2017 NHL Playoffs: Bracket Predictions

It’s that time of year again! The 2017 NHL playoffs are just around the corner and we’ve got your bracket predictions covered.

2017 NHL playoffs Bracket Predictions

The 2017 NHL Playoffs are just around the corner, and it’s shaping up to be an exciting postseason. Here are our bracket predictions:

In the first round, we like the Pittsburgh Penguins to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets in six games. The Blue Jackets have been a surprisingly tough opponent for the Penguins in recent years but we think Pittsburgh’s experience and firepower will be too much for Columbus to handle.

In the second round, we think the Washington Capitals will finally get over the hump and defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games. The Capitals have been one of the best teams in the NHL all season long and we think they’ll finally be able to get past Pittsburgh.

In the Eastern Conference Final, we like the Washington Capitals to defeat the Boston Bruins in six games. The Bruins have been a tough opponent for Washington in recent years but we think the Capitals have what it takes to win this year.

In the Western Conference Final, we like the Chicago Blackhawks to defeat the Anaheim Ducks in seven games. The Ducks have been one of the best teams in hockey all season long, but we think Chicago’s experience will be too much for Anaheim to handle.

In the Stanley Cup Final, we like the Washington Capitals to finally win it all and defeating the Chicago Blackhawks in seven games. The Capitals have been one of the best teams in hockey all season long, and we think they’ll finally be able to get past Chicago.

Eastern Conference Preview

The 2017 NHL playoffs are upon us and it is time to take a look at the matchups in the Eastern Conference This year’s playoffs promise to be exciting with many good teams competing for the Stanley Cup

In the first round, the Washington Capitals are favorites to win their series against the Toronto Maple Leafs The Capitals are the President’s Trophy winners for having the best record in the regular season and they have one of the best players in the league in Alex Ovechkin. The Maple Leafs are a young team on the rise and they have nothing to lose in this series. They could give the Capitals a good run, but ultimately, Washington should prevail.

In the other first round series, the Montreal Canadiens will take on the New York Rangers This is a matchup of two Original Six teams and it should be a great series. The Rangers finished second in their division while the Canadiens snuck into the playoffs as a Wild Card team. The Rangers have more experience and they should be able to win this series.

In the second round, if everything goes as expected, we will see a matchup between the Capitals and Rangers. This would be a repeat of last year’s second round playoff series which was won by Washington. The Capitals are again favored to win this year, but anything can happen in the playoffs so we will have to wait and see what happens.

Western Conference Preview

The 2017 NHL playoffs are just around the corner, and the race for the Stanley Cup is heating up. In the Western Conference there are a handful of teams that have a real chance at making a deep run in the playoffs.

The Chicago Blackhawks are the defending champions, and they are once again one of the top teams in the conference. They have a ton of experience and they know how to win in the playoffs. The Blackhawks will be a tough out for any team in the West.

The Anaheim Ducks had a great regular season and they are one of the favorites to come out of the West. They have a deep roster and they are led by some of the best players in the league. The Ducks will be a tough matchup for any team in the playoffs.

The Edmonton Oilers are one of the most talented teams in the conference, and they have been on fire lately. Led by superstar forward Connor McDavid, the Oilers have a real chance to make some noise in the playoffs.

The San Jose Sharks are another team to watch out for in the West. They have a lot of playoff experience and they know how to get it done when it matters most. The Sharks will be a tough team to beat in the playoffs.

Stanley Cup Finals Preview

The Stanley Cup Finals are upon us, and it’s time to preview the matchups. In the East, the Pittsburgh Penguins will take on the Ottawa Senators. In the West, the Nashville Predators will face off against the Anaheim Ducks.

The Penguins are looking to defend their title from last year, and they’ll have their work cut out for them against a tough Senators team. The Predators, meanwhile, are making their first ever appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals They’ll be looking to upset the Ducks, who are making their second consecutive appearance in the Finals.

So who will come out on top? We’ll have to wait and see, but one thing is for sure: it’s going to be an exciting series!

2017 NHL Awards

The National Hockey League (NHL) is gearing up for its annual awards ceremony, which honors the best players and teams from the 2016-2017 season. While the Stanley Cup playoffs are still underway, it’s never too early to start making predictions for who will take home hardware this year. Here are our picks for the 2017 NHL Awards

Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP): Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins
Crosby had another outstanding season, leading the league in points (89) and goals ( 44) while helping the Penguins to the best record in the Eastern Conference He’s a three-time winner of this award and should be a favorite to take home the trophy again.

Norris Trophy (Best Defenseman): Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks
Burns had an incredible season on both ends of the ice, leading all defenseman in goals (29) and points (76) while anchoring a Sharks defense that was one of the best in the NHL. He’s a finalist for this award for the second year in a row and is deserving of taking home the hardware this time around.

Vezina Trophy (Best Goalie): Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets
Bobrovsky had a Vezina-caliber season, leading the league in wins (41) while posting a 2.06 GAA and .931 save percentage He was a big reason why the Blue Jackets had such a successful season and he should be rewarded with his first career Vezina Trophy

Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year): Auston Matthews Toronto Maple Leafs
Matthews had an outstanding rookie campaign, leading all rookies in goals (40) and points (69) while helping to turn around a Maple Leafs team that has been struggling for years. He’s a lock to win this award and is already one of the best young players in the NHL.

NHL Expansion Draft

After an exciting 2016-2017 NHL regular season the playoffs are finally here. The Stanley Cup will be up for grabs starting on April 12th, and it is sure to be a highly contested tournament. There have been many changes to the playoff format in recent years most notably the addition of the expansion draft prior to last season. The draft, which was held on June 21st, 2016, saw the Vegas Golden Knights select one player from each of the other 30 NHL Teams

Now that a year has passed and we have seen how each team has fared with their new players, we can start to make some predictions for how the 2017 playoffs will shake out. Below is a bracket predictions for the first round of the playoffs.

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Eastern Conference:

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Western Conference:

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NHL Entry Draft

The 2017 NHL Entry Draft will be the 55th NHL Entry Draft It will be held on June 23–24, 2017, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The first three selections will be made by the expansion Vegas Golden Knights

NHL Free Agency

NHL Free agency opens on July 1, and there are a number of big-name players set to hit the open market. Among them are former MVPs Patrick Kane and Sidney Crosby as well as former Hart Trophy winners Alexander Ovechkin and Carey Price.

With so many star players set to become free agents there is sure to be a lot of movement around the league this offseason. Here are our predictions for where some of the top names will end up:

Patrick Kane: Chicago Blackhawks
Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins
Alexander Ovechkin: Washington Capitals
Carey Price: Montreal Canadiens

NHL Trade Deadline

The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and while there were some big names on the move, the overall action was pretty muted compared to what we’ve seen in recent years.

Here’s a look at the full list of trades that went down before the 3 p.m. ET deadline on Wednesday:

-The Tampa Bay Lightning acquire goalie Peter Budaj and forward Erik Condra from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for goalie Kristers Gudlevskis.
-The Pittsburgh Penguins acquire forward Markus Kuhnhackl from the New York Islanders in exchange for goalie Stephane Robidas and a conditional seventh-round pick.
-The Nashville Predators acquire forward P.A. Parenteau from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a sixth-round pick.
-The Anaheim Ducks acquire forward Patrick Eaves from the Dallas Stars in exchange for a conditional second or third-round pick.
-The Boston Bruins acquire defensemen Nick Holden from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a fourth-round pick.

NHL All-Star Game

The NHL All-Star Game is an annual event that takes place during the NHL’s Regular Season The event features a skills competition between the league’s best players, and a game played between a team of all-stars from each division.