With the first round of the NHL playoffs slated to begin in a few days, here are my predictions for the West matchups… similarly to the Eastern article, included will be my pick for who wins, in how many games, and a bold prediction for the series.
Note: In the predictions I will include important stats like goals for and against, special teams percentages, top scorers, etc
Let’s get into it-
Central 1 vs Wild Card 1
Winnipeg Jets (56-22-4) vs St Louis Blues (44-30-8)
Goals for per game: WPG 3.35 (4th) STL 3.05 (14th)
Goals against per game: WPG 2.23 (1st) STL 2.82 (12th)
Power Play: WPG 28.9 (1st) STL 22.1 (16th)
Penalty Kill: WPG 79.4 (13th) STL 74.2 (28th)
Season series: 3-2 WPG, 4-1 STL, 4-3 WPG, 3-1 WPG
Key players to watch:
Kyle Connor: 41 goals, 56 assists, 97 points
Mark Scheifele: 29 goals 48 assists, 87 points
Josh Morrisey: 14 goals, 48 assists, 62 points
Nikolaj Ehlers (injured): 24 goals, 39 assists, 63 points
Robert Thomas: 21 goals, 60 assists, 81 points
Jordan Kyrou: 36 goals, 34 assists, 70 points
Dylan Holloway: 27 goals, 36 assists, 63 points
Pavel Buchnevich: 20 goals, 37 assists, 57 points
Goaltending matchup: Connor Hellebuyck (47-12-3, .925 SV%, 2.01 GAA, 8 shutouts) vs Jordan Binnington (28-22-5, .900 SV%, 2.69 GAA, 3 shutouts)
The Winnipeg Jets won the Presidents Trophy as the leagues best team this season. Led by Connor Hellebuyck, they seek their first evert Stanley Cup. Superstar winger Kyle Connor had the best year of his career. Their third and fourth lines can also score, too. Eleven different players recorded 30 points. But in their way: The St Louis Blues.
The Blues were just on a 12 game winning streak not too long ago. They went from battling for a wild card spot to being a real threat. A feel good story, similar to 2019, where they got hot at the right time to win the Cup, the Blues look to repeat history. But it won’t be easy. Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou have been great, Dylan Holloway has been awesome this season, and Jordan Binnington is a proven playoff winner. But this Jets team is a different beast.
Bold prediction: Connor Hellebuyck will record multiple shutouts in the series. The Jets defense has been superb all season, and who knows maybe he won’t have to do much in a couple games…
Series prediction: The Blues will make this a series, but the best team in the league will handle business. Jets in 6.
Central 2 vs Central 3
Dallas Stars (50-26-6) vs Colorado Avalanche (49-29-4)
Goals for: DAL 3.35 (3rd) COL 3.33 (6th)
Goals against: DAL 2.71 (6th) COL 2.82 (13th)
Power Play: DAL 22.0% (17th) COL 24.8% (9th)
Penalty Kill: DAL 82% (5th) COL 79.8% (12th)
Season series: 5-3 DAL, 6-3 COL, 4-3 COL (OT)
Key players to watch:
Nathan MacKinnon: 32 goals, 84 assists, 116 points
Cale Makar: 30 goals, 62 assists, 92 points
Martin Necas: 27 goals, 56 assists, 83 points
Jason Robertson: 35 goals, 45 assists, 80 points
Matt Duchene: 30 goals, 52 assists, 82 points
Mikko Rantanen: 32 goals, 56 assists, 88 points
Roope Hintz: 28 goals, 39 assists, 67 points
Miro Heiskanen: 5 goals, 20 assists, 25 points (50 games)
Goaltending matchup: Jake Oettinger (36-18-4, .909 SV%, 2.59 GAA, 2 shutouts) vs Mackenzie Blackwood (28-21-6, .912 SV%, 2.55 GAA, 4 shutouts)
This is arguably the most anticipated matchup of the first round. Mikko Rantanen faces his former team after they traded him in January. Last spring, the Stars defeated the Avalanche in six games.
But right now, the teams are headed in opposite directions. Dallas has lost seven in a row, including blowing a 3 goal lead with a minute left in regulation against the Canucks not too long ago. Colorado, on the other hand, has been playing very well. GM Chris MacFarland made big moves at the deadline. They acquired Brock Nelson from the Isles, Charlie Coyle from the Bruins, and Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey from the Rangers. On top of that, they traded for goalie Mackenzie Blackwood from the Sharks a while back and he has been superb.
Both teams have great forwards. Dallas might have more depth with the return of Tyler Seguin, but Colorado has the two best players in this series. Nathan Mackinnon and Cale Makar are generational players, and their top two lines are no joke. On the back end, Dallas’ depth took a hit with Miro Heiskanen’s absence. He has missed the last 32 games and it is unknown when he will return, though there is a chance it could be as soon as this series. Colorado defends really well, and that could play a factor in the series.
Bold prediction: Nathan Mackinnon has more points than Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz COMBINED. Nate Dogg is one of the best in the world for a reason, and he will show out.
Series prediction: Colorado improved so much at the deadline, and they have been the much better team as of late, Avs in 6.
