No. 1 Vancouver Canucks (-190) vs. No. 8 Los Angeles Kings (+165)
The Canucks have picked the right time to play their best hockey. Vancouver earned its second consecutive President’s Trophy by winning eight of its last 10 games, allowing just 16 goals over that stretch.
The two clubs split the season series, with the Kings out-shooting the Canucks in three of the four games. The Kings’ penalty kill was the fourth best in the league but will be tested by the fourth-most dangerous power play.
Daniel Sedin’s status for this series remains up in the air. There have been reports that Sedin is skating by himself and that he will likely return in the first round. Goaltender Roberto Luongo will start the playoffs for the Canucks but the team won’t hesitate to turn to Cory Schneider, who finished the season with a 1.96 GAA and a .937 save percentage.
Anze Kopitar and Co. have been struggling offensively all season and if that doesn’t change they won’t have a shot at stopping the Canucks.
Season Series: Vancouver (2-1-1), Los Angeles (2-2)
Series prediction: Canucks in six games
No. 2 St. Louis Blues (-150) vs. No. 7 San Jose Sharks (+130)
St. Louis dominated a number of teams this season and the San Jose Sharks were no exceptions. The Blues won all four meetings between the two clubs, shutting them out twice and outscoring the Sharks 11-3.
The Blues are by far the stingiest club in the league allowing just 165 goals which lead to Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott sharing the William Jennings Trophy. But Ken Hitchcock’s club isn’t exactly riding a high heading into the playoffs. The Blues dropped four of their last five games allowing the Canucks to lock up the top spot in the Western Conference.
San Jose swept home-and-home series with both Dallas and Los Angeles to secure seventh place in the West but has been far too inconsistent in 2012. The bottom line in this series is that the Blues are simply too good on home ice (30-6-1-4) for the Sharks to have a legitimate shot of winning four games.
Season Series: St. Louis (4-0), San Jose (0-4)
Series prediction: Blues in five games
No. 3 Phoenix Coyotes (+120) vs. No. 6 Chicago Blackhawks (-130)
You won’t find a goaltender playing better than the Coyotes’ Mike Smith. Smith allowed just two goals in his last five games, powering the Coyotes to their first division title.
"He's embraced the No. 1 goaltender role with our team and he's played excellent," Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett told reporters. "He had a few games there where he was basically willing us into the playoffs. His game is top-notch right now. Hopefully it goes into the playoffs and that continues."
Smith won all three games he started against the Blackhawks this season. Chicago picked up a victory the one time they faced backup Jason Labarbera.
At the other end of the ice, bettors will likely see both Corey Crawford and Ray Emery at some point. Chicago finished 22nd in goals against but relied on a lethal offense to finish sixth in the conference.
Chicago captain Jonathan Toews missed the final 22 games of the regular season with a concussion and, at this point, there are no guarantees he returns for this series.
Season Series: Phoenix (3-1), Chicago (2-2)
Series prediction: Coyotes in six games
No. 4 Nashville Predators (+105) vs. No. 5 Detroit Red Wings (-125)
While it wasn’t confirmed until the Red Wings picked up a point against the Blackhawks Saturday, everyone had been expecting to see this matchup for the past month.
It was critical for the Predators to finish fourth in the West and keep the Red Wings away from home-ice advantage. Detroit has the worst road record (17-21-2-1) of any playoff team. The Predators are a respectable 26-10-2-3 at home.
Shea Weber’s heavy shot anchors the deadliest power-play unit in the league, firing at a 21.6-percent clip. Late-season addition Alexander Radulov has made the power play even more dangerous with seven points in nine games since joining the team.
The Red Wings lead the league in even-strength goals, with a 1.44 for/against ratio. If the two sides stay out of the penalty box, Detroit could have the advantage. It also has much more playoff experience than the Predators.
Much like the rest of this series, the goaltenders are evenly matched. Pekka Rinne had a league-best 43 wins during the regular season but Jimmy Howard’s GAA was significantly better with their save percentages looking nearly identical.
