#1 Vancouver vs. #8 Los Angeles
Season Series: Tied 2-2 (Canucks 1-0, Kings 3-2 (SO), Kings 4-1, Canucks 3-2)
Pinnacle Series Price: Vancouver -224/Los Angeles +200
What to expect: Goals will be at a premium in this series and there is no doubt both goalies will feel the pressure of the one goal game. Each meeting between these two teams had five goals or less. Vancouver looks to make its way back to the Stanley Cup Finals on the back of the Sedin brothers up front and Roberto Luongo in net. With Daniel Sedin getting back on the ice after his concussion he becomes the deciding factor in this series and should give the Canucks enough offense to advance (if in fact he is healthy enough to play). The Kings have made some big moves in order to bolster a below average offense. Will the additions of Jeff Carter (assuming he plays) and Mike Richards be enough for Los Angeles to upset the Canucks? The Canucks have had the luxury of playing in the Northwest Division all season and definitely had the easier of two roads to the playoffs. The Kings have grinded on their schedule for over two months now doing enough to make it into the playoffs, but this extra exertion may prove costly in a long series with the Canucks. Vancouver appears to be a bit too deep offensively for the Kings to handle, and in a series that may be too close to call, I’ll take the deeper and more rested team.
Prediction: Vancouver in 7 games
#2 St. Louis vs. #7 San Jose
Season Series: Blues won 4-0 (Blues 3-1, Blues 3-0, Blues 1-0, Blues 4-2)
Pinnacle Series Price: St. Louis -161/San Jose +145
What to expect: It is safe to say that the St. Louis Blues owned the San Jose Sharks in their regular season series, winning all four meetings by a combined score of 11-3. And I expect we’ll see much of the same in terms of defense and low scoring affairs in the first round. St. Louis is a team much like the New York Rangers; they just grind you down night after night. But while Blues GM Doug Armstrong in my mind deserves to be named GM of the Year, one has to wonder if the great young team he put together can answer the bell in their first playoff experience. Yes the Blues have some veterans in their lineup, but the majority of their contributions come from guys who have little to no playoff experience. The Sharks ended the season on a tear in order to get into the playoffs winning their last four games and seven of their last nine – a far cry from the Blues who showed some uncharacteristically poor defensive play losing four of their last five games and giving up over 3 gpg in that span. San Jose comes in with a ton of confidence and they get a Blues team playing some of their worst hockey of the season. The Blues had a great run in the regular season, but the train stops in Round 1 with a Sharks upset.
Prediction: San Jose in 6 games
#3 Phoenix vs. #6 Chicago
Season Series: Coyotes won 3-1 (Coyotes 3-0, Coyotes 4-3 (SO), Coyotes 4-1, Blackhawks 5-2)
Pinnacle Series Price: Chicago -111/Phoenix +105
What to expect: Much of this series depends on the health of Chicago captain Jonathan Toews. Toews is expected to be a game time decision for Thursday’s opener in Phoenix. Mr. Everything for the Blackhawks, Toews would definitely add a needed spark to a Chicago team that never seemed to quite get over the hump this year. They have played close checking, tight, one goal games down the stretch with five of their last six games decided in a shootout. They’ll need that type of mentality against the Coyotes. Phoenix has been in much the same situation as the Blackhawks, although they are playing some of their best hockey of the season as they clinched the Pacific Division title and home ice advantage. The Coyotes come into the playoffs red hot winning their last five games and giving up just two goals over those five games! I think it is safe to say that if the Coyotes defense and goaltender Mike Smith continue this dominance the Blackhawks will be in for a long frustrating series. With home ice advantage and a superior defense the Coyotes looked poised to win a tough first round matchup and advance.
Prediction: Phoenix in 7 games
#4 Nashville vs. #5 Detroit
Season Series: Tied 3-3 (Predators 4-1, Predators 3-2, Red Wings 2-1, Red Wings 4-1, Predators 4-3, Red Wings 4-1)
Pinnacle Series Price: Nashville -110/Detroit +100
What to expect: Both of these teams battled the entire year in the Central Division which was arguably the toughest division in all of hockey. Nashville won the fourth seed and the all-important home ice advantage. Both of these teams have been dominate throughout the year on home ice with the Red Wings posting a 31-10 record at Joe Louis and the Predators going 26-15 at the friendly confines of Bridgestone Arena. The Red Wings faltered down the stretch and that has me concerned heading into this series. Detroit went just 5-12 over its last 17 games and really struggled to score (2.24 gpg). Granted Detroit dealt with a rash of injuries but even with most of the lineup returning the Red Wings still haven’t looked sharp. Nashville meanwhile has been playing consistent hockey all season long and got even more powerful at the trade deadline. The acquisitions of playoff players like Hal Gill and Paul Gaustad gave Nashville depth it needs to compete with the long standing stalwarts of the Western Conference. Add in the late season addition of forward Alexander Radulov, who has been everything as advertised (3 goals and 4 assists in 9 games), and the Predators now have some offensive weaponry. Long gone are the days of relying on Pekka Rinne to steal games in net, Nashville can put up offense (2.8 goals a game and 8th in the NHL) and they’ll have enough to dispose of the Red Wings in what I believe will be a quick series that ironically may very well end on Detroit’s home ice.
Prediction: Nashville in 5 games
Click here for Eastern Conference Preview