Pacific 1 vs Wild Card 1
Vegas Golden Knights (50-22-10) vs Minnesota Wild (45-30-7)
Goals for: VGK 3.34 (5th) MIN 2.74 (25th)
Goals against: VGK 2.61 (3rd) MIN 2.88 (15th)
Power Play: VGK 28.3 (2nd) MIN 20.9 (20th)
Penalty Kill: VGK 75.7 (26th) MIN 72.4 (30th)
Season series: 3-2 VGK, 4-1 VGK, 5-1 VGK
Key players to watch:
Kirill Kaprizov: 25 goals, 31 assists, 56 points (41 games)
Matt Boldy: 27 goals, 46 assists, 73 points
Marco Rossi: 24 goals, 36 assists, 60 points
Brock Faber: 10 goals, 19 assists, 29 points
Jack Eichel : 28 goals, 66 assists, 94 points
Mark Stone: 19 goals, 48 assists, 67 points (66 games)
Tomas Hertl: 32 goals, 29 assists, 61 points
Shea Theodore: 7 goals, 50 assists, 57 points
Goaltending matchup: Adin Hill (32-13-5, .906 SV%, 2.47 GAA, 4 shutouts) vs Filip Gustavsson (31-19-6, .914 SV%, 2.56 GAA, 5 shutouts)
In my opinion, this is one of the more underrated matchups of the first round. The Golden Knights, recently winning the Cup in 2023, look to build on their franchises historic start. The Minnesota Wild are searching for a series win, something that they haven’t done since 2015. They are led by Kirill Kaprizov, who was having a Hart-caliber season until he got injured a few months ago. He has returned, giving Minnesota a well needed boost. Vegas is led by Jack Eichel, who once again led the team in points.
Both teams have very good complimentary pieces. Mark Stone is a sensational two-way player, Matt Boldy and Brock Faber are upcoming stars. Vegas has a bottom 6 that can provide offense and play responsibly in their own end. Minnesota is a good defensive team, but at times they struggle to score goals. With Kaprizov coming back, that should definitely be a bonus.
This series is closer than the standings and stats may show. When healthy, Minnesota was a top 7 team in the league. I wouldn’t underestimate them with the returns of Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek.
Bold prediction: Matt Boldy scores the most goals in the series. Boldy is super underrated, and he will put on a show under the bright lights.
Series prediction: Minnesota is due for a series win, the fans deserve it, but Vegas is just too good They are more experienced and battle tested. However, I think the Wild ultimately put up a hell of a fight. Knights in 7.
Pacific 2 vs Pacific 3
Los Angeles Kings (48-25-9) vs Edmonton Oilers (48-29-5)
Goals for: LAK 3.06 (13th) EDM 3.16 (11th)
Goals against: LAK 2.44 (2nd) EDM 2.87 (14th)
Power Play: LAK 17.7% (28th) EDM 23.7% (11th)
Penalty Kill: LAK 81.3% (8th) EDM 78.2% (16th)
Season series: 4-3 LAK, 1-0 EDM, 3-0 LAK, 5-0 LAK
Key players to watch:
Connor McDavid: 26 goals, 74 assists, 100 points
Leon Draisaitl: 52 goals, 54 assists, 106 points
Evan Bouchard: 14 goals, 53 assists, 67 points
Anze Kopitar: 21 goals, 46 assists, 67 points
Kevin Fiala: 35 goals, 25 assists, 60 points
Adrian Kempe: 35 goals, 38 assists, 73 points
Quinton Byfield: 23 goals, 31 assists, 54 points
Goaltending Matchup: Stuart Skinner (26-18-4, .896 SV%, 2.81 GAA, 3 shutouts)/Calvin Pickard (22-10-1, .900 SV%, 2.71 GAA) vs Darcy Kuemper (31-11-7, .921 SV%, 2.02 GAA, 5 shutouts)
For the fourth year in a row, the Kings will battle the Oilers in the first round. Edmonton has won the last three matchups. But this time around, Los Angeles was the better team in the regular season and will have home-ice advantage. Edmonton just came off of a Stanley Cup Finals loss and hope to avenge that. This Kings team won’t be a walk in the park at all, however. They have so much depth, and they were the best home team in the regular season with a whopping 31-5-4 record. On top of that, their defense has been near the tops of the league and they have been getting amazing goaltending from Darcy Kuemper.
On the other hand, defense and goaltending are two of Edmonton’s biggest weaknesses. We know they have the two best players in the series, in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but to this point is is unknown who their Game 1 starter will be. Calvin Pickard has been better than Stuart Skinner as of late, but Skinner was the goalie last spring, so maybe they split the starts..
Kevin Fiala, Adrian Kempe, and Quinton Byfield have been on a tear lately for LA. Newly-acquired Andrei Kuzmenko has also fit like a glove, providing the exact scoring GM Rob Blake was looking for.
Bold prediction: Quinton Byfield will score more goals than Leon Draisaitl in the series. Byfield is a surging young player, and Draisaitl’s injury will hinder in the series.
Series prediction: Edmonton just has too many question marks, and Draisaitl isn’t at one hundred percent, but out of respect to the best player in the world, I think it goes the distance. Kings finally beat Edmonton. LA in 7.
BS Reports 
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