tuesday, January 3), the Devils are second in the Metropolitan Division and sixth in the league with a 23-11-3 record for 49 points through 37 games. The team’s youngsters have […]
Read More
Sorokin Is The Man on The Island
When talking about New York and NHL goaltenders, one often first mentions New York Rangers masked man Igor Shesterkin. This is with good reason. Shesterkin won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender last season when he went 36-13-0-4 with a 2.07 goals-against average, a .935 save percentage, and six shutouts. The man they […]
Read More
Looking at the positives for the Coyotes
When you are a team that has a losing record, will miss the Stanley Cup playoffs yet again, and is looked at as somewhat of a laughing stock considering the kind of arena they play in, it is tough to look at the bright side of things. All of the above pertains to the Arizona […]
Read More
Kraken Are Significantly Improved in Year Two
When it was announced that the NHL would add a team in Seattle, many wondered how they would do in their first season. Unfortunately, many more than likely compared the Seattle Kraken to the Vegas Golden Knights. The Golden Knights shocked everyone in their first season and made it to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Washington […]
Read More
Singing the Blues
It was not all that long ago that the St. Louis Blues were Stanley Cup champions. The franchise accomplished that feat in 2019. After winning the Cup, the team, though still very good, has not found the same kind of success. That can especially be said for the team’s play this season. The Blues are […]
Read More