The first week of the 2015-2016 season has passed and the home team just can’t seem to win.
Opening night, all four home teams lost. The Leafs lost 3-1 to the Canadiens. Both the Kings and the Flames got slaughtered 5-1 by the Sharks and Canucks, respectively, and the Rangers ruined the Blackhawks’ Banner night with a 3-2 win.
Moreover, it doesn’t end there. Almost every team in the league, with the clear exception of the Predators, have lost their home games.
So what’s the problem? Could it be a lack of chemistry? The Los Angeles Kings lost Justin Williams and Jarret Stoll during the offseason. Both were huge contributors to the Kings and their lines. Their absence is probably not blending well with the addition of Milan Lucic. Though his power will fit in well with the team’s dynamic, his lack of speed will slow them down (pun intended).
Could it be the lack of trust? Two major, Stanley Cup winning coaches joined new teams this season: Mike Babcock with Toronto and Dan Bylsma with Buffalo.
Babcock is dealing with a team that is struggling to communicate with each other since the loss of Phil Kessel. Top players, James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak are not giving their best performance. The team also added one of the longest lists of new players acquired during the off-season. Babcock has a lot on his plate to fully perfect a potential winning team.
Bylsma took a year off before deciding to come back to the rink. It seems like an obvious choice to choose him since he could work well with such a young team and big name players such as Evander Kane. But the year off could be troublesome. It may take Bylsma a bit to get back into the groove of things before he can gain the trust of his players.
Or maybe it’s just the lack of talent? It’s no secret the Boston Bruins had a dreadful off season. Not only did they lose Lucic, but they also lost perhaps their best rising star, Dougie Hamilton. The team also traded off some of their best bench players in Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille.
But that was only the beginning. The lack of talent does not mean whom they acquired, but who’s not dressed. Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg both are out of the lineup due to injury. To add another blow, Brad Marchand will be out indefinitely due to a concussion.
The Bruins were a well-stacked team that may be losing its edge. The team needs to move forward more than 110% in order to at least get a win. They cannot rely solely on David Kerjci and Patrice Bergeron to get the job done.
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