Prime Video's 'Faceoff' Is A Powerful Teaser For 2024-25 NHL Season

Matthew Tkachuk and Connor McDavid spar during the 2024 Stanley Cup Final

Before the NHL’s 2024-25 regular season officially kicks off next Tuesday, longtime fans and newcomers alike can get up to speed on many of the league’s top storylines this weekend.

On Friday, Prime Video’s highly anticipated docuseries, ‘Faceoff: Inside the NHL’ drops globally, promising to take fans behind the scenes like never before.

Connor McDavid’s f-bomb-drenched meltdown is the jaw-dropper. And there’s more to it than what we saw in the trailer that was released on Sept. 23.

We also get McDavid at home, on the trainers’ table, and being consoled by teammates Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins after the Edmonton Oilers’ loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final.

“Very difficult to have cameras around in those in some of those moments, for sure,” said the notoriously reserved McDavid at the NHL Player Media Tour in September. “I think fans are going to see some things maybe they’re not expecting, in terms of the emotions and stuff like that. Emotions run high.”

‘Faceoff’s’ two-part finale, titled ‘Cup or Bust,’ juxtaposes the journey of McDavid, the hockey prodigy who finally gets his first chance to become an NHL champion, against the Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk, the second-generation power forward. He went through heartbreak in his first Cup final one year earlier, then shared this year’s triumph with his teammates as well as his father, 538-career-goal scorer Keith Tkachuk, and his brother Brady, the captain of the Ottawa Senators.

Matthew played his first six seasons with the Calgary Flames before being traded to Florida during the summer of 2022. The Battle of Alberta bad blood with McDavid had long been simmering, including during the 2022 second-round series that the Oilers won in five games.

The contrast in personalities makes for powerful television. McDavid seemingly carries the weight of the world on his shoulders while Tkachuk approaches hockey — and life — with a joyous zest that in no way dims his competitive fire.

Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins and Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers spar during the 2024 ... [+] Stanley Cup playoffs.

Tkachuk’s enthusiasm for irritating his opponents also shines through in the series’ third episode. He goes toe-to-toe with Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman as the Panthers eliminate Boston for the second straight year.

Swayman cuts a compelling figure. The affable, guitar-playing Alaskan was initially best-known for his goalie hugs with tandem partner Linus Ullmark, then became a rising star who claimed the starter’s job in Boston in the 2024 playoffs.

He also carried a chip on his shoulder after going through a contentious arbitration process with the Bruins during the summer of 2023.

While filming, producers couldn’t have known that Swayman’s ongoing contract negotiations with the Bruins would be the top story in the hockey world when ‘Faceoff’ hit the airwaves. But this week, team president Cam Neely seemingly referenced Boston’s latest offer by saying, “I know that I have 64 million reasons why I’d be playing right now,” only to have that figured disputed by Swayman’s agent, Lewis Gross. Now, Swayman’s comments about his future in the docuseries carry even more weight.

“My biggest knock was that I wasn’t trustworthy in the playoffs,” he said of the Bruins’ list of criticisms during the arbitration hearing. Though Boston was eliminated by the Panthers in the second round last May, Swayman indicated that he felt he had checked that box after finishing with a .933 save percentage, the highest of all goalies with more than three playoff-game appearances.

Swayman acknowledged that his contract status meant that it “could be the last time I wear a Bruins jersey,” after his team’s elimination, before adding, “I know I’m going to do everything in my power to be a Bruin for a long time.”

Teammate David Pastrnak also gets the ‘Faceoff’ treatment. Episode 1 dives into his long-time friendship with junior teammate William Nylander and the rivalry with the Toronto Maple Leafs that has become a staple in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Pastrnak is one of three new fathers who shares his family life in the series. Filip Forsberg navigates a nagging ankle issue while his wife is in the late stages of her pregnancy as the Nashville Predators make their return to the playoffs, and Jacob Trouba’s arc contrasts his heavy-hitting on-ice persona with his off-ice life as an artist and a new dad.

For Forsberg and his wife, Erin Alvey, the opportunity to have Amazon’s cameras chronicle a pivotal time in their family’s life wasn’t something to pass up.

“It was cool, even having them in the delivery room the day after,” Forsberg said at the Player Media Tour. “At the time, it might not have been the most exciting thing we’ve ever done. But looking back, it’s going to be awesome to have all that, for sure.”

‘Faceoff’ also features Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights’ efforts to defend their 2023 Stanley Cup win, Gabriel Landeskog’s attempt to join the Colorado Avalanche in the playoffs after an injury absence of nearly two years, and Quinn Hughes’ journey as a first-year NHL captain at just 23 years old and EA Sports’ NHL 25 cover athlete alongside his brothers Jack and Luke.

Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes

“It all starts with the process,” said the 2024 Norris Trophy winner of his increasingly high-profile role with the Vancouver Canucks and in the league. “I have the blueprint of how you sleep and train and eat and take care of yourself. I’ve had years where I’m injured for a couple of games and you can’t play or do the things that you want to do. So, just try to simplify what you want to do, what your goals are, and what you want to do as a leader.”