NHL Preview

hello and welcome to this special edition of this blog, known as the season preview for the 2017-2018 NHL season. In case you're wondering, I don't believe that I have ever put out such a thing for hockey before, so without further ado, let's get to it.

Atlantic Division
The  Tampa Bay Lightning have been the undisputed class of the division for the last several years, except they haven't won a division title to show for it. Last year, Steven Stamkos, their all-star caliber center, missed nearly all of the regular season with a knee injury. This season, he returns to playing caliber, with some help alongside too. Forward Nikita Kucherov alongside defensemen Victor Hedman round out this dominant trio, and Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy should keep out enough pucks out of the back of the net.  Elsewhere, Toronto looks to make a run for the division, Montreal still has Carey Price, and Boston still has Brad Marchand. Florida, Ottawa, Buffalo, and Detroit look to round out the division.

Metropolitan Division
Let's be honest, this is the Penguins' division to lose, as they have won the Stanley Cup the last two seasons. Washington will make a valiant effort, only to come up short (as usual). The other participants in the division are in pretty much a crapshoot to see who will get positions 3-8. Columbus appears to have the inside track. Then some have Carolina to have a lock on fourth, but I don't think so.  I think it will come down to either NY Rangers or New Jersey. Then I have the Islanders, Canes, and Flyers.

Central Division
This division is up for grabs as usual and will probably come down to the final week to settle it. This time however it'll be Nashville, proving that their Western Conference crown was no fluke. Chicago takes home second, and for third, I'll go with Minnesota. St. Louis, Dallas, Winnipeg, and Colorado takes the rest of the division.

Pacific Division
Everyone's chic pick to grab the bull by the horns is Edmonton, but yet again, I am here to say "pump your brakes", as I think Anaheim takes the division. Then comes Edmonton, then Los Angeles. I have San Jose coming in fourth, with Calgary, Vancouver, Arizona, and Vegas coming in last.


PLAYOFFS
TB over NYR
TOR over MTL
PIT over BOS
CBJ over WSH
NSH over STL
CHI over MIN
ANA over SJ
EDM over LA

TB over TOR
CBJ over PIT
CHI over NSH
EDM over ANA

TB over CBJ
EDM over CHI

TB over EDM

Come on, you didn't think I wasn't going to have a homer pick for the Stanley Cup Final did you??