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October 13, 2016

Predictions for the 2016-17 NHL season

Flyers NHL
101316_Flyers-Konecny_AP Chris Szagola/AP

Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny (63) celebrates a preseason goal with teammates.

Hockey returned on Wednesday night and did so in a big way, thanks to the unprecedented debut of Maple Leafs rookie Auston Matthews. The former No. 1-overall pick netted four (yes, four) goals, all in the first two periods, in his first NHL game.

The 19-year-old did all of the scoring for his team, which lost to the Senators in overtime, and put the rest of the league on notice with some video-game-like moves.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia fans are anxiously awaiting the debut of their team's pair of promising rookies -- Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny. The Flyers won't start their season until late Friday night in Los Angeles, but they did drop a promo video on Thursday afternoon that you can just watch on a loop between now and when the puck drops at 10:30 p.m. on Friday.

We'll have a more Flyers-specific preview tomorrow -- nationally, most experts see them on the playoff bubble when the season ends -- but in the interim, here's a look at how we see the NHL season playing out, including postseason and award winners. 

Rich Hofmann

EAST

Atlantic

  1. Pittsburgh Penguins
  2. Washington Capitals
  3. Philadelphia Flyers

Metropolitan

  1. Tampa Bay Lightning
  2. Florida Panthers
  3. Montreal Canadiens

Wild Card

  1. New York Islanders
  2. New York Rangers

WEST

Central

  1. Nashville Predators
  2. Dallas Stars
  3. Chicago Blackhawks

Pacific

  1. San Jose Sharks
  2. Los Angeles Kings
  3. Anaheim Ducks

Wild Card

  1. St. Louis Blues
  2. Calgary Flames

STANLEY CUP FINALS

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Nashville Predators

• Champion - Tampa Bay Lightning

• Conn Smythe - Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning

SEASON AWARDS 

• Hart - Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Vezina - Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
• Art Ross - Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars
• Calder - Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Jack Adams - Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning


Matt Mullin

@matt_mullin  |  Email  |  Stories

EAST

Atlantic

  1. Washington Capitals
  2. Pittsburgh Penguins
  3. New York Rangers

Metropolitan

  1. Tampa Bay Lightning
  2. Florida Panthers
  3. Boston Bruins

Wild Card

  1. Philadelphia Flyers
  2. Detroit Red Wings

WEST

Central

  1. Nashville Predators
  2. Chicago Blackhawks
  3. St. Louis Blues

Pacific

  1. San Jose Sharks
  2. Anaheim Ducks
  3. Los Angeles Kings

Wild Card

  1. Dallas Stars
  2. Calgary Flames

STANLEY CUP FINALS

Washington Capitals vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Champion - Washington Capitals

• Conn Smythe - Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

SEASON AWARDS 

• Hart - Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars
• Vezina - Brayden Holtby, Washington Capitals
• Art Ross - Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars
• Calder - Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Jack Adams - Peter Laviolette, Nashville Predators


Follow Matt on Twitter: @matt_mullin | Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann

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