Top 5 NHL games to watch this week

Here are the top five NHL games of the first week of 2017.

2016 was a great year for the NHL. However, 2017 should be an even more exciting year. The first week of the year will feature some very intriguing games. A few of them could serve as playoff previews. Several include division leaders. No matter which kind of match ups you like, you’ll get a great one this week.

It’s not a surprise three of them feature teams from the Metropolitan Division. The Metro has been the best division in hockey so far this season. With four of its teams among the top teams in the league, this makes for a lot of drama any time they play. Here are the five best NHL games to watch this week, starting on Jan. 3.

Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

5. New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers

On Wednesday Jan. 4, the New York Rangers will visit the Philadelphia Flyers. This game will be shown on NBCSN and starts at 8:00 p.m. ET. It features two of the top teams in the Metropolitan Division. They last faced each other on Black Friday, with the Rangers winning 3-2 in dramatic fashion.

Entering 2017, New York is in third place in the Metropolitan Division. Meanwhile, the Flyers occupy the Eastern Conference’s second wild card spot. Philadelphia is led by Jakub Voracek, who has 35 points. Captain Claude Giroux and forward Wayne Simmonds have 32 points a piece. Their 116 goals as a team ranks fourth in the league. However, their 120 goals allowed ranks 28th.

Meanwhile, the Rangers are trying to get all of their forwards healthy. Their 135 goals as a team are the most by any team. Derek Stepan leads the team with 30 points. Captain Ryan McDonagh leads the team with 23 assists. Chris Kreider leads the Rangers with 15 goals. Their offense has been a team effort, making them very difficult to stop.

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4. Toronto Maple Leafs at Washington Capitals

On Tuesday Jan. 3, two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference will square off. The Washington Capitals will host the Toronto Maple Leafs in what promises to be an excellent game. Though the Leafs won 4-2 the last time they faced, at that point, the Caps were playing the second end of games on consecutive nights. This time, both teams will be rested.

Toronto is led by a trio of impressive rookies. Auston Matthews is considered by many to be the Calder Trophy favorite. As a teenager, the 2016 first overall pick already has 20 goals. William Nylander and Mitch Marner have both been impressive as well. The Maple Leafs have won five straight games.

Meanwhile, the Capitals are led by captain Alex Ovechkin and center Nicklas Backstrom. Goaltender Braden Holtby has been extremely hot as of late, placing himself back in the Vezina Trophy conversation.

3. Montreal Canadiens at Nashville Predators

Also on Tuesday, the Nashville Predators will host the Montreal Canadiens starting at 8:00 p.m. This will be the first time Shea Weber returns to Nashville following the infamous Weber for P.K. Subban trade this offseason. Expect a huge ovation from Predators fans.

Both teams should be fired up for this game. Subban and Weber should be very pumped up for this game, as each defenseman will be facing his former team. Montreal will be looking to get back on track, as they are just 4-3-3 over their last 10 games.

Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

2. Minnesota Wild at San Jose Sharks

Starting at 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday Jan. 5, the red-hot Minnesota Wild will visit the Pacific Division leading San Jose Sharks. Combined, the two teams are 17-3-0 over their last 20 games (10 games each). This could be a Western Conference Final preview, as two of the best teams in the West square off.

Both teams focus more on defense than offense. Devan Dubnyk is a very strong Vezina Trophy contender for the Wild, as he’s among the league leaders in save percentage and goals against average. Meanwhile, San Jose allows very few shots on goal, making life easy for Martin Jones. The Sharks are led by Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski. On the other side of the ice, Ryan Suter and Eric Staal lead an impressive Wild team.

1. New York Rangers at Columbus Blue Jackets

Two of the best teams in the NHL will square off on Saturday Jan. 7 when the Columbus Blue Jackets host the New York Rangers. For a variety of reasons, this game should have a lot of drama. Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella used to be the coach for the Rangers. Obviously that will make this game a bit more interesting.

However, the more intriguing thing is the Blue Jackets could advance their winning streak to an NHL record 18 games on Saturday. The streak is currently at 15 games. Should they win their games against the Edmonton Oilers and Washington Capitals, Saturday could be a historic evening.