NHL 2016-17 Season Predictions

It's here! The opening night of the new season, when almost every fan has dreams of their teams lifting the Cup at the end (I said most, sorry Oilers fans). With the first game starting in moments, here is how my brother and I predict how the standings will sort themselves out by April.

(Note: Sorry for the photo quality. White lines in picture denote playoff line. Asterisk denotes playoff team)

Brad

Metropolitan Division

1. Washington Capitals*
2. Pittsburgh Penguins*
3. New York Islanders*
4. Philadelphia Flyers*
5. New York Rangers*
6. Carolina Hurricanes
7. New Jersey Devils
8. Columbus Blue Jackets

Washington dominated the regular season last year, and there is no reason to not expect that this year. Braden Holtby might regress a bit from his Vezina, but the offense (headlined by Alex Ovechkin) will continue to roll. Another President's Trophy could be in their future. Pittsburgh struggled early last season, but had the last laugh as they raised the Cup over their heads. The struggle isn't likely to happen (or be this bad) this year, and should settle into second place in the division. It will be a battle for third in the division. It's a bit of a shot-in-the-dark, but the New York Islanders could make a surge and finish third in the division. Philadelphia is getting slightly better, and as long as Steve Mason continues to preform, they are a playoff team. New York Rangers are going to struggle. Despite his age, Henrik Lundqvist is still one of the top goalies in the league, and could do enough to push his team into a playoff spot. Carolina is still a young team and will only get better, but they are still a little ways away from a playoff team. New Jersey has the goaltending and now the offense, but that defense could use an improvement. They are another team that can make a playoff push, but is unlikely to extend their season. Poor 'Lumbus, they are still the basement dweller in the division. It isn't expected to get much better until they get a new coach and have a few anchor contract expire.

Atlantic Division

1. Tampa Bay Lightning*
2. Montreal Canadiens*
3. Florida Panthers*
4. Boston Bruins
5. Buffalo Sabres
6. Toronto Maple Leafs
7. Detroit Red Wings
8. Ottawa Senators

This division is Tampa Bay's for the taking. Steve Yzerman was a wizard this offseason, signing Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, and Nikita Kucherov to deals far below their market value. This team is poised to be cup contenders this year. Provided Carey Price stays healthy this year, Montreal should rebound in a big way. Going from P.K. Subban to Shea Weber doesn't help though (No, you're the one still bitter about the trade). Florida continues to be good and finishes third in the division, earning a playoff spot in the process. Boston should have a decent season, but defense is the sore spot for a team that's looking to contend for a playoff spot. They finish fourth in the division, but just outside the playoffs. Buffalo looks to take a jump in the standings, and I'm feel more confident in them finishing fifth in the division had Jack Eichel not get injured earlier today. Toronto also looks to make strides, opting to go with a younger roster. They probably won't make the playoffs this year, but it wouldn't be a surprise if they stay in the race for the majority of the season. The streak will come to an end in Detroit, and it won't be pretty. This team is still transitioning, but it'll be a while until the younger players fully take over. A new head coach in Guy Boucher is a step in the right direction, problem is that Ottawa isn't really going in an upward direction. Healthy, this team can make a playoff push, but there are too many teams around them that look better (at least on paper). They might finish last in the division.

Central Division

1. Dallas Stars*
2. Nashville Predators*
3. Chicago Blackhawks*
4. St. Louis Blues*
5. Minnesota Wild*
6. Winnipeg Jets
7. Colorado Avalanche

