Today in two canadian cities — Edmonton and Toronto will resume after a four-and-a-half months ago, the pandemic coronavirus NHL season. It reformatted in connection with the giant pause the ending is almost the only play-off matches, and they will participate in three dozen Russian players. Team some of them look like absolute contenders for the Stanley Cup.About renewing the season the North American hockey League have to know a few important things. His endings, which will take Toronto and Edmonton (it will be the final series), the city-bubbles are selected as locations to the most isolated of the participants, quite a tricky format. That is one and a half weeks everything will go back to normal: normal draw for the Stanley Cup — starting 1/8 final series to four victories. But up to this play-off round will be something new invented by the League to somehow get out of the routine and calendar of difficulties born of a pandemic.NHL unlike the NBA decided not to finish the regular season. He was stopped in March, and teams had to spend 11 to 13 matches. To “finish” it meant more to stretch already stretched to the limit — October — season. So, worthy of participation in draw of the Cup Stanley in its specific, “coronavirus” version of the NHL was considered on 24 of the 31 club with the best record in the regular season (meaning the percentage of won encounters). Eight of them were the leaders of the conferences received a special status, suggesting that to qualify in the 1/8 finals is not necessary. To the East is the “Boston Bruins”, “Tampa Bay lightning”, “Washington capitals” and the “Philadelphia flyers” in the West “St. Louis Blues”, “Colorado avalanche”, “Vegas Golden knights” and “Dallas Stars”.To have selected those who finished behind them in the field from fifth to 12th in the conference. And the selection will take place in the series that the NHL has called play-in. They are shorter classic — enough to win three times. In the Eastern conference a pair of play-in was “Pittsburgh pingvins” with “Montreal Canadiens”, “Carolina Hurricans” with “new York Rangers”, “new York islanders” C “Florida Panthers” and the “Toronto maple leafs” C “Columbus blue Jackets”; in the West, “Edmonton Oilers” with the “Chicago Blackhawks”, “Nashville Predators” with “Arizona coyotes”, “Vancouver Canucks” C “Minnesota wild” and the “calgary Flames” C “Winnipeg jets”.But this does not mean that the clubs are exempt from play-in will be during the war those freed could not, twiddle in a “bubble”, collectively located, for example, carefully placed there “Biergarten”. They also have a little play with each other. Formally, in order to form a “seed” in front of “normal” play-off. Actually, of course, it’s not a “POS��e”, but simply that leaders need practice to dial tone. Before you restart team three days I was playing friendlies, but it’s so warm.For Russia, the reason to follow closely the ending is more than powerful. The applications of the 24 clubs who are involved in it, were three dozen — about three quarters of the speakers in the League of the Russians. And among them practically all the most prominent representatives of Russian hockey in the NHL.Some will come to grips with the play-in. The “Pittsburgh” of the outstanding forward Evgeni Malkin will fight with “Montreal Canadiens”, “new York Rangers” Artemiy Panarin, so effectively played in the regular championship, he was included into a three of candidates for the title of most valuable player, with “Carolina,” which ignited, scoring goals even in a circus style lacrosse, Prodigy Andrei Svechnikov. Another series — “islanders” and “Florida” is a collision of famous Russian goalies Semyon Varlamov and Sergei Bobrovsky.And with the “Russian participation” in that group of clubs that are in a privileged position. “Washington” — Alexander Ovechkin, again took the prize the main sniper of the season, along with forwards Evgeny Kuznetsov, Ilya Kovalchuk and defenseman Dmitry Orlov (of the Russians in the application of “capitals” could be more, but goaltender Ilya Samsonov inopportunely injured); the Tampa is the MVP of the previous season, Nikita Kucherov, winner of the prize of the strongest goalkeeper in his results Andrey Vasilevsky and turning into a top player’s defense Mikhail Sergachev; “Dallas” — “Energizer” Alexander Radulov; the Colorado, the mighty defender Nikita Zadorov and suddenly remembered what was once considered gifted striker, Valeri Nichushkin; “Philadelphia” — which became the bulwark of its defense Ivan Provorov; “Saint Louis” — scorer Vladimir Tarasenko, one of the heroes won the “Blues” of last year’s Stanley Cup, the one who pandemic as time went on favor. Tarasenko’ve missed virtually the entire season due to a serious injury, but thanks to the break time to recover.And on the eve of the restart of the ESPN experts were arguing, one of the eight still to name the most likely candidates for the Stanley Cup. The debates were long and seems to be the consensus failed. “Boston” is very exactly followed the course of the regular season, he, in the end, the best performance. The “Washington” had pravljice, but good stretches of it were incredibly powerful. “St. Louis” and without Tarasenko got the first place in the West. The Tampa, in General, repeated the “gold” the St. Louis route almost exactly to a tee: the fall looked bad, then added, added, added. And purchases made prior to the deadline for exchanges, she’s pretty… but that’s not the fact that all these arguments about stability, the value of experience and the average age of the teams, the “depth” of their compositions have now the same weight as in the regular season, without an emergency, without a pause, able to knock any rhythm caught his team as “Tampa”, and give it to regain some modest average, happy broke in advanced by the coronavirus in the third play-off far from the entrance without coronavirus 12th position.Alex Armor
