The opening round of the 2012 NHL Playoffs begins Wednesday night as the Flyers travel to Pittsburgh to play the Penguins, the Predators host the Red Wings, and the President’s Cup winning Canucks host the LA Kings. It will mark the start of a month and a half of playoff hockey, and here are the keys and predictions for the opening round.
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1] Canucks vs. 8] Kings
The Canucks have been here before; the top team in the Western Conference with expectations at the highest level. The Kings are a tough team to figure out, as the talent appears to be there but the scoring hasn’t been there. However, Jonathan Quick has been as good as any goaltender in the league this year, posting a 1.95 GAA and a .929 save percentage. The Kings have allowed only 179 goals this season, second to only the Blues in the West. However, Roberto Luongo, while not always consistent in the playoffs, is an experienced playoff goaltender, and the Canucks are so talented. The team’s +51 goal differential is extremely impressive, and the Canucks will pull away and win this series after an early push by the Kings.
Prediction: Canucks win in 6 games.
4] Predators vs. 5] Red Wings
This series will be as exciting as any in the first round. Pekka Rinne and the Predators have been the most consistent team in the NHL not to have advanced deep into the playoffs in recent years, as last year was the first playoff series that the franchise ever won. With the in-season addition of Alexander Radulov from Russia, the Preds are trying to put more offense on the ice, as the defense of Ryan Suter and Shea Weber is one of the best combinations in the NHL. The Red Wings are led by the leadership of Pavel Datsyuk as well as Jimmy Howard in net, who has been injured at times this season but will play in this series. There isn’t much differential between the talent on these teams, and one should expect a very entertaining series.
Prediction: Nashville will win an emotional series that could prime a run through the Western Conference, and will win in 7 games.
3] Coyotes vs. 6] Blackhawks
Just like the 3-6 matchup in the Eastern Conference, the 6 seed, Chicago, has more points than Phoenix. A week ago, Phoenix was worried about even making the playoffs, but a few late season wins and a fall-off by Dallas primed them for the 3 seed. In addition, the Coyotes went 7-1-2 in the last ten regular season games and enter the series hot. However, Chicago has a lot of firepower that has been untapped this season, and the team has more in the tank then it showed this year. Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane will have a strong series and will be good enough in net for Chicago to win.
Prediction: Chicago wins in 5 games.
2] Blues vs. 7] Sharks
St. Louis has been the feel-good story this season behind the goaltending of Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott, who have been trading time all year in net, and both of whom have a GAA under 2. San Jose has traditionally been a top seed that has disappointed in the playoffs, but this year is looking instead to make a deep run as a low seed. However, the Sharks have been too inconsistent this season, and St. Louis has an impressive +45 goal differential.
Prediction: St. Louis wins in 6 games.
Check out the Eastern Conference First Round Preview.