I know the 2-goalie system Dallas had in the playoffs last year didn't work, but it worked in the regular season, as they finished on top of their division. They have the potential to repeat (although that may have a slower start thanks to Seguin's injury). Thanks to acquiring P.K. Subban, Nashville looks to jump right up in the standings. The only question is will Rinne be able to be his old self consistently, and not in flashes. If he can do so, the Predators look to go far this year. Chicago always seems to be around the top of the division, and it won't change this year. They should be able to lock up one of the guaranteed playoff spots. I'm iffy on St. Louis. They have a team that can make the playoffs, but with it being Hitchcock's last year (Mike Yeo is expected to be in charge next year, so some transitioning might happen) and Jake Allen becoming the de facto goaltender, I don't know how well it will turn out for them. They'll make the playoffs, but it'll likely be in a wildcard spot. Minnesota is an average team, yet they got the best coach available in Bruce Boudreau this offseason. While the odds of the Wild following in the Boudreau tradition of finishing first in the division is very, very slim, it's still likely they make the playoffs. Winnipeg will be a team on the rise, some year. This is still a very tough division, and the Jets still have a relatively young core. They might not make the playoffs this year, but the future looks very bright. Unfortunately a team has to be last, and in this case it's Colorado. As mentioned, the Central is tough, but a new head coach should help this team develop into a playoff team.

Pacific Division

1. San Jose Sharks*
2. Los Angeles Kings*
3. Anaheim Ducks*
4. Calgary Flames
5. Edmonton Oilers
6. Arizona Coyotes
7. Vancouver Canucks

Once again it'll be the California teams at the top of the Pacific. Stanley Cup finalist San Jose didn't do much over the offseason, keeping most of it's roster in tact. Los Angeles should be nipping at their heels though, as both teams are good enough to earn the top spot in the division. Anaheim takes a step (maybe two or three) thanks to a coaching change. Granted, Randy Carlyle's stint in Toronto was bad, and the Ducks are more talented then those Leafs teams he coach, but he is still a step down from Boudreau. Goaltending is another question, as John Gibson has been given full reign of the crease. Anaheim is still good enough to make the playoffs, but will have to settle for the third spot in the division. Calgary could pose a challenge for a playoff spot. Their forward core is still growing, defense is still solid, and Brian Elliot is an upgrade in goal over last year's mess. The Flames likely finish fourth in the division though, missing out on the playoffs. A full year of Connor McDavid should do wonders for the Oilers. But then again this is the team that traded Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson. Yes, the defense is better, but it still has a long ways to go for improvement. Edmonton gets out of the basement area in the division, but is still far from the playoffs. Arizona is rebuilding and will look to focus on developing their young core this season. Vancouver, on the other hand, is in denial of needing a rebuild. The Canucks will falter and end up last in the division.


MDK

Metropolitan Division

1. Pittsburgh Penguins*
2. New York Islanders*
3. Washington Capitals*
4. New York Rangers*
5. New Jersey Devils
6. Philadelphia Flyers
7. Carolina Hurricanes
8. Columbus Blue Jackets

Atlantic Division

1. Tampa Bay Lightning*
2. Detroit Red Wings*
3. Toronto Maple Leafs*
4. Florida Panthers*
5. Boston Bruins
6. Montreal Canadiens
7. Ottawa Senators
8. Buffalo Sabres

Central Division

1. Nashville Predators*
2.Chicago Blackhawks*
3. Dallas Stars*
4. Minnesota Wild*
5. Winnipeg Jets
6. St. Louis Blues
7. Colorado Avalanche

Pacific Division

1. San Jose Sharks*
2. Arizona Coyotes*
3. Anaheim Ducks*
4. Calgary Flames*
5. Los Angeles Kings
6. Vancouver Canucks
7. Edmonton Oilers

Game #8 Recap: Gatineau Olympiques vs. Halifax Mooseheads

Final Score
Gatineau - 5
Halifax - 6 (OT)

Goalscorers
Gatineau: Nicolas Meloche (2), Alex Dostie, Zach MacEwen (2)
Halifax: Connor Moynihan, Max Fortier, Otto Somppi, Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Bradley Kennedy, Nico Hischier

Goalies
Gatineau: Mark Grametbauer (L)
Halifax: Kevin Resop, Alexis Gravel (W)

Moosehead Player of the Game

Benoit-Olivier Groulx. The first overall pick had a pretty solid game (including a great first period). His forecheck caused a turnover which eventually led to Fortier's goal. He also managed to put home the rebound after being stopped on a breakaway.

