NHL Opening Day Schedule 2014: Analyzing Top Storylines from Wednesday's Slate

The 2014-15 NHL regular season is finally here after a long offseason, and the league is wasting no time when it comes to providing fans with big-time matchups.

Wednesday night's season-opening schedule will feature four intriguing games that can all be classified as encounters between rivals. Because of that, there is a good chance the season will commence with a playoff-esque atmosphere across the NHL.

Now that hockey is back, here is a look at Wednesday night's schedule along with some of the most intriguing storylines to keep an eye on.

Date	Time (ET)	Away Team	Home Team	TV
Wednesday, Oct. 8	7 p.m.	Montreal Canadiens	Toronto Maple Leafs	TSN
Wednesday, Oct. 8	7:30 p.m.	Philadelphia Flyers	Boston Bruins	NBCSN
Wednesday, Oct. 8	10 p.m.	Vancouver Canucks	Calgary Flames	TSN
Wednesday, Oct. 8	10 p.m.	San Jose Sharks	Los Angeles Kings	NBCSN

Kings Raise Stanley Cup Banner

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On the heels of their second Stanley Cup title in three years, the Los Angeles Kings will kick off their 2014-15 campaign in style. L.A. will host the rival San Jose Sharks, who will be forced to watch the Kings raise their Stanley Cup banner to the rafters at Staples Center.

That would be an annoyance under any circumstances, but it is made even worse by the manner in which the Sharks' 2013-14 season ended. San Jose held a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Kings in the Western Conference quarterfinal only to allow Los Angeles to storm back and win the series.

It was a collapse for the ages, but Sharks forward Tommy Wingels intends to do everything possible to forget about that series, according to Josh Dubow of The Associated Press (via The Press Democrat).

"Last year is over with," Wingels said. "People are going to want to talk about it, we're going to want to think about it, but you need to eliminate it from your memory because it's over with. Our focus is on the start here and getting off to a good start."

As pointed out by Chris Peters of CBS Sports, raising the banner with the Sharks in town borders on cruel and unusual punishment:

Wednesday night will be a celebration for the Kings and their fans, but San Jose has a chance to put a damper on things if it shows up and performs to its potential. The Sharks are among the best regular-season teams on a yearly basis, and this year's team is largely the same as last year's.

With talented forwards like Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski leading the way, San Jose has the necessary pieces to get the season started off right. The Kings won't want to let their fans down on banner night, but the Sharks should be the more motivated team, which will make for an extremely entertaining game.

Ryan Miller Debuts for Canucks

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Goaltender Ryan Miller has been one of the NHL's most recognizable players since his transcendent performance at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. After signing a three-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks during the offseason, the American star will have a chance to prove that he still has some Pacific Northwest magic left in him.

After parts of 11 seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, Miller was dealt to the St. Louis Blues last season. Miller didn't perform well down the stretch or in the playoffs, so he was ultimately forced to test the market. With both Cory Schneider and Roberto Luongo out of the picture in Vancouver, the Canucks decided that Miller was a good fit.

Miller is a former Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL's best goalie, but he has certainly experienced some ups and downs over the course of his career. He is also getting up there in age at 34, which caused some, including Cam Cole of The Vancouver Sun, to question the Canucks' decision to sign him to a fairly lucrative contract:

The Canucks are coming off a season that saw them finish with a disappointing 83 points, which left them out of the playoffs for the first time since 2007-08. If Miller can provide some steady goaltending, though, Vancouver may be able to get back in contention.

Miller himself is aware that time is of the essence when it comes to making a run toward the Stanley Cup, according to Joshua Clipperton of The Canadian Press (h/t The Hamilton Spectator).

"

It's a new start for me, but it's a continuation of my career. I'm very proud of what I've done. I want to work to continue to do things that make me proud. Getting back to the playoffs and challenging and pushing and ultimately winning the Stanley Cup is my goal. I want do that before I say it's a career. (I'm) getting down to the point where you really have to start making these seasons count and you look back on your experiences and try and draw from that.

"

Vancouver's playoff push will begin on Wednesday night against the rival Calgary Flames. Miller is new to the rivalry, but it shouldn't take him long to get acclimated due to the usual intensity of Canucks vs. Flames games.

The Canucks will have to be much better offensively this year than last in order to give Miller a fighting chance, but there is no doubt he can be a true difference-maker.

Canadiens and Maple Leafs Renew Rivalry

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Things always tend to get heated when the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs lock horns, and Wednesday night's meeting at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto figures to be no different. The Habs and Leafs both have playoff aspirations this season, and there is no question they would love to get off on the right foot.

The Canadiens are coming off a campaign that saw them reach the Eastern Conference Final while the Maple Leafs disappointingly missed the playoffs. Montreal had a legitimate chance to win it all, but an injury to goalie Carey Price made things far more difficult.

Price is now back in action, though, and he figures to be the Habs' primary leader, according to Arpon Basu of LNH.com:

The 27-year-old netminder is coming off his best professional season, as he posted a .927 save percentage in 2013-14. He also led Team Canada to an Olympic gold medal, so his confidence figures to be at an all-time high.

Toronto certainly seems to have enough talent on paper to be a player in the Eastern Conference, especially with dangerous offensive players such as Phil Kessel, James van Riemsdyk and Joffrey Lupul. Both teams possess plenty of skill, but a certain amount of grittiness is to be expected as well since these squads dislike each other so intensely.

Every Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs game is special, but going at it on opening night will make for an even more entertaining atmosphere.

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