Hockey fans can rejoice and finally enjoy the game they love once again; the NHL Regular Season is back and off to an amazing, yet very compelling, start. Elite teams are gunning for a championship, low level contenders are looking to move up the ladder in the rankings, underdogs are looking for their shot at playoff hockey, and we now have thirty-one teams in the league. The season in young, and there is a lot to look forward to.

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First and foremost, the Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to accomplish a feat that has not occurred since the 1982 New York Islanders did it (and they actually won four in a row); they are looking to three-peat as Stanley Cup Champions, and they have a legitimate shot to do so. Most of their top stars, like Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel, and Evgeni Malkin, have returned for this season. Despite losing Marc Andre Fleury, the Pens still have a solid set of netminders in Matt Murray, who has already led the Pens through two phenomenal playoff runs, and Antti Niemi, who has been a reliable starting goalie in his career. The Pens go off to somewhat of a rocky start, losing in overtime to the Blues and then to Chicago by the score of 10-1. However, they bounced back with a 4-0 win over Nashville, which seems to indicate they are on the right path to become a top team again. Other potential Stanley Cup contenders include the Edmonton Oilers, Washington Capitals, and Chicago Blackhawks. The Caps and Blackhawks have been favorites in the past and will continue to be, especially with the offensive firepower that each team posses. Alexander Ovechkin continues to be an elite talent, what with being the first player to ever record a hat trick in the first two games of the regular season. Just as well, Evgeny Kuznetsov will likely continue to be the team player that he has always been and Braden Holtby should be a very dependable netminder. The Blackhawks have started off 2-0-1, with Corey Crawford being Corey Crawford and usual superstars like Patrick Kane and Brandon Saad, as well as emerging stars like Ryan Hartman, producing on the offensive end. The Oilers burst onto the scene last year and made a decent playoff run into the Western Conference Semifinals before being eliminated by the Anaheim Ducks. However, MVP favorite Connor McDavid, who recently received an eight-year extension, will likely lead his team into the playoffs once again. And along with the veteran help of Milan Lucic and signing of upstart talent Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers look primed to make a legitimate championship run.

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While these teams are the odds-on favorites to win the cup and make it deep into the playoffs, some intermediate teams may be able to sneak up on the contenders and surprise a lot of hockey fans. The Nashville Predators are one of those teams, especially considering how they performed in last year’s playoffs, making it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Pens. In spite of losing James Neal to the Golden Knights, the Preds still have the talents of star goalie Pekka Rinne, forward Ryan Johansen, and defensemen P.K. Subban, and could easily be a four or five seed come playoff time. The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking as good as they have in years, and with Auston Matthews, Nazem Kadri, and James van Riemsdyk leading the squad, the Leafs have easily become one of the top five teams in the Eastern Conference. Lastly, a team that could be a serious threat to the rest of the NHL is the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets have been quite a physical team in the last number of years and are one of the best defensive teams in hockey. They seem to be slowly developing their offensive unit, but they will likely be involved in more than a few low scoring, one-goal games like last year. If they do develop their offense and Nick Foligno becomes the leader Columbus expects him to be, the Jackets could make a decent run.

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With a new year actually comes a new NHL Team, an expansion team based in Las Vegas: The Las Vegas Golden Knights. They have started off the year 2-0, and despite them being among the lowest ranked teams in the power rankings at the start of the season, they have some potential for success. As mentioned, they sniped James Neal from the Predators, along with former Pens goalie Marc Andre Fleury, in the expansion draft. Additionally, they signed defensemen Nate Schmidt, who is off to a decent start with three points, and Reilly Smith, who has had a sound career as a member of the Bruins and Panthers.