NHL Playoff Preview - First Round

Eastern Conference Brackets

Metropolitan Division

• (1) Washington Capitals vs (WC2) Toronto Maple Leafs
• (2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (3) Columbus Blue Jackets

Atlantic Division

• (1) Montreal Canadiens vs (WC1) New York Rangers
• (2) Ottawa Senators vs (3) Boston Bruins

Western Conference Brackets

Central Division

• (1) Chicago Blackhawks vs (WC2) Nashville Predators
• (2) Minnesota Wild vs (3) St. Louis Blues

Pacific Division

• (1) Anaheim Ducks vs (WC1) Calgary Flames
• (2) Edmonton Oilers vs (3) San Jose Sharks

The Matchups

(1) Washington Capitals vs (WC2) Toronto Maple Leafs

• Schedule:
• Game 1: Thursday 4/13 in Washington
• Game 2: Saturday 4/15 in Washington
• Game 3: Monday 4/17 in Toronto
• Game 4: Wednesday 4/19 in Toronto
• Game 5 (If Necessary): Friday 4/21 in Washington
• Game 6 (If Necessary): Sunday 4/23 in Toronto
• Game 7 (If Necessary): Tuesday 4/25 in Washington
• Washington won the regular season series 2-1
• Toronto has kind of become the darling of the NHL this season, along with Edmonton, as two teams who haven't been in the playoffs in a long time but are finally back.  The Maple Leafs probably arrived at this level a season early considering they won the NHL Lottery just one year ago.  Their rookies have excelled, especially Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander, who all broke franchise rookie records.  They are going to be a lot of fun but this will be a very difficult matchup for a young team with a lot of their players tasting the playoffs for the first time.  Washington enters the playoffs as one of the favorites to reach the Stanley Cup out of the Eastern Conference.  They have one of the best goaltenders in the league in Braden Holtby, one of the best playmakers in the world in Nicklas Backstrom, who should be a Hart Trophy nominee, and Alex Ovechkin, arguably the best goalscorer to ever play the game.  They were the best team all season long and got better at the trade deadline by acquiring defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, the best player available.
• Toronto's speed could cause problems for Washington's defense but ultimately I just think that the Capitals are too talented and too experienced.  Frederik Andersen will have to stand on his head in order to keep the Leafs in this series and I think that Toronto's defense simply has too many question marks at this point.  The only way Washington loses this series is if Holtby gets injured and can't return for the series.
• Prediction: Washington wins the series 4-2

(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (3) Columbus Blue Jackets

• Schedule:
• Game 1: Wednesday 4/12 in Pittsburgh
• Game 2: Friday 4/14 in Pittsburgh
• Game 3: Sunday 4/16 in Columbus
• Game 4: Tuesday 4/18 in Columbus
• Game 5 (If Necessary): Thursday 4/20 in Pittsburgh
• Game 6 (If Necessary): Sunday 4/23 in Columbus
• Game 7 (If Necessary): Tuesday 4/25 in Pittsburgh
• Both teams went 2-1-1 in the regular season series but Columbus had the better scoring differential, 13-10.
• Pittsburgh is going to enter the playoffs limping considering all of the injuries that their players have faced down the stretch.  Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz, Carl Hagelin, Olli Maatta, and Trevor Daley all missed significant time at the end of the season but all should be ready for the playoffs.  Kris Letang, who hasn't played since February 21, will miss the entire playoffs after having to undergo surgery for a herniated disc in his neck.  One bright side is that the defense unit was the area GM Jim Rutherford addressed at the trade deadline by acquiring veterans Ron Hainsey and Mark Streit.  Despite all of the injuries, the team has still managed to play quite well at the end of the season and got quite a bit of contribution from unexpected players. Regulars like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Justin Schultz, and Matt Murray have all been the foundation of another great season under head coach Mike Sullivan.  Columbus' play slipped during the last two weeks of the season, having lost six out of their final seven games.  The Blue Jackets surprised pretty much everyone this season by jumping out of the gate, leading the division for a long time, and basically being a lock for the playoffs since November.  They have gotten great performances this season by goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky en route to what will probably amount to his second Vezina Trophy.  Young players like Zach Werenski, Boone Jenner, Josh Anderson, and William Karlsson all stepped up in big ways to lead the Blue Jackets to their best season in franchise history.  
• Columbus constantly gives the Penguins a tough time and the last time they faced each other in the playoffs in 2014 it was a hard-fought six game series that saw the Penguins be victorious. Columbus' tenacity and grit always gives the Penguins forwards, which are smaller but much faster, a lot of problems.  Pittsburgh must prepare to have very little time to make decisions or to move the puck up-ice because Columbus will be on their players at every move.  I think Pittsburgh simply plays too clean of a game to get bogged down by what Columbus does and they have the experience in the playoffs to navigate through anything.  Pittsburgh missing Kris Letang will make a big difference considering he is the team's best puck-mover and his absence is always felt by the team.  However, I think the rest of the roster is talented enough to overcome his absence and are still good enough to win the series.
• Prediction: Pittsburgh wins the series 4-3

