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Coming off the most successful season in team history, the Tampa Bay Lightning are trying to prove they're no one-hit wonder.
That's just what the Carolina Hurricanes were last season, when they went from Stanley Cup finalists to the worst team in the NHL.
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Things were different in Tampa, where the Lightning gave fans more to cheer
about than the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers.
With a young nucleus, solid leadership from captain Dave Andreychuk and effective play by goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, Tampa Bay edged Washington for their first Southeast Division title. Ticketmaster
The Lightning achieved another first when they rallied to eliminate Washington in six games in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
The season ended on a down note, with Khabibulin getting benched for John Grahame in Game Five of the conference semifinals against eventual Stanley Cup champion New Jersey.
But it's difficult to overlook Khabibulin's 30-22-11 record that featured a 16-game unbeaten streak down the stretch.
Tampa Bay lost leading scorer Vaclav Prospal, who signed with Anaheim. But general manager Jay Feaster acquired left wing Cory Stillman, who scored 24 goals for St. Louis last season. Ticketmaster
The Lightning were also the only team with four 70-point scorers in Prospal, Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards and diminutive right wing Martin St. Louis.
If Stillman can get acclimated to Tampa Bay's system and the other three approach or improve last season's numbers, there is no reason the Lightning can't duplicate their postseason run.
"The biggest thing I learned is it's not over until it's over," St. Louis said. "You saw that in the Washington series. Even in the Devils' series, we gave an all-out effort and a couple of overtime games could've went the other way. The biggest thing we learned is never quit. ... We showed in the playoffs that we were a character team, and that's what you need at this level."
While Tampa Bay returns virtually its entire lineup, the Washington Capitals break in a new defense under second-year coach Bruce Cassidy. Ticketmaster
The pressure is on the Capitals, who missed the playoffs in 2002 and were ousted in the first round last season.
Jaromir Jagr has totaled 156 points in his first two seasons in Washington, which reportedly tried to trade the the Czech superstar over the summer.
"First of all, Jagr is such a powerful guy in Washington sports," Cassidy said. "That's a decision by (general manager) George McPhee and ownership and how they handle the economics of Jagr. In the locker room, I guess the only tough part for me is I would like to see Jags have the same passion for the Capitals organization that he had for the Penguins organization."
Jagr is not the Capitals' only weapon. They have Peter Bondra, Robert Lang, Michael Nylander to go with defenseman Sergei Gonchar and goalie Olaf Kolzig.
While it's a lineup many coaches would envy, getting everybody on the same page has been a problem, especially on special teams. The Capitals ranked 14th on the power play and 28th in penalty-killing. Ticketmaster
Gonchar anchors the blue line, but Calle Johansson retired and Ken Klee signed with Toronto, leaving Nolan Yonkman, Jason Doig, J.F. Fortin and rookie Steve Eminger to battle for spots on defense.
While Tampa Bay and Washington figure to battle for the top spot, the Atlanta Thrashers and Florida Panthers have started to stockpile some highly skilled youngsters.
Atlanta made major strides last season under coach Bob Hartley last season and was brimming with enthusiasm through the offseason, when nearly three dozen players participated in informal workouts.
"That's a first for us," general manager Don Waddell said. "This year, the coaching staff stayed in touch with the players all summer long and encouraged them not only to stay on their (offseason) program but also to come to camp early. I think the players are excited about getting the season going."
That enthusiasm was tempered by the September 29 car accident that injured All-Star Dany Heatley and Dan Snyder. Heatley and left wing Ilya Kovalchuk are two of the NHL's brightest young stars. Heatley, a video game cover boy, burst on the scene by scoring four goals and winning MVP honors at the All-Star game, then finished ninth in the league in scoring. Kovalchuk was close behind with 38 goals.
Atlanta was 19-14-5-1 after Hartley took over for Curt Fraser and posted a 20-point improvement over 2001-02. But with Heatley's status questionable at best and the Thrashers' minds elsewhere as opening night approached, this team's prospects are muddled.
Florida does not boast as much talent as Atlanta but still took a step forward in its first full season under coach Mike Keenan.
Olli Jokinen, a disappointment in his first five seasons, enjoyed a career year with 36 goals and 65 points. And considering he doesn't turn 25 until December, Keenan sees no reason Jokinen cannot improve.
"He's actually bigger and stronger than he was a year ago, which is hard to believe," Keenan said. "You forget that he's actually still growing. He's only 24 years of age, and a male's best strength comes around 25-26."
Even with Jokinen's numbers, however, the Panthers ranked next-to-last in the NHL with a franchise-low 176 goals. Ticketmaster
Kristian Huselius, a Calder Trophy finalist as a rookie, came on strong in the first half but faded down the stretch and finished with 20 goals and 43 points.
The Panthers have one of the best young goalies in Roberto Luongo, who posted a 2.71 goals-against average despite facing a league-leading 33 shots per night.
Much of the reason for all that work was a youthful defense that lost its most experienced member when Sandis Ozolinsh was traded to Anaheim. First-round pick Jay Bouwmeester led the team in ice team after the trade, and he just turned 20.
Carolina was the only team that scored fewer goals than Florida last season, totaling 171 after injuries took Rod Brind'Amour and Erik Cole out of the lineup.
But general manager Jim Rutherford sees reason for optimism. Ticketmaster
"We can have a huge jump. We can go back to 90-something points," he said. "We know all the reasons why things dropped off last year. ... So it's not unreasonable, with the additions that we have up front, the maturing of some young forwards and the much-improved defense, it's realistic to think we'd get back into the 90-point range."
Carolina's new-look defense includes Bob Boughner, who was acquired from Calgary, Danny Markov, who came over from Phoenix, and Glen Wesley, who returned to the Hurricanes after ending last season in Toronto.
A rebuilt defense should be good news for goalie Kevin Weekes, who went nearly two months without a win but posted a respectable 2.55 GAA.
If the offseason moves do not produce immediate dividends, however, Carolina's Paul Maurice could lose the title as the NHL's longest-tenured coach.