ARLINGTON, Va. Youth JaWhaun Bentley Jersey . -- The gangs almost entirely back for the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins and Presidents Trophy-winning Washington Capitals, Steven Stamkos re-upped with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the retooled Florida Panthers look ready for their close up.Get ready for a competitive race among those four teams in the Eastern Conference. Throw a healthy Carey Price back in net for the Montreal Canadiens and they could challenge, too, especially if defenseman Shea Weber fits well after a stunning summer trade from Nashville for P.K. Subban.Of course, it starts and ends with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the Penguins.Theyre the Stanley Cup champs, theyre the No. 1, Capitals right winger Justin Williams said. Theyre the team to beat until somebody knocks them off.Pittsburgh was the best team in the playoffs last spring, going through the New York Rangers, Capitals, Lightning and San Jose Sharks to win the fourth Cup in franchise history. Washington was the best team in the regular season, 11 points ahead of the next-closest team, and is again the Metropolitan Division favorite.Here are some things to watch in the East:SUNSHINE STATE HOCKEYDont look now but two of the best young defensemen in hockey are playing in Florida: Aaron Ekblad for the Panthers and Victor Hedman for the Lightning. The Panthers have Finnish standout Aleksander Barkov and a real chance to win the Atlantic Division. Florida also added defensemen Keith Yandle and Jason Demers as part of its makeover and could take the next step after a surprise playoff appearance.Some of the guys we signed in the offseason gave us some more speed, a little more offense, president of hockey operations Dale Tallon said. Weve had two winning seasons in a row and weve made the playoffs and I think the fact that we got beat in the first round will be a motivating factor.OVECHKIN WATCHAlex Ovechkin led the NHL with 50 goals last season and isnt showing any signs of slowing down at age 31. He and the Capitals still havent won the Cup, and with several key players set to be free agents, this could be their best and last chance.Washington isnt just Ovechkin, as Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Braden Holtby and all-star centers Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom are all at the top of their games. More regular-season dominance should follow, but the playoffs are always the question.PRICE IS RIGHTAfter missing most of last season with a knee injury, a healthy Price is a welcome sight for the Canadiens. Price looked back to his old self winning the World Cup of Hockey with Canada, which general manager Marc Bergevin said puts everyones mind at ease, even our fans. The 2015 Hart, Vezina and Pearson winner is good enough to carry the Canadiens to the playoffs on his shoulders.NEW YORK, NEW YORKThe Islanders got deeper by adding wingers Andrew Ladd, Jason Chimera and P.A. Parenteau and defenseman Dennis Seidenberg. The Rangers got younger by signing college free agent Jimmy Vesey and trading for Mika Zibanejad. John Tavares and the Islanders are looking to build off their longest playoff run in 23 years in their second season in Brooklyn. Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers are trying to stay at the top because the elite goalie isnt getting any younger.MATTHEWS MANIATop pick Auston Matthews is immediately the face of the Toronto Maple Leafs under coach Mike Babcock. Itll be a while before Toronto is a playoff contender, but Matthews at 18 was a man among men playing professionally in Switzerland and looked comfortable against elite competition at the World Cup at 19.Hes shown that hes going to be responsible on both sides of the puck, has a great sense of how to use his body on the ice, said Edmonton Oilers coach Todd McLellan, who had Matthews for Team North America at the World Cup. Hes a big man that protects pucks well. Hes able to use speed when he needs it.---Follow Stephen Whyno on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SWhyno Cheap Patriots Jerseys Authentic ., for the next three years with the signings on Monday of Daryl Townsend and Michael Carter. Wholesale Patriots Jerseys Free Shipping . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. http://www.wholesalepatriotsjerseys.com/ . