Nearly four months after the Pittsburgh Penguins skated around the SAP Center in San Jose, California, with the Stanley Cup, the 2016-17 NHL season is set to get underway Wednesday night.
The NHL does not have a full schedule on opening night, but all four games have significant storylines to all hockey fans.
The first action of the season will see the Ottawa Senators host the Toronto Maple Leafs at 7 p.m. ET, and while neither of these teams made the playoffs last year, both have high hopes of turning things around this year.
The Maple Leafs will have No. 1 draft pick Auston Matthews in the lineup, and he is expected to give head coach Mike Babcock's team an upgrade in skill level and offensive proficiency. The Maple Leafs are hoping that he can become the No. 1 center the organization has been missing since Mats Sundin was in his prime.
If that seems like a long time ago, that's because it was. Sundin left Toronto after the 2007-08 season.
The Leafs attempted to upgrade their goaltending by acquiring Frederik Andersen from the Anaheim Ducks. Andersen had a 2.30 goals-against average and a .919 sav ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Steve Silverman
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