Annoyance of the Game

That third period....yikes! I get sitting on a three-goal lead, but they seemed too relaxed. Gatineau managed to tie the game up and them kept up the pressure. Luckily, the Mooseheads survived until overtime then put the game away in the extra frame.

Game Notes

• It was cool that Gatineau put Blain-Dupuis and Taillefer in the starting lineup.
• Gotta give credit to Alexandre Landreville, he put on a shot blocking performance during Gatineau's first penalty kill.
• Resop wasn't having much luck on the blocker side in the first, as both goals beat him on that side.
• The 4-on-4 late in the first helped both teams. Somppi and Meloche's both scored on the more-open ice (they happened 28 seconds apart).
• It's amazing that Gatineau didn't get there 10th shot on net until very late in the second. They almost doubled there shot total in the third (19 shots compared to 11 in the first two periods).
• Somppi tried to pull off the lacrosse goal, but was checked before he could get his stick around the post.
• Both of MacEwen's goals were the same - skate around defender, cut across Resop, and put it over the downed goalie. The only different was that his first goal was going from the left side to the right. Second was right to left.
• Gatineau really picked up the intensity in the third. Gravel did a good job to keep the puck out of the net when they started swarming.

Game Pics

Game #6 Recap: Charlottetown Islanders vs. Halifax Mooseheads

Final Score
Charlottetown - 2
Halifax - 5

Goalscorers
Charlottetown: Jake Coughler, Shawn Boudrais
Halifax: Nico Hischier, Connor Moynihan (2), Anthony Sorrentino, Barrett Dachyshyn

Goalies
Charlottetown: Blade Mann-Dixon (L)
Halifax: Alexis Gravel (W)

Moosehead Player of the Game

Alexis Gravel. Kind of hard to decide between him and Moynihan, but the rookie goaltender played well in his starting debut. He stopped 35 of 37 shots (including making a huge blocker save on a Charlottetown breakaway in the second period). Only real negative was when he made the mistake of playing the puck in the corner, getting penalized for a delay of game.

Annoyance of the Game

Just like last game, the penalty kill wasn't too great. It's a shame because they did well on their first one, managing to keep Charlottetown to the outside. Once that rink-wide pass started to happen for Charlottetown though, it started chaos.

Game Notes

• This was definitely a "finish your check" kind of game.
• It doesn't seem right that Hischier's first QMJHL goal happened in this game. With the skill he has, it seems like he should have scored sooner.
• Poor Walter Flower, had a nice rush going late in the first and his stick explodes on the shot.

Game Pics

Connor Moynihan's first goal

Game #5 Recap: Rimouski Oceanic vs. Halifax Mooseheads

Final Score
Rimouski - 5
Halifax - 6

Goalscorers
Rimouski: Alex-Olivier Voyer, Simon Bourque, Tyler Boland (2), Daniel Hardie
Halifax: Arnaud Durandeau, Bradley Kennedy, Otto Somppi, Ben Higgins, Max Fortier, Cooper Jones

Goalies
Rimouski: Carmine-Anthony Pagliarulo, Gabriel Morency (L)
Halifax: Kevin Resop (W)

Moosehead Player of the Game

Max Fortier. He had a hell of a game, starting with a solo effort that lead to Somppi's goal. Other highlights include a goal on the powerplay and making a key block on the penalty kill, both within a span of two minutes.

Annoyance of the Game

The amount of penalties taken by the Mooseheads helped Rimouski get back and tie the game. Thankfully, in the end Halifax squeezed out the victory, but the scoreline would have been a bit more comfortable if they stayed out of the box.

Game Notes

• The first 10-ish moments of the first period was the best I've seen the Mooseheads play this season. Yes, I know it's early in the season.
• Very close call almost four minutes into the game, as the puck slipped past Resop, but stopped right on the line. It would be cleared.
• Two goals in the first six minutes isn't great, but it was a bit of surprise to see Pagliarulo get the hook the early into the game.
• Rimouski's third goal was a result of McIsaac trying to do too much in getting by a forechecker. He ended up getting stripped of the puck and Rimouski scored on the ensuing 2-on-0.

Game Pics

Walked by the team bus before the game