LOS ANGELES – It’s the most wonderful time of the year, the Stanley Cup playoffs are here. This year’s 1st round seems easier to predict than most recent 1st rounds so I’ll probably get more wrong than usual. Here’s my fearless 1st round picks.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
The Colorado Avalanche are the best team in the Western Conference. They are the overwhelming favorite to win the West. The Nashville Predators maybe the toughest team the Avalanche will play this post season. Not toughest to beat on the scoreboard but toughest to survive against physically. The Predators are only an 8th seed, but they play a bruising brand of hockey. Roman Josi is having an MVP caliber season on the backend for Nashville, but Nashville’s excellent goaltender Juuse Saros is injured. Nashville backup David Rittich will never be able to stop Colorado’s high-powered offense led by Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. Colorado may need a lot of ice bags, but they will make it to the 2nd round.
Avalanche in 5.
The Minnesota Wild vs the St. Louis Blues is the most difficult series to pick. St. Louis has many holdovers from the 2019 Cup winning team as well as young scoring threats like Jordan Kyrou. Blues veteran winger Vlad Tarasenko has recaptured his scoring touch as well. The Wild have 2nd year sensation Karill Kaprizov. The Wild’s 1st generational talent can put the Wild on his back. The Wild have the edge in goaltending with newly acquired Hall of Famer and 3 time Cup champ Marc- Andre Fleury. The Blues cannot Berube the Wild either because the Wild have several players who enjoy the violent parts of the game as well.
Wild in 7.
The Dallas Stars have everything you need to be a spoiler in the playoffs. They have aging stars Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Joe Pavelski who know this might be their last chance. Young, fast kids like Jason Robertson who put the puck in the net and a mobile defense led by Miro Heiskanen. Unfortunately for Dallas the Calgary Flames the best goaltender the West, Jacob Markstrom. They also have scoring threat’s up and down their lineup with elite scoring on top with Johnny (Hockey) Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk. Calgary’s defense is physical and plays Darryl Sutter’s system to a T. Dallas might have been able to beat some teams in the West, Calgary is not one of them.
Flames in 7.
The Los Angeles Kings top 2 centers Anze Kopitar and Philip Danault will not stop Edmonton Oiler superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl but they will slow them down. What other Oiler is going to score? Kings have scoring throughout their lineup. The Kings net tandem of Jonathan Quick and Cal Petersen gives the Kings a huge advantage over Oilers Mike Smith who is put together with duct tape.
Kings in 6.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
The Carolina Hurricanes have played with playoff style intensity the whole season. Now it’s the playoffs and everyone plays with that intensity. The Boston Bruins are a veteran bunch who know when to turn on the intensity. Never count out Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Charlie MacAvoy leads the Bruins ever improving blueline. Carolina’s great season can be attributed to Frederic Andersons stellar year in net. He begins the series bang up and in the press box.
Bruins in 6.
The Florida Panthers score in waves. Led by Sasha Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau they have more firepower thru their lineup as anyone in the league. They also appear to be getting their best defenseman Aaron Ekblad off the IR in time for the playoffs. Both Washington Capitals goalies had save percentages under .900 the last month of the season. It seems strange a club led by Alex Ovechkin will be bounced the 1st round, but the Panthers have to much scoring and if Tom Wilson wants to make it ugly the Panthers can handle themselves.
Panthers in 6.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are looking to 3-peat. A feat that has not been done since the New York Islanders won 4 in a row in the early 1980s. The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to get out of the 1st round for the 1st time in the Big 4 era. The Leaf’s Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner will get their points, but can Toronto stop Tampa Bay from getting theirs. The Lightning have as many superstars as Toronto with Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. They also have more scoring depth than Toronto as well as a better and more physical defense led by Victor Hedman. Tampa wins the goaltending battle with future Hall of Famer in net Andrei Vasilevskiy. Toronto’s netminder Jack Campbell did not have the strongest of 2nd halfs. Toronto could have beaten any Eastern conference team just not any who play in Florida.
Lightning in 6.
For the 1st time I’m not picking a Mike Sullivan coached Pittsburgh Penguins teams to advance. This Penguins team looks more like a Mike Johnston coached Penguins team. The Penguins are limping into the playoffs. They have not beaten a playoff team 
since the trade deadline and that win was against a David Pastrnak less Bruins team. The Penguins are facing a New York Rangers team who were already good but improved their depth at the deadline. The Penguins give up too many odd-man rushes and the Rangers have guys like Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider to bury those chances. The Penguins are not very good at defending their net front and the Rangers have guys that live in the space. The Rangers have this season’s best goalie Igor Shesterkin. The Penguins are starting the series with their undersized backup Casey DeSmith. Do the Penguin Hall of Famers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have another run in them? Don’t think so.
Rangers in 7.
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