NHL preview: Five questions facing Eastern Conference teams

There are always many questions to be answered when an NHL season opens. Here are five facing teams in the Eastern Conference:

1) Can the Tampa Bay Lightning repeat its Stanley Cup Final run?

The status of franchise forward Steven Stamkos, who’s in the final season of his contract, could dominate the conversation. This is basically the same deep, swift cast that lost to Chicago in last season’s Final and is capable of another long playoff run.

2) Will new Maple Leafs Coach Mike Babcock restore Toronto to the center of the hockey universe?

Babcock comes to the NHL’s biggest fishbowl with a strong resume forged in Detroit. Expectations are high for a new regime that includes new (but old-school) General Manager Lou Lamoriello, but the 1967 Leafs will keep their distinction of being the city’s most recent Cup winner.

3) Can the New York Islanders find happiness and playoff success in Brooklyn?

They left Long Island for the Barclays Center, which has obstructed views for hockey and an off-center scoreboard. This is a team on the rise, though it needs improvement on defense to make some noise.

4) The annual question: Will the Detroit Red Wings find a way to extend their playoff streak?

That streak reached 24 seasons last spring but Detroit exited in the first round after squandering a 3-2 series lead against Tampa Bay. Ageless Pavel Datsyuk will miss the start of the season because of ankle surgery but the Red Wings have enough to reach the postseason again.

5) Will the Buffalo Sabres dance back to respectability?

Their inability to win — they had a league-low 54 points — carried over to the draft lottery, where they lost the No. 1 pick to Edmonton. American-born center Jack Eichel, the No. 2 pick, is a fine consolation prize. This young team will make mistakes but should be interesting as it matures.