Season Series: Nashville (3-3), Detroit (3-3)
Series prediction: Predators in seven games
The Canucks have picked the right time to play their best hockey. Vancouver earned its second consecutive President’s Trophy by winning eight of its last 10 games, allowing just 16 goals over that stretch.
The two clubs split the season series, with the Kings out-shooting the Canucks in three of the four games. The Kings’ penalty kill was the fourth best in the league but will be tested by the fourth-most dangerous power play.
Daniel Sedin’s status for this series remains up in the air. There have been reports that Sedin is skating by himself and that he will likely return in the first round. Goaltender Roberto Luongo will start the playoffs for the Canucks but the team won’t hesitate to turn to Cory Schneider, who finished the season with a 1.96 GAA and a .937 save percentage.
Anze Kopitar and Co. have been struggling offensively all season and if that doesn’t change they won’t have a shot at stopping the Canucks.
Season Series: Vancouver (2-1-1), Los Angeles (2-2)
Series prediction: Canucks in six games
No. 2 St. Louis Blues (-150) vs. No. 7 San Jose Sharks (+130)
St. Louis dominated a number of teams this season and the San Jose Sharks were no exceptions. The Blues won all four meetings between the two clubs, shutting them out twice and outscoring the Sharks 11-3.
The Blues are by far the stingiest club in the league allowing just 165 goals which lead to Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott sharing the William Jennings Trophy. But Ken Hitchcock’s club isn’t exactly riding a high heading into the playoffs. The Blues dropped four of their last five games allowing the Canucks to lock up the top spot in the Western Conference.
San Jose swept home-and-home series with both Dallas and Los Angeles to secure seventh place in the West but has been far too inconsistent in 2012. The bottom line in this series is that the Blues are simply too good on home ice (30-6-1-4) for the Sharks to have a legitimate shot of winning four games.
Season Series: St. Louis (4-0), San Jose (0-4)
Series prediction: Blues in five games
No. 3 Phoenix Coyotes (+120) vs. No. 6 Chicago Blackhawks (-130)
You won’t find a goaltender playing better than the Coyotes’ Mike Smith. Smith allowed just two goals in his last five games, powering the Coyotes to their first division title.
"He's embraced the No. 1 goaltender role with our team and he's played excellent," Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett told reporters. "He had a few games there where he was basically willing us into the playoffs. His game is top-notch right now. Hopefully it goes into the playoffs and that continues."
Smith won all three games he started against the Blackhawks this season. Chicago picked up a victory the one time they faced backup Jason Labarbera.
At the other end of the ice, bettors will likely see both Corey Crawford and Ray Emery at some point. Chicago finished 22nd in goals against but relied on a lethal offense to finish sixth in the conference.
Chicago captain Jonathan Toews missed the final 22 games of the regular season with a concussion and, at this point, there are no guarantees he returns for this series.
Season Series: Phoenix (3-1), Chicago (2-2)
Series prediction: Coyotes in six games
No. 4 Nashville Predators (+105) vs. No. 5 Detroit Red Wings (-125)
While it wasn’t confirmed until the Red Wings picked up a point against the Blackhawks Saturday, everyone had been expecting to see this matchup for the past month.
It was critical for the Predators to finish fourth in the West and keep the Red Wings away from home-ice advantage. Detroit has the worst road record (17-21-2-1) of any playoff team. The Predators are a respectable 26-10-2-3 at home.
Shea Weber’s heavy shot anchors the deadliest power-play unit in the league, firing at a 21.6-percent clip. Late-season addition Alexander Radulov has made the power play even more dangerous with seven points in nine games since joining the team.
The Red Wings lead the league in even-strength goals, with a 1.44 for/against ratio. If the two sides stay out of the penalty box, Detroit could have the advantage. It also has much more playoff experience than the Predators.
Much like the rest of this series, the goaltenders are evenly matched. Pekka Rinne had a league-best 43 wins during the regular season but Jimmy Howard’s GAA was significantly better with their save percentages looking nearly identical.
Season Series: Nashville (3-3), Detroit (3-3)
Series prediction: Predators in seven games
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