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup. ATLANTA -- This was merely an annoyance for Alabama, a chance to add another trophy to its overflowing cases. The Crimson Tide did just enough things wrong to give Nick Saban something to complain about over the next month, but in the end it was another dominating victory for the nations top-ranked team.Florida coach Jim McElwain was certainly impressed after his No. 15 Gators took a 54-16 whipping in the Southeastern Conference championship game Saturday. He called it Sabans best team yet in a dynasty that shows no signs of stumbling.I dont see a lot of weaknesses, marveled McElwain, Sabans offensive coordinator from 2008-11. Theyve really accumulated a lot of speed at some spots where they were always big.Alabama (13-0, No. 1 CFP) unleashed all its weapons against the overmatched Gators, scoring off an interception and a blocked punt in the first half, snuffing out their last gasp with a goal-line stand, and wearing down Florida at the end with a dominant running game.The Tide now heads to the College Football Playoff for the third year in a row, most likely returning to Atlanta for a semifinal game on Dec. 31. Alabama will be seeking its second straight national title and its fifth crown in the last nine years. Saban already has five national titles , counting his first at LSU, and is one shy of Bear Bryants record for the most by any coach.Challenging his players, Saban said they have a chance to do something to create a legacy for this team. Thats something they should think about, how important that is, what they are willing to do to do it. Because all the teams you play from here on out are really, really good.The Crimson Tide bolted to a 16-9 lead in the first quarter, despite being held to minus-7 yards and no first downs. Minkah Fitzpatrick returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown, and Josh Jacobs went 27 yards for a score with a blocked punt. A field goal was set up by another pick -- one of three thrown by Florida quarterback Austin Appleby in the first half.The Tide led 33-16 at halftime and iced the victory with scoring drives of 98 and 91 yards, sparked by a goal-line stand that finished off the last gasp by the Gators (8-4, No. 15 CFP). It was most points surrendered by Florida since a 62-24 loss to Nebraska in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl.A 24-point underdog , the Gators marched the length of the field on their opening possession, the first touchdown given up by the Tide in more than 17 quarters. They had another long TD drive near the end of the first half to give themselves a glimmerr of hope. Cheap Patriots Jerseys For Sale. It wasnt perfect, said Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster, who was named the games MVP. We had to persevere, overcome some hard times.The last of those hard times came when Florida drove to the Crimson Tide 1 in the third quarter. Jordan Scarlett attempted to leap over the line on third-and-goal, but he never got off the ground. Rashaan Evans, who took over after Shaun Dion Hamilton went out with a likely season-ending knee injury, blew by his blocker and slammed the running back for a 1-yard loss.Appleby then threw incomplete in the back of the end zone on fourth down, giving the Tide all the momentum.Alabama finished with 174 yards rushing in the second half. The bulk of the carries went to bruising sophomore Bo Scarbrough, who had two short touchdown runs and finished with 91 yards on 11 carries.We just wanted to do what we do best, and thats run the ball, Scarbrough said.THE TAKEAWAYAlabama: Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts wasnt all that sharp, completing 11 of 20 passes for 138 yards, and the Tide will want to clean up some busted plays that led to big losses. But thats merely nitpicking. This team is the clear favorite heading into the playoff.Florida: The Gators must address their offensive woes after another shaky performance. Developing a quarterback is McElwains top priority. Thats something weve got to do, sooner than later, he said.BLOCK PARTYDuring a wild sequence in the first quarter, each team scored off blocked kicks on back-to-back plays.Jacobs TD came after Derrick Gore blocked a punt, giving Alabama a 16-7 lead. But when Adam Griffiths extra-point attempt was swatted down by Jabari Zuniga, David Reese scooped up the ball and went the length of the field to give the Gators a 2-point conversion.POLL IMPLICATIONSAlabama will remain No. 1 in The Associated Press poll, as well as the College Football Playoff rankings. Florida can expect to drop at least four or five spots.UP NEXTAlabama: Projected to meet the No. 4-ranked CFP team in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.Florida: Two straight blowout losses probably cost the Gators a shot at the Sugar Bowl. More likely, they will settle for either the Dec. 31 Citrus Bowl or the Jan. 2 Outback Bowl.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .---For more AP college football coverage: www.collegefootball.ap.org Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Autographed Jerseys China Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Autographed Jerseys Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China ' ' '