Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks
We’ve all heard it already. For Vancouver, drawing the defending champs in the opening round could be the best thing for them if they win and clearly the worst thing possible if they lose. Much like the 1-8 match-up in the East, the top-seeded Canucks would win this series on paper every single time. This is not the same Hawks team that we’ve seen in the past couple of years. The biggest difference between the Caps vs. Rangers and this series is that the Canucks have to fight the demons that have no doubt been spending time in their heads after repeated eliminations by Chicago in previous playoffs. I think this team is good enough though and they get past Round 1
Pick: Vancouver in 6
San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings
We talked so much about the mental aspect for the Canucks in the previous breakdown. How the Sharks are feeling between the ears will go a long way to telling us how they’ll do this time around. As opposed to years previous where a lot was expected of the Northern California team, this year’s edition has flown under the radar and aren’t really being talked about as Stanley Cup contenders. The lack of expectations has to be a nice change of pace. On the other side, it’s been an inconsistent year for the Kings and in a lot of ways, the team either stagnated or got worse. Combine that with the injury concerns that they have entering the playoffs and it could be a quick exit.
Pick: San Jose in 5
Detroit Red Wings vs. Phoenix Coyotes
Last season’s opening round series was a classic. Despite the fact the Wings were able to take the series, many believe that the Coyotes took so much energy out of them that they had nothing left for the second round. We could be in for another fight for this year’s first-round match-up. The Wings come into the series with many injury concerns and may not be the same team that dominated the regular season. No one is talking about the Coyotes because everyone is focusing on whether or not this team will even be in the desert next season due to financial problems. In the end, the depth and experience of the Wings should get them through again, but could the grind of Round 1 force them to suffer the same fate that led to their demise last season?
Pick: Detroit in 7
Anaheim Ducks vs. Nashville Predators
This is another tough match-up to figure out because both teams were inconsistent at times during the regular season. At one point, neither team looked like they were going to make it to the post-season dance. However, both teams made a great late-season push in order to get themselves in. A couple of questions for the Ducks: 1) Can they get production from players other than Perry/Getzlaf/Ryan? Teemu Selanne had a great end to the year, but can he continue that pace alongside another veteran in Saku Koivu? 2) Can they get competent goaltending? For the Preds, can they stop that top line of Anaheim and get consistent scoring over the seven-game series?
Pick: Anaheim in 7