Cue Cards is a series designed to assist with the common small talk about high-profile recent sporting events that is so omnipresent in the workplace, the bar, and other social settings.
Yesterday — Wednesday, October 8
- Hockey opens with four games — The NHL season started yesterday with four carefully chosen games. Two games were in Canada between Canadian teams and two were in the United States between American teams. Two were in the East, two were in the West. All the teams involved were good teams from markets that support them well.
- The Boston Bruins beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1.
Line: The Bruins are definitely the best team in the East and it’s probably not that close. - The Montreal Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3.
Line: Not that one game matters that much, but this result matches the tradition of these two teams that goes back at least fifty years. Canadiens win, Leafs lose. - The San Jose Sharks beat the L.A. Kings 4-0.
Line: After a humiliating loss to the Kings in last year’s playoffs, the Sharks show some pride in winning this game. - The Vancouver Canucks beat the Calgary Flames 2-0.
Line: Hard to find a second good team in Western Canada for the Canucks to play. The only other choices, Calgary and Winnipeg, are likely to be among the worst teams in the league.
- The Boston Bruins beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1.
- Everyone else breathed — No games for the NFL or MLB yesterday. The stretched-out football weekend starts tonight with a game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans. The two Championship Series’ in the baseball playoffs start on Friday and Saturday.