There's been a lot of great hockey that's been played to get us where we are during the course of the season. We have division rivals batteling, some new playoff matches that haven't been seen in quite some time and some teams that really surprised you by making the playoffs. So without further ado, here's the matchups for the opening round as well as the date and times of each game, and predictions for each matchup.
We Start in the Western Conference.
Colorado Avalanche vs. Minnesota Wild
The Avs enter the playoffs with 112 points, 2nd best in the Western Conference, 3nd best in the league, just 5 points behind the Boston Bruins. This is the highest point total for Colorado since they hit the 100 point mark in 2003-04. That year the Avs were bounced in the 2nd round by the Sharks. This is also the first division title for the Avs since 2002-03. Colorado has hit more than 110 points in a season once before, that was in 2000-01 when they won 52 games and had 118 points. That season was the last time the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup. Minnesota enters in with 98 points, which was good enough for the last wild card spot in the West, which just goes to show you how dominate the West was this year. This marks the 2nd straight year the Wild have made the playoffs, they were bounced in the first round last year by the Blackhawks. The 98 points the team had marks just the 2nd time in franchise history they've hit that mark, last time was in 2007-08 when they won the division.
This is the third playoff meeting for these two teams; the Wild earned a seven-game series victory in the 2003 Western Conference Quarterfinals, while the Avalanche earned a six-game series victory in the 2008 Western Conference Quarterfinals. The Avalanche won four of the five games in this year's regular season series.
Here's the date and times of the games between Minnesota and Colorado:
April 17 Minnesota Wild 9:30 p.m. Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center
April 19 Minnesota Wild 9:30 p.m. Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center
April 21 Colorado Avalanche 7:00 p.m. Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center
April 24 Colorado Avalanche 9:30 p.m. Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center
April 26 Minnesota Wild TBD Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center
April 28 Colorado Avalanche TBD Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center
April 30 Minnesota Wild TBD Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center
Colorado has been getting balanced scoring from everybody in their lineup, with the likes of Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog leading the offensive charge. Semyon Varlamov has played outstanding in the net for the Avs, making this a very successful season for rookie head coach Patrick Roy. Lets not sleep on the Wild here, they are a very talented hockey team. Goaltending has been a bit of an issue for the Wild, as they have had to use five different netminders. Josh Harding and Nick Backstrom have missed time do to injuries this year, leaving the Wild to scramble to find goalies. But they have managed to pull it together. scoring has been pretty balanced for the Wild, with Jason Pominville and Zach Parise leading the charge.
Colorado has owned the Wild during the regular season, taking four of the five games this year. Minnesota will put up a good fight, they may take a couple of games at home but I'll take Colorado in 6!
St Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks
For the 3rd year in a row the St. Louis Blues are back in the playoffs, and for the 2nd time in three seasons the Blues have cracked the 100 point mark. St. Louis finished the year with 111 points, 2nd highest point total in club history, they finished with 114 and a division title before being bounced in the first round in 1999-00. St Louis is looking to capture their 1st Cup in franchise history. In fact the Blues are looking to get out of the 2nd round, something they have not done since the 2000-01 season. As for the Blackhawks, they are the defending Stanley Cup Champions, finishing the season with 107 points. This is the 5th straight year the Blackhawks have made the playoffs, winning two Cups. This was the eleventh playoff meeting for these two teams, with Chicago having won seven of the ten previous series. Their most recent meeting was in the 2002 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which St. Louis won in five games. The Blues won three of the five games in this year's regular season series.
Here's the date and times for the games in this series:
April 17 Chicago Blackhawks 8:00 p.m. St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
April 19 Chicago Blackhawks 3:00 p.m. St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
April 21 St. Louis Blues 8:30 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks United Center
April 23 St. Louis Blues 9:30 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks United Center
April 25 Chicago Blackhawks 8:00 p.m. St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
April 27 St. Louis Blues 3:00 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks United Center
April 29 Chicago Blackhawks TBD St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
Heading into the series, the Blues come in a little bit banged up, with key players like Brendan Morrow and TJ Oshie questionable for the start of the series. There's no doubt that the Blackhawks can score goals, that has never been in question. But what is in question is goaltending and defense. The Hawks are solid in net and on the blueline, but its not as solid as it was at this time last year. Its going to be a long series, going six games at least. But the Hawks have been one of the best teams all year long and they move on.Blackhawks in 6!
