2009-2010 NHL Season Begins Today!

Today is the day!  The 2009-2010 NHL season begins tonight!  Are you pumped!?  I’m so excited.  I’ve already written about my predictions for this year (and, yes, they aren’t perfect and they are just guesses) so I’m definitely ready for the real action to start!

image: TSN

Here are the scheduled games for tonight:

• Montreal @ Toronto – 7pm ET
• Washington @ Boston – 7pm ET
• Vancouver @ Calgary – 10pm ET
• San Jose @ Colorado – 10pm ET

This marks the first time in a decade that the Habs will take on the Leafs in their season openers and, while I would normally put my money on Montreal, all of the roster shake ups will make that an interesting game.  While I know a lot of people want to see Jonas Gustavsson in net for the first time, it will be Vesa Toskala defending the Toronto goal tonight.  Toskala better not eff up, that’s all I’m gonna say…  Carey Price should be between the pipes for Montreal but you never know with that team.

For the second year in a row, Calgary will host the Canucks in their first game of the year.  It didn’t go so well for the Flames last year (let’s try to forget that awful 6-0 opener, please).  Hopefully, both teams will bring the fire to the ice tonight since they are great NW division rivals.

Colorado will start their game by raising Joe Sakic’s No. 19 jersey to the rafters at the Pepsi Center.  The Avalanche will be hosting the Sharks and it’s interesting that both teams have seen their captain leave since the end of last season.  Of course, this will be our first real glimpse of Dany Heatley in the Sharks lineup.

Alexander Ovechkin is back as the Capitals visit the Bruins.  Could this be a foreshadowing of what the Eastern Conference finals will look like?  Some people think it is.  I’m not as sold on the idea but you never know.  There is some amazing talent on both teams and they both should be hungry after disappointing performances in the playoffs last spring.