NHL Daily: Brady Skjei, Auston Matthews, Kraft Hockeyville USA

NHL Daily: New York Rangers defenseman Brady Skjei deserves more trust from coach Alain Vigneault, Auston Matthews on track for a historic rookie season after another impressive seven-day stretch topped off with an OT winner on Sunday, and more! (Daily NHL Headlines)

We normally like to release our NHL daily links in the morning, so apologies for the lateness folks. Still, there’s no shortage of stories to talk about, so let’s get right into it.

The NHL held its Centennial Classic between Toronto and Detroit on Sunday. It was a fairly uneventful game until the floodgates broke open in the third period for a total of seven goals. Both teams were tied at four heading into extra time before Auston Matthews found the back of the net to give Toronto a 5-4 victory.

Another outdoor game is being played as we speak between Chicago and St. Louis. The Winter Classic is a special treat for Blues fans who have long been looking to host the event.

Here is your highlight of the night:

NHL Daily: Morning Coffee Headlines

Matthews Chasing History

As the Toronto Star puts it, Leafs rookie Auston Matthews is on pace for a historic rookie season. He’s already entering uncharted territories in numerous categories, although if he keeps up the 300-shot pace, it would make him just the 5th rookie to do so. [Toronto Star]

Skjei Needs to be Trusted More

Alexandra Russo over at Blue Line Station takes a look at Rangers rookie defenseman Brady Skjei. She believes that while his defensive game is still developing, that he has proven himself and deserves more trust (ice-time) from coach Alain Vigneault. [Blue Line Station]

Teams Looking to Improve in 2017

Lyle Richardson over at Bleacher Report takes a look at the NHL teams he believes are most likely to turn things around in 2017. The list includes several clubs, including Carolina, Winnipeg, and Florida (among others). [Bleacher Report]

Blackhawks Roundtable

The team over at Blackhawk Up held a recent group roundtable to discuss a couple of topics. They’re looking at which teams are the biggest threat/danger in the West, and evaluating team starters. It’s a worthwhile read for Hawks fans. [Blackhawk Up]

Kraft Hockeyville USA

Kraft Hockeyville USA is back. The long-lasting tradition that has taken place for well over a decade in Canada is starting to gain interest south of the border. If your small city or town is passionate about hockey, you can be the next ones to host an NHL preseason game and win a cash prize to help upgrade your local arena. [NHL.com]

Isles Getting Secondary Scoring Help

Matt O’Leary over at Eyes on Isles discusses how the New York Islanders are receiving a bit of help in the secondary scoring department of late. He also takes a look at numerous things going on around the organization in this daily roundup. [Eyes on Isles]

NHL Daily Rant

As we do from time-to-time, I’d like to shift gears in today’s daily rant. Now into a brand new year (and month), here are five bold predictions for the rest of 2016-17:

1. The Atlantic Division closes the gap on Metropolitan, forcing a Wild-Card team to emerge from both divisions.
2. Colorado remains fairly inactive (trade market) and finishes 30th place with top odds of snagging another elite center in Nolan Patrick – despite having Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, and Tyson Jost in the mix already.
3. Columbus hits a couple rough stretches and find themselves battling for third place/a Wild-Card spot in the Metropolitan Division.
4. Oilers phenom Connor McDavid catches fire in 2017, tops 100 points, wins the Art Ross Trophy.
5. Minnesota Wild netminder Devan Dubnyk continues his tear in 2016-17, wins Vezina Trophy honors at the NHL Awards.

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