There were 82 games for each team in the regular season from October 12, 2016 to April 9, 2017. The 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs began on April 12 and ended on June 11 when the Pittsburgh Penguins won game six of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final against the Nashville Predators. This was the penguins' fifth Stanley Cup in their history and their third in nine seasons. They also won the Stanley Cup in 2016 and that means they are the first team since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998 to win two Stanley Cups in a row.
The Washington Capitals were the Presidents' Trophy winners for being the best team of the regular season. Edmonton Oilers player, Connor McDavid, won both the Hart Memorial Trophy, for being the most valuable player to his team, and the Art Ross Trophy for scoring the most goals and assists. The Oilers also made the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-06 NHL season. This tied the record for longest time without making the playoffs at 10 seasons. The Detroit Red Wings missed the playoffs. The last time this happened was in the 1989-90 NHL season. This 25-season streak was the fourth longest in NHL history and the longest in the NHL, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association and theNational Football League. The team with the longest streak in the NHL became the Penguins at 11 seasons. The first round of the playoffs broke the record for most overtime games with 18. The Eastern Conference runner-up was the Ottawa Senators for losing the Conference Final to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Western Conference runner-up was the Anaheim Ducks for losing the Conference Final to the Nashville Predators. Pittsburgh Penguins' player Sidney Crosby was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner for being the most valuable player of the playoffs.
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