Dallas Stars vs. Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks had the best record in the Western Conference with 53 wins and 114 points, two points better than Colorado and two points back of Boston for best record in the league. This is the best point total for the Ducks in team history, and the 2nd time ever they have cracked 110 points. Last time they did that was 2007 when they won the Stanley Cup. In team history the Ducks are 11-8 all time in series, heading to the finals twice winning the cup once. Dallas comes in as the 2nd wild card team, finishing the year with 91 points. This marks the first playoff appearance for the Stars since 2007-08. All time in the playoffs, the Stars are 14-11 with two trips to the finals, winning in 1999 and falling just short in 2000. This was the third playoff meeting for these two franchises; the Mighty Ducks earned a six-game series victory in the 2003 Western Conference Semifinals, while the Stars earned a six-game series victory in the 2008 Western Conference Quarterfinals. The Stars won two of the three games in this year's regular season series.
Here's the date and times for games played in this series:
April 16 Dallas Stars 10:00 p.m. Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
April 18 Dallas Stars 10:00 p.m. Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
April 21 Anaheim Ducks 9:30 p.m. Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
April 23 Anaheim Ducks 8:00 p.m. Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
April 25 Dallas Stars 10:30 p.m. Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
April 27 Anaheim Ducks TBD Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
April 29 Dallas Stars TBD Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
Both the Stars and Ducks have talent heavy hockey clubs. Anaheim's dynamic duo of Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf where able to outpace the Stars duo of Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin by six points. What it's really going to come down to in this series is going to be goaltending. I feel more comfortable right now with Kari Lehtonen and Tim Thomas in the Stars nets than I do Jonas Hiller and whoever else in the Ducks nets. Both teams are good and this series will go a full seven games but Anaheim will prove to be too much for Dallas. Ducks take it in 7 games!
San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings
The battle of California set to take place in the opening round. San Jose comes into the opening round with 11 points, making the playoffs for the 10th year in a row. Not including the year of the lockout, San Jose last missed the playoffs in 2002-03. San Jose is 14-16 all time in the playoffs, never once playing in the Cup Finals. As far the Kings, they come in with 100 points, 2nd time they've hit that mark in the last five seasons. LA has made the playoffs each of the last five years, winning the cup two years ago and going to the West finals last year. This is also the 4th time in the last five years the Kings have won 40+ games, the only time they didn't was last year, the lockout shortened season. LA is 17-26 all time in the playoffs. This was the third playoff meeting for these two teams; the Sharks earned a six-game series victory in the 2011 Western Conference Quarterfinals, while the Kings earned a seven-game series victory in the 2013 Western Conference Semifinals. The Kings won three of the five games in this year's regular season series.
Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 17 Los Angeles Kings 10:30 p.m. San Jose Sharks SAP Center
April 20 Los Angeles Kings 10:00 p.m. San Jose Sharks SAP Center
April 22 San Jose Sharks 10:00 p.m. Los Angeles Kings Staples Center
April 24 San Jose Sharks 10:30 p.m. Los Angeles Kings Staples Center
April 26 Los Angeles Kings TBD San Jose Sharks SAP Center
April 28 San Jose Sharks TBD Los Angeles Kings Staples Center
April 30 Los Angeles Kings TBD San Jose Sharks SAP Center
Things are getting tight in the city by the bay. San Jose always seems like they are on the cusp of breaking through but they always somehow fall short. They still have their core of big guns with Boyle and Thornton and Marleau. In place is a solid supporting cast of Pavelski, and Hertl, and Couture and Burns. So the Sharks have plenty of talent. So to do the Kings, lets not sleep on LA here, they too finished over 100 points. They have just as balanced a lineup as San Jose does. This is going to be the toughest series to pick but I think the Kings come up short as they won't be able to match the firepower of the Sharks. San Jose takes it in 7 games!
