OPINION
- KEN CAMPBELL: On a team loaded with stars, no player is more important to the Tampa Bay Lightning than Brayden Point (The Hockey News)
- RYAN KENNEDY: Thomas Chabot is at the vanguard of the Ottawa Senators rebuild (The Hockey News)
- MARK SPECTOR: Wayne Gretzky sees similarities between old and new Oilers star duos (Sportsnet)
- ERIC FRANCIS: Still winless in Vegas, Flames look to turn hapless fortunes around (Sportsnet)
- CATHAL KELLY: Memo to Maple Leafs: You do not succeed if you doubt your ability to win when it counts (Globe & Mail)
- KEVIN PAUL DUPONT: Secondary scoring will be a key for Bruins to return to Finals (Boston Globe)
- STU COWAN: Size, speed collide as Canadiens host Cup-champion Blues (Montreal Gazette)
- LUKE DeCOCK: Hamilton setting records as he settles in with Hurricanes (Raleigh News & Observer)
- BRETT CYRGALIS: What NHL must learn from NBA’s China debacle (New York Post)
- TOM KEEGAN: Gritty Bruins (and their fans) are in for an intense, season-long grind (Boston Herald)
- SAM CARCHIDI: Flyers counting on new skills coach Angelo Ricci to make an impact (Philadelphia Inquirer)
- BRENDAN KELLY: Canadiens still have torch, but not a winning culture (Montreal Gazette)
- PATRICK JOHNSTON: With little video to view, preparing for early-season games isn't easy (Vancouver Province)
- MARK MADDEN: John Marino makes immediate impact with Penguins (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
- KEN WARREN: No PPs, Tierney steps up, Tampa Bay's big guns, backup goalies go to work (Ottawa Citizen)
- MATT PORTER: A few thoughts after nine days on the road with the Bruins (Boston Globe)
- DAMIEN COX: Mike Babcock may be set up for a fall after Kyle Dubas’ uninspiring summer (Toronto Star)
- SCOTT BILLECK: Already elite, Jets' Scheifele now hitting new heights (Winnipeg Sun)
- STEVEN ELLIS: Sabres forward Victor Olofsson is a perfect example of patient development (The Hockey News)
- JARED CLINTON: The stage seems set for the Red Wings' Anthony Mantha to truly breakout (The Hockey News)
- RYAN KENNEDY: Max Domi is at his best when there's bad blood on the ice (The Hockey News)
- CHRIS JOHNSTON: High-octane Leafs stymied by St. Louis' black-and-blue approach (Sportsnet)
- ERIC FRANCIS: Tkachuk, Doughty fireworks the type of rivalry NHL could use more of (Sportsnet)
- ERIC ENGELS: Drouin’s involvement in Canadiens’ opening games an encouraging sign (Sportsnet)
- CATHAL KELLY: In hockey-mad Toronto, Leafs can’t emulate Blues’ path to the cup (Globe & Mail)
- MICHAEL TRAIKOS: Leafs not 'tough enough' to win the Cup, Cherry says (National Post)
- JIM ALEXANDER: Yes, Staples Center turns 20 this month (Los Angeles Times)
- STEVE SIMMONS: Is St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington a one-year wonder or is he here to stay? (Toronto Sun)
- MICHAEL ARACE: Blue Jackets win wasn’t a must, but 0-3 evokes bad memories (Columbus Dispatch)
- KEN WARREN: Making a trade, White hot about faceoffs and Shark watch is on (Ottawa Citizen)
- LARRY BROOKS: Top-heavy Rangers in need of line shakeup (New York Post)
- JIM MATHESON: James Neal looks like the real deal right now (Edmonton Journal)
- BEN KUZMA: Green buoyed by balance, imagination to pump up Canucks' power play (Vancouver Province)
- BRUCE ARTHUR: Blues, Leafs go back to the grind, knowing it’s the style that will be important months from now (Toronto Star)
- MARK MADDEN: Amid injuries, Penguins need to adopt more rigid, defensive structure (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
- BRENDAN KELLY: Carey Price can't push Habs to the playoffs by himself (Montreal Gazette)
- DAMIEN COX: The St. Louis Blues would love to repeat ... the second half of their Stanley Cup season. (Toronto Star)
- JAMES BAGNALL: Melnyk's gambling debt defence gets complicated (Ottawa Citizen)
- MIKE McINTYRE: Jets' blue line a going concern (Winnipeg Free Press)