The National Hockey League came back into season earlier this year, January 13. To protect against possible coronavirus outbreaks, the structure of the league was entirely different than usual. A 56 game regular season is set to end May 8, with playoffs following. The previous Eastern and Western Conference setup was eliminated and replaced with a new structure of four divisions based on the team’s locations around the country, namely the North, Central, East, and Western Division. Each team will play each other eight to ten times during the regular season. The top four teams at the end of the season will face off in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Favorites heading into the regular season included the Colorado Avalanche, the Vegas Golden Knights, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Boston Bruins. Colorado has had a decent start with a record of 7-3, placing them third in the central division. Las Vegas has had a fantastic start with a record of 8-1, placing them at the top of the Western Division. Tampa Bay has also had a successful beginning of the season with a record of 9-1, placing them first in the Eastern Division. Toronto has had an incredible first few games with a record of 11-2, placing them first in the North Division. Finally, Boston has had a great start with a record of 9-1, placing them at the top of the East Division.

The Florida Panthers have been a surprisingly successful team so far. Though not included at the top of the list of Stanley Cup picks, they have had a successful start with a record of 7-1. The New York Rangers have had a disappointing start. Last season, they were ranked fifth in goals per game, but currently, are in 25th. This is a surprising drop, considering they seem to have a lot of talent with the likes of 2nd and 1st round picks from 2019 and 2020.