Western Conference First Round Predictions

Got to bring back Hayden Panettiere

#1 Vancouver Canucks vs. #8 Chicago Blackhawks
Season series: Tied 2-2

Chicago Preview (Last ten: 5-4-1)
The Blackhawks are coming off a disappointing loss at home against the Red Wings where a win would have clinched a playoff spot. Obviously the Hawks aren't the same team that won the Cup last season. They're sans Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Brent Sopel, Nick Boyton, Kris Versteeg and Antti Niemi to name a few. The positive, though, is they still have now Stanley Cup winners Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa as well as Duncan Keith and Brian Campbell. The Hawks sit at No. 4 in the league on the man advantage, but are in the bottom third on the penalty kill. Goaltender Corey Crawford is also playing in his first playoff series. Will the pressure get to him?


Vancouver Preview (Last ten: 7-3-0)
The Canucks are the run-away best team in the NHL. They have talent all over the ice. Everyone knows the Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, but don't forget 41-goal scorer Ryan Kesler. Vancouver led the league in goals with 262, there's no doubt they can put the puck in the net. The Canucks also sport a tough, experienced defensive core with Sami Salo, Keith Ballard, Alex Edler, Dan Hamhuis, Kevin Bieska and Christian Ehrhoff. Surprisingly though, the wild card here may be their ever-solid goaltender, Roberto Luongo. Luongo had a 3.22 GAA in last season's playoffs and was anything but sharp.

The Hawks have knocked the Canucks out of the playoffs each of the past two seasons, but if Luongo can be the regular season Luongo, the Canucks should see the second round for the third straight season.

Prediction: Vancouver wins the series in 6

#2 San Jose Sharks vs. #7 Los Angeles Kings
Season series: Tied 3-3


Los Angeles Preview (Last ten: 6-4-0)
The Kings, had Justin Williams not gone down, may have been many folks' sleeper pick to come out of the Western Conference. But even without the former-Flyer, the Kings still have Anze Kopitar, captain Dustin Brown and deadline acquisition Dustin Penner. Veterans Michael Handzus and Ryan Smith will also provide some leadership on the front line. A solid defensive corps led by youngsters Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson (the Kings were the No. 4 PK unit in the league) with Jonathan Quick to man the pipes should prove to be a tough matchup for the Sharks.


San Jose Preview (Last ten: 7-2-1)
And then there's the Sharks. San Jose has finished first in the Pacific Division each of the last four years and first in the Western Conference in two of the last three. But aside from an appearance in the Western Conference Finals last season where they got swept by the eventual Stanley Cup winners, the Sharks haven't made much noise in the postseason. Everybody knows they have Joe Thorton, Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau, but they also have Calder Trophy candidate Logan Coture on offense who managed 32 goals on the season. Aside from veteran Dan Boyle, the Sharks don't have too many names on the blue line. After a hot start from Antero Niittymaki, last season's Cup-winning goaltender Antti Niemi ended up starting 34 consecutive games down the stretch for the Sharks and reached 30 wins for the first time in his career.

I want to pick the Kings here with all the talent they have out there on the West Coast Flyers, but being without Justin Williams, the Kings will have to wait one more year to make a Cup run.

Prediction: San Jose wins the series in 7

#3 Detroit Red Wings vs. #6 Phoenix Coyotes
Season series: Tied 2-2


Detroit Preview (Last ten: 4-4-2)
Well, here they are again. The Red Wings are back to where they've been basically as long as my hockey memory can go back. And it seems like every one of those years they've had Nick Lindstrom on the blue line, but they also have cup-winner Brian Rafalski, too. And who could forget Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen up front. And oh yeah, they have sophomore Jimmy Howard and his 37 wins in net. The Wings, as they have for a long time, boast one of the most talented teams in the Western Conference. Somewhat of a surprise though is the Wings' PK was near the middle of the pack at No. 17 in the league.

Phoenix Preview (Last ten: 5-3-2)
Can someone tell me who, besides Ilya Bryzgalov, is on the Coyotes? Please? Well they have captain Shane Doan who leads the team in scoring with only 20 goals (Detroit has 11 guys alone with double digit goals) and Norris Trophy candidate Keith Yandle on D. But to be honest, that's pretty much it as far as talent goes. The Coyotes seems to simply play well as a team, and that's why they find themselves in the playoffs.

The Wings ended the Coyotes' season last year in an exciting seven-game series. Can the 'Yotes return the favor this season? I doubt it.

Prediction: Detroit wins the series in 5

#4 Anaheim Ducks vs. #5 Nashville Predators
Season Series: 3-1 Nashville


Anaheim Preview (Last ten: 7-3-0)
After failing to qualify for the Playoffs last season, the Ducks are back and this time with MVP candidate Corey Perry. He's the league leader in goals with 50 and finished in the top-5 in scoring overall. Even after Perry, the Ducks still have big men Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan as well as the ageless wonder Teemu Selanne who had 31 goals and 80 points this season. The Anaheim defense doesn't have the same caliber of names the offense has (Lubomir Visnovsky and Toni Lydman lead the way), and they don't exactly know who their goaltender is going to be either (Jonas Hiller and Ray Emery are battling injuries, so Dan Ellis may be the Game 1 starter). The Ducks are going to look to slug their way to the second round, but against a Nashville team, that may be pretty tough.


