Flyers

Around the NHL: The Stanley Cup Playoffs Begin

Kevin Durso Sports Editor

Published12 Apr 2017

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By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor

Tuesday saw the Flyers break up for the offseason with the locker clean out day at the SkateZone in Voorhees. But for 16 other teams, the season continues with the Stanley Cup Playoffs, starting on Wednesday night.

The first-round series are set. They are as follows.

In the East, the top-seeded Washington Capitals take on the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Atlantic Division champion Montreal Canadiens face the New York Rangers, the Pittsburgh Penguins go against the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Boston Bruins face off against the Ottawa Senators.

In the West, the Chicago Blackhawks take on the Nashville Predators, the Minnesota Wild face the St. Louis Blues, the Anaheim Ducks face the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers take on the San Jose Sharks.

Five games open the first round on Wednesday and three games will open series on Thursday.

McDavid Wins Art Ross Trophy

In Sunday's season finale, Connor McDavid picked up two assists to reach the 100-point mark and claim the Art Ross Trophy for the most points this season.

The 20-year-old scored 30 goals and added 70 assists, playing in all 82 games. McDavid only played in 45 games in his rookie season, missing time with a broken collarbone. He scored 16 goals and added 32 assists for 48 points and finished third in Calder Trophy voting.

McDavid beat out Sidney Crosby and Patrick Kane for the Art Ross by a sizable margin. Crosby and Kane tied for second in points with 89.

Kings Make Wholesale Changes to Front Office

The Los Angeles Kings are another team missing the playoffs this season. Now three years removed from their second Stanley Cup title in 2014, the Kings have made wholesale changes to the front office.

The Kings announced the firing of general manager Dean Lombardi and head coach Darryl Sutter. Rob Blake was promoted to general manager and Luc Robitaille takes over as team president.

Lombardi and Sutter were both part of two Stanley Cup runs in 2012 and 2014, the first two championships in Kings franchise history. The Kings also celebrated their 50th anniversary season in 2016-17.