The 4 teams moving on in the West are the Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings and the Minnesota Wild. The match-ups are set: Anaheim vs. Los Angeles and Chicago vs. Minnesota. Here are my predictions:
1. Anaheim Ducks vs. 3. Los Angeles Kings
Season Series
Anaheim won season series 4-0-1
3-2 SO (Los Angeles)
2-1 (Anaheim)
3-0 (Anaheim)
2-1 (Anaheim)
4-3 SO (Anaheim)
Players to Watch:
Anaheim: Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Nick Bonino, Devante Smith-Pelly, Andrew Cogliano, Mathieu Perreault
Los Angeles: Jonathan Quick, Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Justin Williams, Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli
X-Factor:
Ryan Getzlaf (ANA) Jonathan Quick (LAK)
Playoff Point Leaders:
Anaheim: Ryan Getzlaf/Corey Perry (7 points)
Los Angeles: Anze Kopitar (10 points)
Series Notes: This is the 2nd round series I am most looking forward too, the battle of California is going to be an instant classic playoff series. The top-seeded Ducks enter the series having beaten the Dallas Stars in a tough 6-game series, including coming back from 4-2 late 3rd and winning in OT in game 6. The Ducks are lead by their dynamic duo of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, who both had 7 points in the first round series. The Ducks are one of the deepest teams in the NHL, they get production from all 4 lines and are a very strong team defensively. The only question mark remains in goal, as the battle between Frederik Andersen and Jonas Hiller continues. Andersen started all 6 games for the Ducks in the series, but he really struggled towards the last few games and was pulled in game 6 before the Ducks comeback. Hiller played very strong in relief of Andersen, and if I were Bruce Boudreau I would start Hiller in game 1 just to see how he responds (he also has more experience in playoff hockey). The Kings enter the series having pulled off one of the best comebacks in NHL history, becoming just the 4th team ever to come back from a 3-0 series deficit. The Kings were badly outplayed in 3 straight losses to the Sharks, but after a 6-3 win in game 4 the Kings locked it down and completed the comeback. A massive part of this comeback was the play of Jonathan Quick, he struggled in the 3 losses but was the reason the Kings got back in the series. Quick let in 16 goals in the 3 Kings losses, but responded by letting in only 5 goals in the next 4 games. When Quick gets in the zone like he was in that series he is awfully hard to score against, and the Kings seem to feed off that. They enter the Kings "shutdown" mode which really stopped the Sharks potent attack. Drew Doughty was the best defenseman in the first round, racking up 7 points and logging major minutes, he will be a big factor in this series if LA wins. The Kings will need a big contribution from their top 6 guys if they wan to win this series, most notably Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards.
Predictions: It's very hard to bet against the Los Angeles Kings after that amazing comeback, and this sereis could go either way, but I've been saying the Ducks are going to the Cup all season and I'm sticking with it.
(DUCKS IN 7)
3. Chicago Blackhawks vs. 4. Minnesota Wild
Season Series
Minnesota won season series 3-1-1
5-3 (Minnesota)
5-1 (Chicago)
4-3 (Minnesota)
2-1 (Minnesota)
3-2 SO (Chicago)
Players to Watch:
Chicago: Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Corey Crawford, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp
Minnesota: Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, Mikko Koivu, Nino Niederreiter, Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle
X-Factor:
Jonathan Toews (CHI) Zach Parise (MIN)
Playoff Point Leaders:
Chicago: Jonathan Toews/Duncan Keith (7 points)
Minnesota: Zach Parise (10 points)
Series Notes: The Hawks enter the series having beaten the Blues in 6-games, including winning 4 straight games after opening the series with 2 losses. The Hawks really seemed to regained their Championship-form after beating the Blues, it was a hard-fought series between 2 of the best teams in the NHL. Leading the way was the dynamic duo of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, who both scored OT winners in the series. Jonathan Toews was playing at another level in the series, he scored 3 goals which all were game-winners. Corey Crawford seemed to struggle in the first 2 games of the series, but he really got his confidence back after picking up a shutout in game 3 and he didn't look back. The Hawks also received great play from the top-pair of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook (who was suspended for 3 of the 6 games), as Keith had 7 points and Seabrook had 6 points. The Hawks will need a complete team effort to win this series. The Wild enter the series having beaten the Avalanche in 7-games, winning 5-4 in OT last night in game 7. The Wild played a hard-fought series against the Avs, it was very even and either team could have won. The Wild will need a lot more to beat the Hawks, as they learned last year when they lost to Chicago in 5 games. Question marks still remain in goal, as Darcy Kuemper was hurt last night and looks to have a concussion, leaving the starting job to Ilya Bryzgalov who really struggled early in the series against the Avs. The Wild will need big contributions from Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Jason Pominville and Ryan Suter if they want to win this series.
Predictions: The Hawks are just too talented and too strong for the Wild
(BLACKHAWKS in 5)
This leaves the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks facing off in the Western Conference Finals.
-Joel Forman - The Forman Faceoff
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