Western Conference

(1) Detroit vs. (8) Nashville +450 - The Nashville Predators were one of the Cinderella stories of the season after losing a plethora of key players because then owner Craig Leopold forced GM David Poile to bring the roster down to the Salary Cap floor. The Preds have played extremely well against Detroit this season going 3-3-2. This is one of those playoff situations where the Predators were clawing and grinding every game until the end of the season while Detroit seemed to put their play on cruise control the last month of the season due in part to its stellar record. This is a situation where Nashville has the opportunity to jump out early and catch the Red Wings napping. I’m going to side with the team that has been in must win situations for the better part of two months. The price is right as we back Nashville. Recommendation: Nashville +450

(2) San Jose -400 vs. (7) Calgary - In my mind San Jose is the best team in the Western Conference. They were the NHL’s top road team with a record of 27-14 – better than Detroit’s. San Jose has been absolutely amazing to watch since mid-February, not losing a game in regulation from the 20th until the final two games of the season – both of which were meaningless with the playoff scenarios wrapped up. Goaltender Evgeni Nabokov has been outstanding all season for the Sharks with a 2.15 goals against average and a save percentage of .909. The Flames are a one trick pony on offense with Jarome Iginla leading the way with 50 goals. Beyond that, their secondary scoring has limited capabilities. I feel the Sharks are poised to make a Stanley Cup run and should win the series in no more than five games. Recommendation: San Jose -400

(3) Minnesota vs. (6) Colorado +120 - This Colorado Avalanche team is built for a playoff run with Joe Sakic, Adam Foote and Peter Forsberg leading the way. Those are the names that you know, but Colorado’s best player this season has been Paul Stastny, who led Colorado with 69 points. The Avalanche were also underrated defensively, giving up only one more goal than their opponent, the defensive-minded Minnesota Wild. I believe that the acquisitions of Foote and Forsberg are enough to get this team into the second round of the playoffs. Beyond Marian Gaborik and Brian Rolston, who had 45 and 30 goals, respectively, there is not much else on this Wild team that scares you offensively. I’m more than willing to back the more balanced team in this series. Colorado wins in six. Recommendation: Colorado +120

(4) Anaheim -180 vs. (5) Dallas - Anaheim, the defending Stanley Cup Champions, hosts a struggling Dallas team. The Stars finished the regular season 3-7 and as we often times see turning it on for the playoffs does not always come easy. The run that the Stars finished on was the worst record for Western Conference teams in the playoffs. The Ducks have the depth on defense to get by with Chris Pronger returning from his suspension and Scott Niedermayer coming out of retirement mid-season. The main reason why the Stars struggled is due to the injury to all-star defenseman Sergei Zubov. Zubov had sports hernia surgery this week in the latest of a series of issues that kept him out of the lineup since January 19. I do not believe that the Stars can beat Anaheim in a seven-game series without Zubov present. Take the Ducks to win in six. Recommendation: Anaheim -180