Nashville Preview (Last ten: 7-2-1)
What can you really say about the Predators? They're a solid hockey team. They won't blow you away on the scoreboard, but they have six guys with at least 16 goals. Deadline acquisition Carrie Underwood...err...Mike Fisher is fitting in fairly well with an offense that already has Pat Hornqvist, Martin Erat, David Legwand and Sergei Kostitsyn. Nashville's defense is where they make their money, though. With one of the best defensemen in the league in Shea Weber along with Ryan Suter and Shane O'Brien, the Preds should be set on the back end. It also doesn't hurt that they have Veznia Trophy candidate, the 6-foot-5 monster, Pekka Rinne between the pipes. Rinne had 33 wins and a 2.12 GAA to go with the league's second best save percentage at .930.

I hate this matchup, but I love it at the same time. I think if either team played a different team in the first round, I'd pick them both to advance, but alas I can only choose one. It's a toss up, and I hope it's a classic.
Prediction: Anaheim wins the series in 7

Western Conference First Round Predictions

#1 San Jose Sharks vs. #8 Colorado Avalanche
Season Series: 3-1 San Jose

Colorado is 3-5-2 in their last ten games and San Jose is 8-1-1 and winners of three straight. The Sharks have the always solid Evgeni Nabokov in net while the Avs have career journeyman Craig Anderson.

The Avalanche are an up-and-coming team with a ton of young, skilled players such as Paul Stastny and Matt Duchene. Plus, they also have the veteran presence a team needs in the playoffs in Milan Hejduk. The Sharks on the other hand, seem to have a never-ending supply of talent. They have the perennial top tier guys in Joe Thorton, Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau. But they also have 20+ goal scorers in Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi. The Sharks have been a playoff disappointment for the past couple of years and they think this year will be different.Will it?
Prediction: San Jose wins the series in 4

#2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #7 Nashville Predators
Season Series: 4-2 Chicago

Both teams are 6-3-1 in their last ten games. The Blackhawks have won six out of their last seven, their only loss coming in their most recent game against Red Wings in overtime. Nashville will have Pekka Rinne to man the pipes while Chicago will be sending out the relatively young Antti Niemi over the veteran Cristobal Huet.

The Hawks were many scout's and analyst's pick to win the Cup this year. They have the offensive talent to compete with any club in the league. Led by third year forward Patrick Kane, Chicago has captain Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa all with 24+ goals. Nashville has five forwards with more than 15 goals, but only two exceeding 20 with sophomore Patrick Hornqvist leading the team with 30. Assistant captain Shea Weber (yes, the same Shea Weber who shot the puck through the net in the Olympics) and Ryan Suter are the team's top d-men and are looking to take the Preds past the quarterfinal round for the first time in franchise history. Defense is Nashville's unquestioned strength, but will it be enough to power the Predators past the high-flying Chicago offense? 
Prediction: Chicago wins the series in 5

#3 Vancouver Canucks vs. #6 Los Angeles Kings
Season Series: 3-1 Vancouver

Neither team has been playing particularly well lately. The Canucks are 5-4-1 in their last ten and Los Angeles is 4-3-3 over the same span. Neither team's goaltender has been lighting it up either. Roberto Luongo has struggled since the Olympic break and after starting off great at the beginning of the season, Jonathan Quick hasn't won since March 22nd.

Vancouver has the league's Art Ross Trophy winner for most points in the season in the form of Henrik Sedin. He's a crazy-good assist man, notching 83 helpers this season. The Canucks have six forwards with 25+ goals and two who have over 30, with Alexandre Burrows leading the pack with 35. Vancouver has a solid defensive core led by silent killers Christian Ehrhoff and Alexander Edler. The Kings may have them topped though. They have Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty, the team's second leading scorer with 59 points, and they have one of last year's Stanley Cup winners, Rob Scuderi, to round out the D. The King's offense ain't too shabby either. Anze Kopitar and youngster Dustin Brown led the team in goals netting 34 and 24 respectively. They have a talented veteran presence as well with Ryan Smyth, Michal Handzus and another Stanley Cup winner in Justin Williams rounding out the troops. But can that experience and skill be enough for LA to complete the upset? 
Prediction: Los Angeles wins the series in 6

#4 Phoenix Coyotes vs. #5 Detroit Red Wings
Season Series: Tied 2-2

Phoenix is 5-3-2 over their last ten games and Detroit is 8-1-1 and winners of three straight. The Red Wings will start rookie netminder Jimmy Howard who won 37 games this year. And the Coyotes will have MVP-candidate Ilya Bryzgalov with his 42 wins, 2.20 GAA and .920 save percentage in goal.

Phoenix was quite possibly the league's biggest surprise. Few expected the Yotes to be where they are, especially amidst all of the rumors of the team relocating to Winnipeg. They don't have the league's most potent offense; their leading scorer Radim Vrbata has only 24 goals. And Phoenix lost one of their best wingers when Scottie Upshall went down with an injury in January. Their defense is nothing to write home about either, but they've managed to get it done. The Wings on the other hand struggled early on in the season and many wondered if they would even make the postseason. But they have completely turned things around, getting hot at the right time and becoming the team no one wanted to face. They're 17-3-2 over their last 22 games and coach Mike Babcock has Detroit playing with a vengeance. The Wings have a very formidable offensive attack with Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and Tomas Holmstrom; all of whom were in Detroit when the team won the cup in 2008 (and lost in 2009). They have one of the most experienced blue lines in the entire NHL. Captain Nicklas Lindstrom and Brian Rafalski have both won multiple Stanley Cups in their careers and are looking to win it again this year. It's going to be nearly impossible to root against the Coyotes with the way they have exceeded expectations this year. But rooting for a team and picking them to win is a different story.
Prediction: Detroit wins the series in 5