2017–18 NHL season

National Hockey League season

The 2017-18 NHL season is the 101st season of operation (100th season of play) of the National Hockey League. The 31 teams are playing an 82-game regular season. The regular season began on October 4, 2017 and ended on April 7, 2018. The Stanley Cup playoffs began a few days after and the Stanley Cup finals was held between Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights which ended with the Washington Capitals winning their first Stanley cup in their franchise history. The Vegas Golden Knights joined the league for this season and became the first team to win the first three games of their history. They now have five wins and one loss making them the first team to do this since the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL's first season. The two-time defending Stanley Cup and Eastern Conference champions are the Pittsburgh Penguins while Penguins' player Sidney Crosby is the two-time defending Conn Smythe Trophy winner. The Nashville Predators are the defending Western Conference champions. The Washington Capitals are the two-time defending Presidents' Trophy winners. Edmonton Oilers player Connor McDavid is the defending winner of the Hart Memorial and Art Ross Trophies.

2017–18 NHL season
LeagueNational Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationOctober 4, 2017 – June 7, 2018
Number of games82
Number of teams31
TV partner(s)CBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports (Canada)
NBCSN, NBC, CNBC, USA (United States)
Draft
Top draft pickNico Hischier
Picked byNew Jersey Devils
Regular season
Presidents' TrophyNashville Predators
Season MVPTaylor Hall (Devils)
Top scorerConnor McDavid (Oilers)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVPAlexander Ovechkin (Capitals)
Stanley Cup
ChampionsWashington Capitals
  Runners-upVegas Golden Knights
NHL seasons

Standings

change
Top 3 (Metropolitan Division)
Pos Team GP W L OTL ROW GF GA GD Pts
1 y – Washington Capitals 82 49 26 7 46 259 239 +20 105
2 x – Pittsburgh Penguins 82 47 29 6 45 272 250 +22 100
3 x – Philadelphia Flyers 82 42 26 14 40 251 243 +8 98
Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot; y – Clinched division
Top 3 (Atlantic Division)
Pos Team GP W L OTL ROW GF GA GD Pts
1 z – Tampa Bay Lightning 82 54 23 5 48 296 236 +60 113
2 x – Boston Bruins 82 50 20 12 47 270 214 +56 112
3 x – Toronto Maple Leafs 82 49 26 7 42 277 232 +45 105
Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot; z – Clinched conference
Eastern Conference Wild Card
Pos Div Team GP W L OTL ROW GF GA GD Pts
1 ME x – Columbus Blue Jackets 82 45 30 7 39 242 230 +12 97
2 ME x – New Jersey Devils 82 44 29 9 39 248 244 +4 97
3 AT Florida Panthers 82 44 30 8 41 248 246 +2 96
4 ME Carolina Hurricanes 82 36 35 11 33 228 256 −28 83
5 ME New York Islanders 82 35 37 10 32 264 296 −32 80
6 ME New York Rangers 82 34 39 9 31 231 268 −37 77
7 AT Detroit Red Wings 82 30 39 13 25 217 255 −38 73
8 AT Montreal Canadiens 82 29 40 13 27 209 264 −55 71
9 AT Ottawa Senators 82 28 43 11 26 221 291 −70 67
10 AT Buffalo Sabres 82 25 45 12 24 199 280 −81 62
Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot
Top 3 (Central Division)
Pos Team GP W L OTL ROW GF GA GD Pts
1 p – Nashville Predators 82 53 18 11 47 267 211 +56 117
2 x – Winnipeg Jets 82 52 20 10 48 277 218 +59 114
3 x – Minnesota Wild 82 45 26 11 42 253 232 +21 101
Source: National Hockey League
p – Clinched Presidents' Trophy; x – Clinched playoff spot
Top 3 (Pacific Division)
Pos Team GP W L OTL ROW GF GA GD Pts
1 y – Vegas Golden Knights 82 51 24 7 47 272 228 +44 109
2 x – Anaheim Ducks 82 44 25 13 40 235 216 +19 101
3 x – San Jose Sharks 82 45 27 10 40 252 229 +23 100
Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot; y – Clinched division
Western Conference Wild Card
Pos Div Team GP W L OTL ROW GF GA GD Pts
1 PA x – Los Angeles Kings 82 45 29 8 43 239 203 +36 98
2 CE x – Colorado Avalanche 82 43 30 9 41 257 237 +20 95
3 CE St. Louis Blues 82 44 32 6 41 226 222 +4 94
4 CE Dallas Stars 82 42 32 8 38 235 225 +10 92
5 PA Calgary Flames 82 37 35 10 35 218 248 −30 84
6 PA Edmonton Oilers 82 36 40 6 31 234 263 −29 78
7 CE Chicago Blackhawks 82 33 39 10 32 229 256 −27 76
8 PA Vancouver Canucks 82 31 40 11 31 218 264 −46 73
9 PA Arizona Coyotes 82 29 41 12 27 208 256 −48 70
Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot

Tie Breakers:
1. Fewer number of games played.
2. Greater Regulation + OT Wins (ROW)
3. Greatest number of points earned in head-to-head play (If teams played an unequal # of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded.)
4. Greater Goal differential