Rick Zamperin: Sorry Sid, no three-peat for Penguins this season

Hey hockey fans, the wait is over.

The 2017/18 NHL season opens Wednesday night and for the first time in league history, there are 31 teams competing for the Stanley Cup.

As you know, Las Vegas is going through a very tough time, so hopefully, the Golden Knights will provide a much-needed diversion to folks in that city.  They open the season Friday, Oct. 6 in Dallas and play their home opener on Tuesday, Oct. 10 versus Arizona.

I, like many others, are not expecting Vegas to get anywhere near the playoffs but it will be interesting to see how fans of the expansion team respond throughout this season, and beyond.

As for the NHL’s Canadian contingent, big things are expected this year from Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers and Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs — two young stars who carry the weight of their respective fan bases but have thus far shown an amazing ability to stay composed.

The Oilers should top the Pacific Division this season and might even be the top seed in the West, battling it out with Anaheim, Dallas and Nashville.

The Leafs, however, still have another rung in the ladder to climb before they can challenge for the Eastern Conference title.

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Toronto has the capability to win its division this season, but I think Tampa Bay will finish first in the Atlantic.

As for Canadian teams who will not make the playoffs this year, the rebuilding Vancouver Canucks are definitely on that list, and the only one.  Yes Canadian puck fans, I have Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and Winnipeg all getting in with Toronto and Montreal.

The odds of the Pittsburgh Penguins winning a third straight Stanley Cup title are not astronomical by any means.  They’re a talented bunch.

I’d love to see an Oilers-Penguins final, featuring McDavid against Pens star Sidney Crosby.  The NHL would love those TV ratings.

I can also see Pittsburgh vs. Dallas, Washington vs. Anaheim, Nashville vs. Tampa Bay, Toronto vs. — wait a minute, I’m getting a little too ahead of myself.

I will settle on the Edmonton Oilers becoming the first Canadian team since Montreal in 1993 to win the Stanley Cup, beating the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Let’s drop the puck!