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs (WC1) New York Rangers

• Schedule:
• Game 1: Wednesday 4/12 in Montreal
• Game 2: Friday 4/14 in Montreal
• Game 3: Sunday 4/16 in New York
• Game 4: Tuesday 4/18 in New York
• Game 5 (If Necessary): Thursday 4/20 in Montreal
• Game 6 (If Necessary): Saturday 4/22 in New York
• Game 7 (If Necessary): Monday 4/24 in Montreal
• Montreal won the regular season series 3-0
• Montreal gets back to the playoffs this season after missing them last year, showing the value of a healthy Carey Price.  They will enter the playoffs with a balanced offensive attack led by Max Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov and the trade the team made over the offseason to acquire Shea Weber has seemed to pay off in the present.  What they do lack, however, is much in the way of depth scoring after acquiring Steve Ott and Dwight King to play on their fourth line.  The Rangers, to me, were kind of a surprise this season just because I didn't think that they had the talent or depth to get to the playoffs again.  Instead, all that they did was finish with the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference and will play a Montreal team that finished with fewer points than they did.  Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist didn't play extremely well this season and was picked up by backup Antti Raanta.  They got an unexpected contribution from Michael Grabner and Rick Nash has played much better this season than he has in recent years.  
• I think that New York has too many question marks right now, including how will their defense perform in the playoffs despite them being an older group.  I also wonder whether Lundqvist can bounceback from this mediocre regular season and be elite for the team in the playoffs.  If he isn't I don't know if the Rangers will have much of a chance in this series.  As far as the Canadiens go, as long as Price stays healthy, they shouldn't have much of a struggle with the Rangers.  Their top two forward lines are simply too talented and will cause the Rangers defense a lot of problems.
• Prediction: Montreal wins the series 4-1

(2) Ottawa Senators vs (3) Boston Bruins

• Schedule:
• Game 1: Wednesday 4/12 in Ottawa
• Game 2: Saturday 4/15 in Ottawa
• Game 3: Monday 4/17 in Boston
• Game 4: Wednesday 4/19 in Boston
• Game 5 (If Necessary): Friday 4/21 in Ottawa
• Game 6 (If Necessary): Sunday 4/23 in Boston
• Game 7 (If Necessary): Wednesday 4/26 in Ottawa
• Ottawa won the regular season series 4-0
• The Senators were as much of a surprising team this season as the Blue Jackets were, especially after they hired a new head coach over the offseason in Guy Boucher.  Ottawa has consistently outperformed expectations and ignored criticisms all season long, largely causing a situation where no one really understands how they have played as well as they have.  A large reason for their record has been goaltending, led by Craig Anderson and Mike Condon, and superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson, who has had the best season of his career.  Their defensive unit has been great this season behind Karlsson with Dion Phaneuf and Cody Ceci making up one of the best second defense pairings in the league.  The only real question I have about the Senators is whether or not they will score enough goals in the playoffs since they don't have a lot of scoring depth.  Boston is just a little bit removed from being a team potentially on the verge of tearing down their roster and rebuilding it.  They are an older roster with the majority of their being near or over the age of 30.  They were led offensively by 20-year old David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, who could be a Hart Trophy finalist and netminder Tuukka Rask was excellent throughout the season.  Their defensive unit is in the process of turning over with Zdeno Chara most likely only having one more season with Boston but also having Brandon Carlo already on their roster and college phenom Charlie McAvoy on the way.  
• This is a matchup between two teams who had troubles scoring all season long.  They both have excellent goaltending, with Ottawa significantly having the better backup goalie situation.  I also think I like the Senators defense group just a little bit better than Boston's but only if everyone is healthy.  Erik Karlsson is a real difference maker and if the rest of the unit is able to slot into their proper places, all three pairings are very good.  I think I like the Bruins forwards more than Ottawa's, largely because of Patrice Bergeron, Marchand, and Pastrnak.  I think this will be one of the most fun series to watch in the first round and it could go the full seven games.
• Prediction: Ottawa wins the series 4-2