Now we move on to the Eastern Conference.
Boston Bruins vs. Detroit Red Wings
This is a perfect example of how the new divisions can make for some interesting, and fun to watch, playoff matchups. Boston is the Presidents trophy winners, finishing the season with 117 points, the first time the Bruins have won the Presidents trophy since 1989-90. This will mark the 7th straight year the Bruins have made the playoffs, as they have played in the Finals two of the last three seasons, winning the Cup in 2011 and losing in last years finals to the Hawks. Now the last time the Bruins had the best team in the league, 1989-90 also marked the last time their opponents the Detroit Red Wings had missed the playoffs. This year marks the 23 straight year the Wings have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In that time span the Wings have played in six Cup Finals, winning 4 and losing twice. The Wings finished the year with 93 points, their lowest point total in a full 82 game season since since 1999. This is the eighth playoff meeting for these Original Six teams, with Boston having won four of the seven previous series. They last met in the 1957 Stanley Cup Semifinals, which Boston won in five games. The Red Wings won three of the four games in this year's regular season series.
Here's the date and times for each game in this series:
April 18 Detroit Red Wings 7:30 p.m. Boston Bruins TD Garden
April 20 Detroit Red Wings 3:00 p.m. Boston Bruins TD Garden
April 22 Boston Bruins 7:30 p.m. Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena
April 24 Boston Bruins 8:00 p.m. Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena
April 26 Detroit Red Wings 3:00 p.m. Boston Bruins TD Garden
April 28 Boston Bruins TBD Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena
April 30 Detroit Red Wings TBD Boston Bruins TD Garden
This series is going to be a fun one to watch. Both teams are missing key players. Boston might be without Patrice Bergeron and Chris Kelly for the start of the series, and Detroit is going to be without Henrik Zetterberg. Detroit has been getting inspired play from Gustov Nyquist and Thomas Tatar over the final two weeks of the season and they have Pavel Datsyuk back in the mix but without Zetterberg at full health its going to make things tough on Detroit. Even with a full lineup, I still feel that Boston is going to overpower the Wings. The Bruins are the most balanced team in the East, maybe the entire league. Its going to be too much Bruins in the opening round, Boston wins in 5!
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens
Tampa Bay is having a bounceback season. This is the 4th time since the lockout of 2004 that the Bolts are back in the playoffs. They have missed the playoffs each of the last two seasons, last making the playoffs in 2011 when they lost to Boston in the East finals. Tampa finished over the 100 point mark for the 3rd time in team history, as they hit 106 points in 2004 when they won the Cup and then again with in 2011 with 103 points. Tampa is fired up and ready to go. So to are the Canadiens. Montreal missed the playoffs a season ago, something that has rarely happened to them since the turn of the century. This marks the first times since 2007-08 that the Canadiens have broken the 100 point mark in a season. Montreal is looking to break a long drought as they haven't played in the cup finals since their last title win in 1993. Their only previous meeting was in the 2004 Eastern Conference Semifinals, in which Tampa Bay swept Montreal out of the playoffs en route to their Stanley Cup victory. The Lightning won three of the four games in this year's regular season series.
Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 16 Montreal Canadiens 7:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Times Forum
April 18 Montreal Canadiens 7:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Times Forum
April 20 Tampa Bay Lightning 7:00 p.m. Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre
April 22 Tampa Bay Lightning 7:00 p.m. Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre
April 24 Montreal Canadiens 7:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Times Forum
April 27 Tampa Bay Lightning TBD Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre
April 29 Montreal Canadiens TBD Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Times Forum
Tampa Bay may be going into this series in a bit of a hole. They are going to be without star goalie Ben Bishop and offensive studs Ondrej Palat and Valtteri Filppula. Without Bishop, Tampa has to go with Andreas Lindbeck, who isn't as good as Bishop. Didn't really matter I feel because neither one can stack up to Carey Price. Tampa has some offensive punch with a guy like Steven Stamkos in the lineup, but the Bolts can't compare to the Depth if the Habs. Montreal takes the series in 6!
