Before I talk about the two upcoming series, I would just like to point out something about the teams that lost in the Western Conference in the first round. First Detroit, then San Jose, then Vancouver, and lastly the Chicago Blackhawks, all teams that have had major playoff success post-lockout. This is the best thing that could have happened for the NHL, as one of St. Louis, Nashville, Phoenix or Los Angeles will be the West representative in the Stanley Cup finals. To put this in to words: we are going to see a completely new team in the finals, and it is actually extremely thrilling to see all the teams that lost first round. The Wings have won twice since the lockout and been to 3 finals, The Hawks won 2 years ago, The Canucks lost in the finals last year and San Jose made the semis the last two years. In comparison to the 4 winning teams; Nashville and Phoenix have never been to the finals, the Blues haven't been since they lost to Bobby Orr's Bruins in 1970, and the Kings haven't been since they lost with Gretzky in '93 to the Montreal Canadiens (The great Patty Roy with his 2nd of 3 Conn Smythes!). As a hockey fan I am very excited for these two series, with that being said we start with...
2. St. Louis Blues vs 8. Los Angeles Kings - Both of these teams are coming off impressive first round wins, as the Blues knocked off the Sharks easily in 5 and the Kings frustrated the Presidents Trophy winning Canucks in 5 (as I predicted they would). The biggest story for both these teams has been goaltending and leadership: as Elliot/Quick have been both exceptional while captains Dustin Brown and David Backes have each been leading their respective teams. Jon Quick has been arguably the best goalie so far (Rinne/Smith as well), and if he continues to play his game the Kings could be in for a long cup run. Led by Dustin Brown and Mike Richards, the Kings simply were stronger than the Canucks and they controlled the series from start to finish. With that being said, the Blues looked stronger than ever in the first round and are simply the deepest team in the NHL right now. The are loaded upfront with a mix of youth (Backes, Perron, Berglund, Oshie) and veterans (Arnott, Langenbrunner, Steen, McDonald). On defence, they are lead by a great tandem of Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk, and then veterans like Barret Jackman and Carlo Coliacovo (shout out to all my leafs fans). While Jaroslav Halak is hurt, Brian Elliot has been significantly better and will continue to start for them. This will be a very close series, but I believe the Blues are the stronger team if they can solve Jon Quick and the feisty Kings.
Players to Watch: STL - Andy McDonald, TJ Oshie, Jason Arnott, Brian Elliot, David Backes. LAK - Dustin Brown, Jon Quick, Willie Mitchell, Dustin Penner, Jarret Stoll.
Prediction - While the Kings are certainly capable of stealing another series, I think that the Blues are the team to beat in the playoffs and this will be one close series.
(BLUES in 7)
3. Phoenix vs 4. Nashville - The battle of defence; this is going to be a very gritty, tough fought series that many people are writing off as "two boring teams." The fact is that both of these teams were extremely impressive in knocking off past cup champions; as the Predators stifled the Detroit Red Wings in 5 while the Coyotes fought hard and overwhelmed the Blackhawks in 6. While the Coyotes are the home team as the #3 seed, the Predators come into this series as the favourites. Like the first matchup, this is also going to be a great goaltending duo between Pekka Rinne and Mike Smith. One could argue a case for each goalie in how they have been the best in the playoffs so far, and it shall make for a very close series with two phenomenal netminders. The Predators are loaded with size on D, lead by Captain Shea Weber and others like Ryan Suter and "big-tree" Hall Gill (who's returning from injury). On forward, they have a mix of gritty and talented forwards, none with more hype than Alexander Radulov. He was their best player in round one, with 5 points him, Martin Erat and David Legwand were the veteran leaders for the young Preds. I expect more out of both Kostitsyns, Hornqvist and Fisher in this second round, as it will be a close hard-fought series. For the Coyotes, they come in to this series on Mike Smith's shoulders. He was simply phenomenal in round one, as I picked Chicago to win (my only wrong Western Conference series prediction). The Coyotes don't wow you on offence or defence, with guys like Shane Doan and Keith Yandle leading the way. Dave Tippett runs a straightforward defensive trap that frustrates teams, and they rely on Mike Smith to make save after save until they can capitalize. It will certainly be a close series, as either team can win.
Players to Watch: PHX - Mike Smith, Ray Whitney, Antoine Vermette, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Gilbert Brule. NSH - Pekka Rinne, Shea Weber, Alexander Radulov, David Legwand, Andrei Kostitsyn.
Prediction - This is going to be one heck of a goaltending duo, as the series could go either way
(PREDATORS in 7)
This would make the Western Conference Final #2 St. Louis Blues vs. #4 Nashville Predators, with one of these teams getting a shot at Lord Stanley.
There are still 3 more series in the East that are going to game 7, so when they are done I will preview the Eastern Conference Semifinals
-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News (PLAYOFF EDITION)
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