Its the most wonderful time of the year, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are just around the corner and I am back with my predictions. It has been a strange season in the NHL, with the lockout and shortened season it has made it extremely close and down to the wire. As I wait for the East standings to be complete with the Ottawa-Boston game tonight, I look at the Western Conference Matchups:
1. Chicago Blackhawks vs. 8. Minnesota Wild
Chicago won the season series 2-0-1, they have never met in the Playoffs before
Players to Watch: CHI - Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith, Patrick Sharp. MIN - Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Ryan Suter, Charlie Coyle, Jason Pominville
X-Factor: CHI - Jonathan Toews. MIN - Zach Parise
Notes: The Hawks come into this series as the heavy favourites, having only lost 6 games in regulation and really dominating all of the West this season. The Wild just barely made the playoffs, winning their last game 3-1 over Colorado to clinch the 8th spot. The matchup is certainly intriguing, both teams have heavy firepower on offence and 2 good goalies in Crawford and Backstrom. However, the x-factor for the Wild could be injuries to 2 of their top forwards in Pominville and Heatley. Heatley is already done for the season, and Pominville's recent concussion is definitely an area of concern for Minnesota as they will need some youngsters like Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund to step up. The Hawks on the other hand will have the pressure of being the President's Trophy winners, and are looking to bring their regular season success into the playoffs
Prediction - The Hawks are too skilled for the Wild
(HAWKS in 5)
2. Anaheim Ducks vs. 7 Detroit Red Wings
Detroit won the season series 2-1-0, Detroit leads playoff history 3-2 vs Anaheim
Players to Watch: ANA - Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan, Teemu Selanne, Andrew Cogliano. DET - Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, Niklas Kronwall, Jimmy Howard
X-Factor: ANA - Ryan Getzlaf. DET - Pavel Datsyuk
Notes: This might be the most intriguing matchup of the 1st round, 2 teams that have won Stanley Cups in the last 10 years not to mention success this season. The Ducks had a phenomenal rebound year after a very disappointing one last season, and they had a very strong first half to secure the division and 2nd spot in the East. The Ducks rely heavily on their first line of Getzlaf-Perry-Ryan as well as the goalie tandem of Hiller/Fasth (although I expect Hiller to start in the playoffs). The Red Wings come in having made their 22nd straight playoffs, a remarkable feat for Mike Babcock's team. The Red Wings are used to being the favourite, and they definitely come into this series as the underdog. Regardless of who wins, this series is going to have some serious skill with both teams having top notch NHL players.
Prediction - The Red Wings are capable of pulling off the upset, but I believe the Ducks played too good this season to lose in the 1st round
(DUCKS in 7)
3. Vancouver Canucks vs. 6. San Jose Sharks
San Jose won the season series 3-0-0, Vancouver leads playoff history 1-0 vs. San Jose
Players to Watch: VAN - Ryan Kesler, Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, Derek Roy, Alexander Edler. SJS - Logan Couture, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Antii Niemi
X-Factor: VAN - Ryan Kesler. SJS - Logan Couture
Notes: The Canucks and Sharks have only met once in the playoffs before, with the Canucks beating the Sharks en route to the Stanley Cup back in 2011. The Sharks dominated the Canucks this season, winning all 3 games (3-2, 3-2, 4-1). The Canucks come in as the higher seed, but they have a lot of question marks and it starts in net, who plays? Cory Schneider has certainly made the case to be the starter, and will be given the nod for game #1, however the pressure will be on him to keep it because if he plays bad Roberto Luongo is waiting patiently like he has all season. The Canucks are not as dominant as they once were, and the goalie situation makes it harder on them to figure it out for the playoffs and avoid another 1st round loss. The Sharks have had an up and down season, but everyone knows the firepower they have on offence. The x-factor for the Sharks becomes Antii Niemi, who led the Hawks to the Cup in 2010 and had a Vezina-worth season this year, it will be up to him to carry the load for the Sharks
Prediction - For the 2nd straight year, the Vancouver Canucks are upset in the 1st round
(SHARKS in 4)
4. St. Louis Blues vs. 5. Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles won the season series 3-0-0, St. Louis leads playoff history 2-1
Players to Watch: STL - Alex Pietrangelo, David Backes, Chris Stewart, Alex Steen, Jay Bouwmeester. LAK - Dustin Brown, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Anze Kopitar, Jon Quick
X-Factor: STL - Alex Pietrangelo. LAK - Jon Quick
Notes: This might be the most exciting playoff series in the 1st round, certainly in the Western Conference. Simply put these teams hate each other; the Kings swept the Blues last year in the playoffs and there was some serious bad blood throughout the series. This carried over into this season, where the teams met 3 times and all 3 games you could tell how much each team hated the other. The Kings have had big success against the Blues, winning 7 straight games back to last years playoffs. The Kings have the tough task of defending their Stanley Cup of last season, and no one will be taking them as underdogs this year. They will rely heavily on the goaltending of Jon Quick as well as their top 6 of Kopitar-Brown-Willliams and Penner-Carter-Richards to take them back to the finals. The Blues are just looking for some revenge, they had a great season once again but find themselves with a tough matchup against a team that has dominated them. The Blues have the goalie tandem of Elliot/Halak, and it looks like Elliot will be the starter at first. The Blues need strong play from the pairing of Pietrangelo/Bouwmeester (Bouwmeester's first playoff game in 10 years), as well as contributions from all 4 lines to beat the Kings
Prediction - Either team could win, but I believe the Kings are too strong for the Blues once again
(KINGS in 6)
This would have Chicago (1), Anaheim (2), Los Angeles (5) and San Jose (6) moving on
The matchups would then look as follows:
1. Chicago Blackhawks vs. 6. San Jose Sharks and 2. Anaheim Ducks vs. 5. Los Angeles Kings
These are my 1st round predictions in the West, I will be back with the Eastern Conference preview as soon as the standings are set after Boston-Ottawa tonight
-Joel Forman - Stanley Cup Playoffs 2013
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