With the NHL playoffs set to begin tonight, the Daily makes sense of the four Western Conference showdowns:
No. 1 Vancouver Canucks vs. No. 8 Chicago Blackhawks
(Regular season head-to-head: Canucks 2-1-1/'Hawks 2-2-0): The Canucks, though beset by recent injuries, have rolled through the final few weeks of the regular season as the clear Cup favorite, at least on paper. They own the Presidents' Trophy for the best regular-season record and the No. 1 seed that will guarantee them home-ice advantage until the Stanley Cup Finals, should they get there.
That being said, this matchup is something of a worst-case scenario for the league's best team. The Chicago Blackhawks, who eliminated the Canucks in six games in the Western Conference semifinals last year, almost didn't make it into the playoffs — they stumbled in on the last day of the regular season thanks to a bit of choke artistry by the Dallas Stars. But now they're in, and they're going to be hungry.
This is a different-looking Chicago team than the one that won the Stanley Cup last season, and its offense has struggled in recent weeks. But the team's core — forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, the captain — is still a deadly force in high-pressure situations. The goaltending is the key here: All-Star Roberto Luongo faces off against Corey Crawford, who is in his first season with the Hawks.
Expect the Hawks to give Vancouver some trouble, but if needed, Luongo is capable of putting the team on his back to carry them through to round two.
Prediction: Canucks in six
No. 2 San Jose Sharks vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Kings
(Regular season head-to-head: Sharks 3-1-2/Kings 3-3-0): The San Jose Sharks have earned, over the better part of a decade, a reputation for sparkling regular seasons followed by bitter playoff underachievement. Last year marked an improvement over years past — the Sharks made it to the conference finals before being swept out by Chicago.
Led by captain Joe Thornton and winger Dany Heatley, they're a perennial contender. But like the Canucks, they can't afford to take their first-round opponent lightly.
The Sharks face the Kings in a contest that involves two of the three playoff-bound California teams. The Kings have a young, promising core of players, but their biggest star, 25-goal-scorer and alternate captain Anze Kopitar, is done for the season with an ankle injury sustained at the end of March. It's a devastating blow to the team's long-term playoff prospects.
The two teams more or less evenly split the season series, so it could be a toss-up. But San Jose's playoff experience and veteran core outclasses a young Los Angeles roster, and if the Sharks show up firing on all cylinders, it'll be a short series.
Prediction: Sharks in five
No. 3 Detroit Red Wings vs. No. 6 Phoenix Coyotes
(Regular season head-to-head: Detroit 2-1-1/Phoenix 2-0-2): All of the Western Conference playoff matchups are tough to predict, the end result of a wild ride through the second half of the regular season. This series, however, could be the one with the most upset potential.
From defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom to forwards Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holmstrom, the Red Wings boast one of the most accomplished veteran rosters, stocked with players who will be in the Hall of Fame conversation at the conclusion of their careers. The only problem is that those same players are getting older. Datsyuk, at 32, is relatively young: Lidstrom and Holmstrom are 40 and 38, respectively. Experience matters in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but age can be a liability, too — it's a grueling haul from the first round through the Cup finals.
Phoenix is a disciplined team backstopped by goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, who posted a .921 save percentage this past regular season.
Led by captain Shane Doan, the Coyotes fought the Red Wings for seven games in the first round of the playoffs last year. Expect this one to be just as tough, but Detroit's age may finally catch up with them this time around.
Prediction: Coyotes in six
No. 4 Anaheim Ducks vs. No. 5 Nashville Predators
(Regular season head-to-head: Ducks 1-3-0/Predators 3-1-0): The Ducks' resurgence over the second half has put much of the Western Conference on notice. Winger Corey Perry exploded for 50 goals this year, shattering a career high for him and prompting speculation that he'll end up a Hart Trophy nominee.
The seemingly ageless Teemu Selanne, in the league since the 1992-93 season, reached 80 points. Even with the loss of top goaltender Jonas Hiller for the season, Ray Emery and Dan Ellis have stepped up to share the workload, and the team's gone 14-5 since March 1.
Their first-round opponent, the Predators, have fought for respect ever since their entry into the league in 1997. As a small-market team, the Predators don't tend to attract a lot of national attention, but they've quietly made the playoffs six of the past seven seasons.
Of course, they've lost in the first round all of those times. But the Predators are primed this season to stop the Ducks in their tracks and earn their first playoff series win. Goaltender Pekka Rinne is realizing his potential, posting an impressive .930 save percentage and a 2.12 goals-against-average.
Led by captain and Canadian Olympic team member Shea Weber, Nashville has a blue-collar roster that can outwork the Ducks, and Rinne has the potential to shut down Anaheim's high-flying offense.
Prediction: Predators in seven
Conference Finalist: San Jose Sharks
Winner: Sharks in seven
Conn Smythe Trophy: Patrick Marleau
