NHL Playoffs Preview, Part I

     It's almost that time of year again. The best time of the year: the NHL playoffs!! We're about 2 weeks away from the start of the playoffs, and this year is going to be a good one!! It's the first year of a new playoff format. It's a little confusing, so I'll do my best to explain it, for those who aren't up to speed. The top three teams in each of the four divisions will automatically qualify for the playoffs. After that, the remaining two spots are "Wild Cards," and could belong to either of the divisions in a given conference. The lower seed between the two Wild Cards will play the highest seeded division winner (so in theory, the Minnesota Wild, who play in the Central Division, could win the Pacific Division tournament).

     Because the season isn't yet over and the playoff seeds aren't locked into stone, I've taken into account current positioning, along with remaining schedules to break down who's in, who's out, and who I think will advance to the Stanley Cup.  This week, I will be posting my predictions on the Western Conference matchups. Next week’s post will look at the Eastern Conference and give a Cup prediction. Again, this is by NO means official, and is only accurate with stats up to 11/26/14. 


WHO'S IN:
   
WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Central Division:

St. Louis Blues
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Phoenix Coyotes (on Wild Card)

      In the first round, we would have St. Louis vs. Phoenix and Colorado vs. Chicago. St Louis should be able to get by a Phoenix team that is dealing with a few health questions. The Blues are the more physical team, block more shots, score more goals, and have one of the best goaltenders in the league in Ryan Miller (Brian Elliott is a capable backup as well, should something happen to Miller). St. Louis could sweep this series, but I’ll be generous and say Phoenix will take a game at home. Blues win the series in 5 games.

     The Colorado-Chicago series may be the best matchup of the entire first round of the playoffs. The Avalanche are a skilled young team, who not only have speed on their side, but also seem to have had the Hawks' number the last few seasons. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are the defending Stanley Cup Champions. They have had a lot of ups and downs this year, playing 20 overtime games in which they have not scored a goal (which is the worst in the NHL for that statistic). They are 5-15 in games that have gone to overtime this year, and their last shootout win was in November. I think this series will go to Game 7, but the defending Blackhawks on home ice will take the series (however, if Colorado has home ice for Game 7, which is entirely possible given how close the standings are at the moment, I would pick Colorado at home; this series is really a toss-up). 

     The Central Division Championship series, based on these predictions, would be between the Blues and the Blackhawks. One of the oldest and best rivalries in hockey, this would be a hard-fought series. I give the nod to the Blues in this one, solely due to Ryan Miller. He is still one of the top goaltenders in the NHL, and his presence has solidified the Blues as the Cup favorite moving forward. I think the Blues will knock the Blackhawks out in 6 games and be the Central Division tournament champions.




Pacific Division:

San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks
Los Angeles Kings
Minnesota Wild (on Wild Card)


     The Pacific Division race is almost as tight as the Central Division race. The Sharks are heating up down the stretch, and Anaheim has a 25-7-4 home record, which is one of the best home records in the league this year. LA won the Cup two years ago, and is still a powerful team. The Minnesota Wild, easily the youngest of these playoff teams, is a team who, in the words of Forrest Gump, are, "...like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." 

     The first round matchups would be Minnesota vs. San Jose and LA vs. Anaheim. As much as I would like to see my hometown Minnesota Wild advance, I just can't see them getting by a good Sharks team, especially given the plethora of injuries the Wild are dealing with at the moment. The Sharks' up-tempo offense will light up a Minnesota team relying on their third- and fourth-string goaltenders. Sharks in 5.

     In the other matchup, I'm taking the Ducks over the Kings. The Ducks are 4th in the league in scoring, and while the Kings have the second-best Goals Against total in the NHL, I don't think they can keep up with the high-powered offense of the Ducks. However, two years ago, when the Kings won the Stanley Cup, Jonathan Quick, an outstanding goaltender as well, was able to carry the Kings to the Stanley Cup, losing just 4 games en route to a Championship. While he has the potential to carry the Kings, and should make this series interesting, I don't think he can repeat his magnificent 2012 performance. Ducks in 6.

     Now this is where things get interesting. 

     In the second round matchup, theoretically, we have the Ducks vs. the Sharks. While the Sharks are currently the higher seed, they always seem to find a way to lose in the playoffs. I think the trend will continue this year, with Anaheim taking the series in 6 games. The Ducks play a more physical style of hockey, and I don’t think the Sharks can match the physical play. Additionally, this will likely be Anaheim forward Teemu Selanne's last year in the NHL. Selanne has continued to impress this year at the age of 43. His play carried Team Finland to a bronze medal in the 2014 Sochi Olympics. I think Selanne and the Ducks will upset the Sharks and be the Pacific Division Champions.

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS:

Anaheim Ducks vs. St. Louis Blues

     If this is the Western Conference finals matchup, get your popcorn ready. This is going to be a great one. Both teams are quite physical, score a lot of goals, get good play out of their goaltenders, and do a good job of blocking shots. There should be plenty of big hits, great saves, and highlight-reel goals to go around. Similar to before, I think Ryan Miller will be the X-factor for the Blues. He’s good enough to carry them all the way to the Cup. In a tightly contested series, I have the Blues winning in 7 games, and advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. 


-DB