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
The Penguins are still the Penguins. They haven't missed the playoffs since 2006. They have made the cup finals twice winning it once in 2009. Since 2007 the Penguins have failed to hit the 100 point mark in a full season just once, the year they won the Cup. This is where the new realignment has come into play as they will be playing the Blue Jackets. This is the 2nd time in team history the Jackets have made the playoffs, the only other time they were swept out by the Detroit Red Wings in 2009. This is the first playoff meeting for these two teams. The Penguins won all five games in this year's regular season series.
Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 16 Columbus Blue Jackets 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center
April 19 Columbus Blue Jackets 7:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center
April 21 Pittsburgh Penguins 7:00 p.m. Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena
April 23 Pittsburgh Penguins 7:00 p.m. Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena
April 26 Columbus Blue Jackets TBD Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center
April 28 Pittsburgh Penguins TBD Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena
April 30 Columbus Blue Jackets TBD Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center
What is going to be the biggest factor here, just like in any other series in the whole playoffs is goaltending. It has been well documented how bad at time Marc-Andre Fleury has played in the playoffs. He has, at times, looked down right abismal. last year if Fleury sputtered, he had Thomas Vokoun to bail him out. This year it isn't the case, as Jeff Zatkoff is the backup. That could mean bad news for the Penguins if Fleury faulters again. Looking from the Columbus perspective, they have a solid netminder in their own right in Sergei Bobrovsky, the current Vezina Trophy winner as the leagues top goalie. With him playing the way he has been playing lately, which is in top form, goals will be hard to come by. taking everythign into consideration here I still think the Penguins have enough firepower to be able to pull this one out. The jackets will give them a run for their money but I say Penguins in 6!
New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers
This will probably be the most physical and hard hitting series of the opening round. For the Rangers this marks the 4th year in a row they have made the playoffs. In fact, since the 2005 lockout the boys from Broadway have only missed the post season once, that being in 2010. This also marks the 2nd straight year the Rangers have finished 2nd in their division. As for the Flyers, they are looking to bounce back after missing out on the playoffs a season ago, so the Flyers are looking to get back to winning form. The Flyers finished in 3rd in the division, and the last time that happened Philly made it to the 2nd round, so its something to note going into this series. This is the eleventh playoff meeting for these two teams, with Philadelphia having won six of the ten previous series. Their most recent meeting was in the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals, which Philadelphia won in five games. Each team won two games in this year's four-game regular season series.
Here's the dates and times for games in this series:
April 17 Philadelphia Flyers 7:00 p.m. New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
April 20 Philadelphia Flyers 12:00 p.m. New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
April 22 New York Rangers 8:00 p.m. Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center
April 25 New York Rangers 7:00 p.m. Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center
April 27 Philadelphia Flyers 12:00 p.m. New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
April 29 New York Rangers TBD Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center
April 30 Philadelphia Flyers TBD New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
This series is going to be hands down the most physical one of the playoffs in the opening round. lets face facts neither team likes the other at all. The scoring advantage goes to the Flyers but goaltending and defense have to go to the Broadway Blueshirts. The Flyers have Claude Giroux leading the charge but the Rangers can counter with Rick Nash. Steve Mason will be out for the start of the series, so Ray Emery gets the nod and that leaves the Flyers in a bit of a hole because Mason is the better of the two netminders. Going to be a physical series and if the Rangers can stay in it and get some pressure going, this series is all theirs. Rangers take it in 7!
So there you have it the predictions for the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs!
(Note all predictions made before start of playoffs)
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