(1) Chicago Blackhawks vs (WC2) Nashville Predators

• Schedule:
• Game 1: Thursday 4/13 in Chicago
• Game 2: Saturday 4/15 in Chicago
• Game 3: Monday 4/17 in Nashville
• Game 4: Thursday 4/20 in Nashville
• Game 5 (If Necessary): Saturday 4/22 in Chicago
• Game 6 (If Necessary): Monday 4/24 in Nashville
• Game 7 (If Necessary): Wednesday 4/26 in Chicago
• Chicago won the regular season series 4-1
• The Blackhawks just never seem to go away.  Just when you think the front office has stripped the team down too much to be competitive, they call up players like Nick Schmaltz and Ryan Hartman to play on a line with Jonathan Toews and succeed.  They have also gotten veteran defensemen like Brian Campbell to buy-in on the team again and re-acquired players like Johnny Oduya for little to nothing in order to provide depth.  They enter the playoffs as the strongest team in the Western Conference and the favorites to return to the Stanley Cup with a balanced offensive attack, a strong defensive unit, and excellent goaltending with Corey Crawford and Scott Darling.  Nashville started the season slow compared to expectations but turned their season around.  Goaltender Pekka Rinne has struggled this season to play up to his ability and has been a large reason for the team underperforming for parts of the season.  Their defense is one of the best in the league, made even stronger with the acquisition of P.K. Subban last offseason but the team needs more scoring to complement Filip Forsberg.
• I think that Nashville could give Chicago one of their more difficult playoff matchups that they've had in several years.  Their defense can go toe-to-toe with Chicago's forwards but I think the Blackhawks defensemen are more talented than Nashville's forwards.  The real difference maker in this one is Chicago's goaltending where Crawford has helped the team win two Stanley Cups and Darling has bailed out Crawford at various points in his career, including the first round of the 2015 playoffs.
• Prediction: Chicago wins the series 4-3

(2) Minnesota Wild vs (3) St. Louis Blues

• Schedule:
• Game 1: Wednesday 4/12 in Minnesota
• Game 2: Friday 4/14 in Minnesota
• Game 3: Sunday 4/16 in St. Louis
• Game 4: Wednesday 4/19 in St. Louis
• Game 5 (If Necessary): Saturday 4/22 in Minnesota
• Game 6 (If Necessary): Monday 4/24 in St. Louis
• Game 7 (If Necessary): Wednesday 4/16 in Minnesota
• St. Louis won the season series 3-2
• Head coach Bruce Boudreau has worked his regular season magic with the Wild by finishing second in a competitive Central Division in his first year with the franchise.  His real test always comes in the playoffs where he has struggled to advance his teams far and has had the bad luck of losing numerous game sevens.  Minnesota seems like a team destined to not fall into that this year and has quite a balanced roster.  They have great defensemen that represent quite an array of ages and experience levels and also got more depth scoring than they probably initially expected, largely from Eric Staal.  Devan Dubnyk has been an elite goaltender for most of the season, emerging as a Vezina Trophy favorite until he began struggling late in the season, most likely the result of his extensive playing time.  The biggest question mark for the Wild will be whether Dubnyk can bounce back from his slow play and perform the way he did more most of the season.  St. Louis may not have expected to make the playoffs after they fired head coach Ken Hitchcock this season, replacing him with former Minnesota coach Mike Yeo, and traded Kevin Shattenkirk at the trade deadline.  Their offense ended up bouncing back to their norm while their defense maintained their elite level of play.  Goaltender Jake Allen still has yet to emerge as a true number one goaltender and was an issue for the team all season long.  Any success the Blues have in the playoffs is largely going to be a bonus for the team.
• I think that Minnesota is definitely the better team in this matchup and has the capability of shutting of down St. Louis' forwards as much as possible as long as Dubnyk returns to form. I think that Boudreau has coached Minnesota to being one of the best teams in the league and he will exorcise some of his demons in this year's playoffs.
• Prediction: Minnesota wins the series 4-2

