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
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- Washington Capitals
- Philadelphia Flyers
Metropolitan
- Tampa Bay Lightning
- Florida Panthers
- Montreal Canadiens
Wild Card
- New York Islanders
- New York Rangers
WEST
Central
- Nashville Predators
- Dallas Stars
- Chicago Blackhawks
Pacific
- San Jose Sharks
- Los Angeles Kings
- Anaheim Ducks
Wild Card
- St. Louis Blues
- 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
- Washington Capitals
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- New York Rangers
Metropolitan
- Tampa Bay Lightning
- Florida Panthers
- Boston Bruins
Wild Card
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Detroit Red Wings
WEST
Central
- Nashville Predators
- Chicago Blackhawks
- St. Louis Blues
Pacific
- San Jose Sharks
- Anaheim Ducks
- Los Angeles Kings
Wild Card
- Dallas Stars
- 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