The Stanley Cup Playoffs in the NHL’s Western Conference are easily as intriguing and frustrating as the east. As Adam Minnick wrote on these pages Tuesday, the NHL needs to look at refining the post season matchups to avoid eliminating the top teams in the second round. 
But this is the seeding we have and we offer our prognostication for the west.
Western Conference
Dallas Stars – Minnesota Wild
We think every year will be the one for the Minnesota Wild. Last year may have been “the” year but they failed to make an impression in the post season. This year there won’t be enough time to make much of a good impression.
In most categories, the Dallas Stars are at or near the top of the list including power play stats where the Stars are ranked fourth with a 22.1% conversion rate. The Wild are not even as good as the New York Rangers with the extra man at 18.5%.
Dallas’ penalty kill is in the top ten with an 82.3% rate while Minnesota sits at a dismal 77.9%.
Devan Dubnyk will need to steal a game or two to keep this one interesting. He had a 2.33 goals against average and .918 save percentage. The Stars will counter with Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen with 2.67 and 2.76 averages respectively and .905 percentages.
The Stars have far too much offense for the Wild to respond against.
Prediction: Stars in 5
St Louis Blues – Chicago Blackhawks
This is one of those series Adam Minnick wrote to on Tuesday. Both teams have strong goaltending with the Blackhawks sporting playoff seasoned Corey Crawford who had a .924 save percentage and 2.37 goals against average. Injuries did limit some of his time but expect him in net. The Blues counter with Brian Elliot and Jake Allen with .920 and .930 percentages respectively.
The real issue is the ability of the Blues to get the first round behind them. This is not the year. Patrick Kane has been explosive this season and Artemi Panarin has been a real find with 30 goals and 47 assists on the season.
The Blues make another early exit.
Prediction: Chicago in 6
Los Angeles Kings – San Jose Sharks
Here is another series that is better presented as a second rounder. The Kings are sliding into the post season on a bit of a slump.
The Kings ended the year with an 81.4% kill rate on the penalty while the Sharks were just back of that with an 80.5% rate. The Sharks were successful on the power play this year with a 22.6% success rate and the Kings were ranked eighth in the league with a 20.0% rate.
On the offense, the Sharks scored 237 goals to the Kings’ 223. The Kings yielded 192 goals on the season the Sharks gave up 207.
The Kings are a big, fast and heavy team that can wear you down. The Sharks are older and may not be intimidated this year. The intangible is the commitment to the crest in San Jose buy players who see this as the last hurrah.
Jonathan Quick can make this a Kings series with .918 save percentage to Martin Jones’ same percentage.
Quick had 40 wins on the season, a new high for him and the franchise. The slide at the end was worrisome for LA. The Sharks on the other hand, had a difficult time at home.
Prediction: Kings in 7 (but we are easily swayed)
Anaheim Ducks – Nashville Predators
The Ducks were dreadful to start the season on offense. What kept them in the campaign were their defense and the two-headed monster in net of Frederik Andersen and John Gibson.
Despite the woeful start, the Ducks yielded only 188 goals, good for the top spot in the NHL. The Preds gave up 213.
On the penalty kill, the Ducks were top of the league with an 87.2% rate and Nashville ended with 81.2%. Special teams were the key to the Ducks resurgence as their power play was number one in the league at 23.1% success rate while the Predators were in the top ten with 19.7%
Andersen and Gibson had seven combined shutouts for the season; Carter Hutton and Pekka Rinne combined for six on the season.
The Anaheim Ducks were one of the best teams since the holiday break. That tear moved them up the Pacific ladder from the basement to the penthouse. It is hard to see them losing that edge.
Prediction: Ducks in 6
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