 (1) Anaheim Ducks vs (WC2) Calgary Flames

• Schedule:
• Game 1: Thursday 4/13 in Anaheim
• Game 2: Saturday 4/15 in Anaheim
• Game 3: Monday 4/17 in Calgary
• Game 4: Wednesday 4/19 in Calgary
• Game 5 (If Necessary): Friday 4/21 in Anaheim
• Game 6 (If Necessary): Sunday 4/23 in Calgary
• Game 7 (If Necessary): Tuesday 4/25 in Anaheim
• Anaheim won the regular season series 4-1
• The Ducks won the Pacific Division for the fifth consecutive season this year and showed very little let down from Bruce Boudreau's absence.  Corey Perry didn't have a great season but Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler performed as they normally do, plus Rickard Rakell was arguably the league's quietest 30 goal scorer.  Their defense performed quite well this season and goaltenders John Gibson and Jonathan Bernier were excellent down the stretch.  They are one of the most consistent, if not electric, teams in the league.  Calgary is nearly the exact opposite of the Ducks in that they haven't been the most consistent team all season long but are so fun to watch and have the chance to make this a high-flying series.  First year head coach Glen Gulutzan has rebounded this team into a high possession team that seemed to just get better as the season progressed.  This was due in part to the acquisition of Michael Stone and the signing of Matt Bartkowski who both helped the team's blueline.  Goaltender Brian Elliott returning his norm also went a long way in getting the Flames back to the playoffs.  This team will be one of the most fun teams to watch in the playoffs, especially with Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and the line of Mikael Backlund, Michael Frolik, and Matthew Tkachuk, which has been a possession monster all season long.
• I think that Calgary's speed and ability to play a strong two-way game will simply be too much for the Ducks.  Plus the Saddledome in Calgary is going to be an electric atmosphere in the playoffs and the Flames will certainly feed off of that.
• Prediction: Calgary wins the series 4-2

(2) Edmonton Oilers vs (3) San Jose Sharks

• Schedule:
• Game 1: Wednesday 4/12 in Edmonton
• Game 2: Friday 4/14 in Edmonton
• Game 3: Sunday 4/16 in San Jose
• Game 4: Tuesday 4/18 in San Jose
• Game 5 (If Necessary): Thursday 4/20 in Edmonton
• Game 6 (If Necessary): Saturday 4/22 in San Jose
• Game 7 (If Necessary): Monday 4/24 in Edmonton
• Edmonton won the regular season series 3-1-1
• The Oilers are finally back in the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-06 season when they lost in the Stanley Cup Finals.  Basically, the only reason they are returning is because of Connor McDavid, who had a 100 point season, which will most likely end with him winning the Hart Trophy.  After the first two lines, Edmonton lacks depth at forward and their defense is still rough even after acquiring Adam Larsson last offseason.  Goaltender Cam Talbot has been excellent all season long, tying for the league lead in wins, and has played a lot of games this year.  That could be something that may end up being a problem for the team in the playoffs considering he may just be too exhausted.  The Sharks are the veteran team in this year's playoffs and have yet to win that elusive Stanley Cup with this core.  They will look to get back to the Finals this season after losing in six games to the Penguins a year ago.  The Sharks have a really good roster group that can compete well with any other team in the league when healthy. However, it is now looking like Joe Thornton could miss the start of this series, which would be a big blow to the team.  That means the team will have to rely more on Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture, who has had his own injury struggles this season.  Goaltender Martin Jones is going to have to be really good in order for the team to advance.
• I really like Edmonton's forward group and how potent they are.  They seem to have the ability to score at will and can give any defense group problems.  However, I think there is something to be said about San Jose winning the season series and the experience the roster group has in the playoffs.  I think even with the potential Thornton injury, San Jose is still the more talented roster group.
• Prediction: San Jose wins the series 4-1

*All stats and information comes from espn.com and NHL.com.