STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF PREVIEW: WESTERN CONFERENCE 

By: Mike Rifkin

Central Division

1. Avalanche vs. (WC1) Kraken: The defending Stanley Cup Champions start their quest to repeat against the second-year franchise, making the playoffs for the first time. The Kraken did win two of three meetings during the regular seasons. Both teams will be without essential players as Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog will not play in the playoffs recovering from knee surgery. Andre Burkaovsky, an Avs Cup-winning team member last season, underwent surgery for a lower-body injury, which will be a big blow for Seattle. Jaden Schwartz had a goal and three assists in two games against Colorado. Former Avs goalie Phillippe Grubauer was 1-0-1 with a 1.70 GAA and a .928 save percentage against his former team. One key for the Kraken during the regular season was they contained Nathan Mackinnon and Mikko Rantanen to a combined one goal. They don’t do that during this series. Alexander Georgiev gave up three goals on 35 shots in his only start against Seattle.

Prediction: Avs in five 

(2) Stars vs. (3) Wild: These two teams split their four regular-season meetings. Roope Hintz led the way for the Stars by having four goals and seven points in the four meetings. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, both of whom had bounce-back seasons combined for five goals. Jake Oettinger went 2-0-1 with a 1.87 GAA and a .937 save percentage against the Wild. Mats Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov combined for three goals in the season series. Joel Eriksson Ek also had two goals. Marc Andre Fleury was 1-1 with a 3.87 GAA and a.896 save percentage against the Stars, while Filip Gustavsson was 1-1 with a 1.97 GAA and a.939 save percentage.

Prediction: Stars in six

Pacific 

1. Golden Knights vs. (WC2) Jets: This is a rematch of the 2018 Western Conference Finals, where the Golden Knights won. Vegas won all three meetings during the regular season, but the two teams last played each other in December. Jack Eichel had three goals in his two games against the Jets. Jonathan Marchessault also had three goals in the three meetings. Laurent Brossoit, who played for the Jets for three seasons, will get the start in game one. Mark Schieffle had three goals in the three meetings for the Jets. Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor were held to an assist each against the Golden Knights. In two starts against Vegas, Connor Hellebuyck was 0-1-1 with a 3.40 GAA and a .913 save percentage. Vegas captain Mark Stone has been practicing with the team, so we’ll have to wait to see if he appears in the series.

Prediction: Jets in seven

(2) Oilers vs. (3) Kings: This is a rematch from last year’s first round, which saw the Oilers beat the Kings in seven games. The Oilers enter the playoffs as the hottest team in the NHL. Edmonton is 9-0-1 in their last ten games. The teams split their four regular-season meetings. Connor McDavid, the Art Ross trophy, Rocket Richard, and presumed Hart Trophy winner had two goals in the four meetings. Leon Draisaitl had a goal and three assists in the four meetings. Stuart Skinner, who has been impressive for the Oilers this season, was 2-1-0 with a 1.78 GAA and a .950 save percentage against the Kings. Adrian Kempe and Viktor Arvidsson had two goals in the four meetings for the Kings. Joonas Korpisalo was 2-1 with a 3.01 GAA and a .925 save percentage, while Pheonix Copley was 1-1 with a 2.51 GAA and a .921 save percentage against the Oilers this season.

Prediction: Oilers in six