Western Conference Playoff Picks

1. San Jose Sharks vs. 8. Colorado Avalanche

Same scenario, yet hopefully a much different outcome for a very deep San Jose team. They faced a rather embarrassing 1st round exit at the hands of a California rival, The Anaheim Ducks. Not much has changed as now a young Avalanche squad comes in hungry along with a nothing-to-lose approach.

Colorado suddenly found itself in 8th place in what was possibly the deepest Western Conference race EVER (7 of the 8 playoff teams had 100+ points)! A young Colorado team that is on the rise awaits San Jose in round 1. The Avs were near the top of the West early on in the season, but were in freefall during the 2nd half and found themselves clinging to an 8th seed as of late.

It has been a changing of the guard for Colorado with new names like Paul Stastny, Matt Duchene and Chris Stewart replacing the likes of Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and Rob Blake. All in all, this was a huge turnaround for a team that finished last season in dead last in the West.

San Jose has also been able to spread its depth. With Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleu and Dany Heatley leading the way, the Sharks have to like their chances against a wily Colorado team that may be too young to realize the magnitude of the situation

This series will be won/lost where it counts, in the intangibles and coaching. Expect Special Teams to also play a major role in the outcome of this series. Ultimately, San Jose’s advantage in that particular department could be intricate when every game counts in April. Nabokov can steal a game himself, yet will not even have to do so.

These two teams split their season series and look to provide a rather entertaining 1-8 pairing for West Coast fans. San Jose will be a bit too much this season for their 8th seed opponent, they can not possibly get caught off guard again. Sharks in 6.

2. Chicago Blackhawks vs. 7. Nashville Predators

A 47-win team has reached the playoffs in the 7th spot under perennial Coach of The Year candidate Barry Trotz. This unselfish team is very talented and get it done year in and year out. Nashville spreads its scoring wealth around and with great balance they can actually give Chicago a series to ponder.

Chicago is a very intimidating team that is supported by a rabid fan base. The youth have taken control of the Blackhawks and have them heading back to the top. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews alone will deliver Cups to “The Windy City.” Their goaltender Antti Niemi has been a stonewall in Chicago’s net. Yet many have criticized their goaltending situation with Niemi and Cristobal Huet sharing time.

This will be a tighter series than many think with Nashville being a team that can potentially figure out and maybe even thwart Chicago’s gameplan. That being said, Nashville may frustrate Chicago to a certain extent, but do not expect much more than that as they are highly overmatched in this series.

These two squads boast top-flight blue-lines in the rugged Western Conference. Led by names like Duncan Keith, Brian Campbell and Shea Weber, each team has been able to shutdown top offenses all season long.

Chicago is built to win in the playoffs and set a franchise-record with 52 wins in the regular season. In fact, they are a team that will enjoy much success in the future as well, let the future begin now because this team is ready to take the next step. Blackhawks in 5.

3. Vancouver Canucks vs. 6. Los Angeles Kings

Roberto Luongo gives Vancouver an obvious edge in this series on paper. Though, the youthful Kings do not play on paper, they actually tend to thrive off of their inexperience in a sense and use their speed as a major asset.

There is an underlying balance in the L.A. arsenal that needs to break free if they are to advance against the battle-ready Canucks. The Brothers Sedin head a laundry list of scorers for the Canucks as they boast six 25-goal scorers. Do not underestimate the Kings though who had 11(!) 10 goal scorers this season. This should be a very intriguing match-up that is certainly favorable for each team.

The Anze Kopitar-led Kings have the correct formula to surprise in the playoffs and have given critics reason to believe that they will be in the playoff picture for years to come. Jonathan Quick’s emergence in goal was key to the turnaround. Also, the fact that a kid named Drew Doughty, currently 20 years of age, will lead his team in ice time once again and will be a Norris Trophy candidate this season.

Vancouver seems like the pick in this series on paper, but what is not to like about L.A. This will be tough to decide on and will be an absolute seesaw series that should be the best of the West. Both teams are hungry and are looking to solidify their spot among the elite. They may have to nearly dismantle each other to do so, but the end result will be as it was intended. Expect many close games in this back-and-forth series that will be quite interesting. Kings in 7.

4. Phoenix Coyotes vs. 5. Detroit Red Wings

This is a match-up that may turn a few heads as it will likely need a full slate of 7 games to decide as well. Phoenix, one of the better teams in the West all season long, has also been able to use its youth to its advantage, yet that concept is immediately abolished in drawing an opponent as deep and playoff-ready as Detroit.

Despite their losing 307 man games to injury, Detroit remained poised all season, knowing that if they got into the playoffs, they would be a threat to any opponent, especially a young team like Phoenix. Their depth carries on past their top lines and goes all throughout. Detroit has been the deepest team in the NHL for quite some time and even with injury, that does not change as talent can be replaced.

Detroit has the clear advantage on special teams, while PK is virtually identical, Detroit has a major advantage with the PP, which could ultimately help determine this series. Also add in that Detroit was the hottest team in the league after an Olympic Break which saw Coach Mike Babcock lead Team Canada to a Gold Medal.

Phoenix is also a very deep team that misses Scottie Upshall’s offensive presence. With other significant depth at both ends of the ice, the Coyotes actually could make a push in the West. That would be if they did not draw Detroit in round 1 of course. Their inability to score goals will hurt them in the long run, but remember this, Ilya Bryzgalov will not be the reason for a 1st round exit.

Being led by Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom and Jimmy Howard among numerous others, there is no shortage of talent by any means in HockeyTown, U.S.A. Once again, this time though as a low seed, Detroit is expected to win in these spring months. Not much should change again this year with a deeper, far more experienced Red Wing team will take this series. Not all things are easy though, especially with a feisty opponent such as Phoenix. Red Wings in 7.