Hawks by the Numbers:
Points Leader: Jonathan Toews (74)
Goals Leader: Brayden Schenn (28)
Goalie: Henrik Lundqvist (37 W, 0.926 PCT, 2.08 GAA)

Blues by the Numbers:
Points Leader: Mitchell Marner (71)
Goals Leader: Mitchell Marner (31)
Goalie: Carey Price (24 W, 0.917 PCT, 2.56 GAA)

Head to Head: Chicago (4-1-0-0)

Analysis:
Despite the difference in the final standings, this is a more even first round  match up than you might think. On paper, the Western Conference champs possess more high-end scoring than their opponents from Winnipeg. But in reality, led by rookie phenom Mitch Mariner, the Jets had 5 players finish the season with 20 or more goals and Brandon Sutter just missing the cut with 19. The Hawks also had 5 different players top the 20 goal plateau, but none with over 30 goals.

In net, ‘King’ Henrik Lundqvist had a Vezina caliber season leading Chicago to a second consecutive Western Conference title despite naysayers who were against the trade that saw Lundqvist coming to the Windy City in the off-season. And while veteran netminder Carey Price only had a so-so season for the Jets this season, he is more than capable of taking over any game and stealing a series against any opponent.

Prediction: The Jets are a hurting team – literally. Max Domi is out for the first round of the playoffs, at least, and Conner Brown will miss at least the first two games of the series. That’s two of their top 5 scorers out; three if you count Sutter who’s on the limp as well. Carey Price has been in an out of the Jet’s lineup down the stretch due to exhaustion because Winnipeg has had to lean heavily on him to even make the playoffs. It’ll be a close series, but Chicago in 6

Flames by the Numbers:
Points Leader: Max Pacioretty (51)
Goals Leader: Max Pacioretty (27)
Goalie: Cam Talbot (32 W, 0.901 PCT, 2.79 GAA)

Blues by the Numbers:
Points Leader: Mikael Granlund (79)
Goals Leader: Mikael Granlund (36)
Goalie: Matt Murray (45 W, 0.919 PCT, 2.13 GAA)

Head to Head: St. Louis (2-1-0-0)

Analysis:
The Calgary Flames are the top seed in this series match-up only as a result of the fucked up way the NHL does their playoff brackets as the St. Louis Blues actually finished ahead of the Flames points wise in the standings.

There’s no doubt about it, the Flames are in tough against the Blues.  St. Louis boasts no less than 5 different players with 60pts or more at the end of the regular season with three of them with 29 goals and winger Michael Granlund leading the way with a career best 35 goal campaign.  Contrast that with Calgary with its season long revolving door lineup where mid-season pick-up Max Pacioretty finished the season as the Flames leading scorer with 27 goals and 51 points.

Prediction: The Calgary Flames have had consistency issues with their lineup all season long no matter who they’ve moved out or traded in; up front and behind the crease. Their trade deadline acquisition of Cam Talbot in an effort to shake things up was an abysmal failure (for the Pittsburgh Penguins as well who took net minder Craig Anderson the other way in a similar effort… but we digress).  In the 13 games that Talbot has started for Calgary, he was a decent 9-2-2, but his save percentage was a brutal 0.899 and his GAA was 2.55 over that span.  St. Louis in 5.

Preds by the Numbers:

Points Leader: Roman Josi (79)
Goals Leader: Patrice Bergeron (30)
Goalie: Roberto Luongo (49 W, 0.925 PCT, 2.04 GAA)

Stars by the Numbers:
Points Leader: Ryan O'Reilly (83)
Goals Leader: Ryan O'Reilly (36)
Goalie: Ryan Miller (44 W, 0.915 PCT, 2.24 GAA)

Head to Head: Tied (2-2-0-0)

Analysis:
This is a rematch of last season’s first round Central Division matchup that saw the then underdog Nashville Predators take down the Dallas “figured out the SIM” Stars handily in 5 games.  This season the roles are reversed as the Preds briefly toyed with first place in the West before finishing second overall and ahead of Dallas in the standings.

But despite the swap in standing placements, the Nashville Predators should in reality once again be considered the underdogs in this series matchup. Dallas has in their lineup one of the best offensive forwards in the league in Patrick Kane and one of the best two-way forwards in the league in Ryan O’Reilly; both of whom finished in the top 5 for overall points in the league.  On the other side of the redline, Nashville’s supposed top winger Evander Kane had a forgettable season tallying only 15 goals and a meager 27 points while journeyman forward David Perron (yes, the same David Perron that everyone thought was destined to be banished into AHL obscurity forever) was one of Nashville’s top forwards with 29 goals and 62 pts.

Prediction: This was a Cinderella season for the Nashville Predators. They have an arguably weaker team than last season but finished higher in the standings than last year.  The reason why the Preds did so well this year? Two words: Roberto Luongo.  This season’s Vezina trophy winner was lights out this year and the only reason why the Nashville did as well as they did in the regular season. But can he continue his magic into the post season?  It’ll be another coin flip this year but we think the magic is gone.  Dallas in 7

Ducks by the Numbers:
Points Leader: Mikkel Boedker (49)
Goals Leader: Daniel Sedin (25)
Goalie: John Gibson (30 W, 0.919 PCT, 2.56 GAA)

Kings by the Numbers:
Points Leader: Seth Jones (55)
Goals Leader: Patrik Laine (22)
Goalie: Jaroslav Halak (22 W, 0.921 PCT, 2.43 GAA)

Head to Head: Kings (3-2-0-0)

Analysis:

It’s the Battle of Southern California aka the battle between the two teams that tried their damnedest to *miss* the playoffs this year. If it wasn’t for the fact that three teams *had* to make the playoffs from the Pacific Division, at least one of these two teams wouldn’t be there. As it stands, despite more or less having a playoff spot locked down with 20 games left in the season, it was more of a nail-biter than it should have been with the Kings going 10-10-0-0 in their last 20 and Anaheim sporting an appalling 7-10-1-2 record in their last 20 games of the season.

Having traded away most of their serviceable veteran players at the trade deadline, the cupboard for the Anaheim Ducks is more than bare with Daniel Sedin and Ales Hemsky the last two men standing on a roster that has Alex Burmistrov as their 1^st line C.  The Kings are in far better shape led by rookie sensation Patrik Laine. But any team that needs to slot in Milan Lucic as part of their top 6 is in for a world of butt hurt.

Prediction: Both teams are fairly evenly… ah fuck it.  No one gives a shit about this series.  Everyone knows that whoever “wins” this shit show of a series will be cannon fodder for St. Louis in the next round.  Kings in 5.