FanPost

The Quest for the Cup Begins! Predictions for Every First Round Matchup

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Because it's the cup. Four words which will be all over television and social media for the next two months. Once again, sixteen teams will compete for the right to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup and become immortalized in ice hockey glory.

The Los Angeles Kings have been dethroned and will not be in the playoffs, which means this year will feature a new Stanley Cup champion. For the third year in a row, this champion will not be the Devils, who are also out of the playoffs, but that does not mean we cannot enjoy playoff hockey. The first round starts Wednesday, and here is what to expect from every matchup, as well as predictions for who will advance.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Ottawa Senators (4) vs. Montreal Canadiens (1)

Ottawa will win if... they continue the surge that they have been on during the second half of the season. Andrew Hammond needs to continue his strong play in net and Erik Karlsson needs to keep being one of the league's top defenseman. Dave Cameron's young group has tremendous speed, and that will be an advantage for them against any team.

Montreal will win if... Carey Price keeps playing like Carey Price and more importantly, stays healthy. The Habs will need to rely on their goaltender's elite skill and their strong defense to win. They don't have scoring depth outside of their top two lines, and Max Pacioretty's injury will raise some concern. P.K. Subban needs to step up his scoring game in this matchup.

Prediction: Carey Price will play like he always does, but the man on the other side of the ice known as "The Hamburglar" will continue to be a force in net as Ottawa uses their superior speed to overwhelm Montreal. Senators in 7.

Detroit Red Wings (3) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (2)

Detroit will win if... their goaltending isn't an issue. Rookie Petr Mrazek will get the start in net in game one. The Wings also need to stay healthy and their veterans to lead the way. Gustav Nyquist, Justin Abdelkader, and Tomas Tatar need to continue their strong regular season play. Coaching is the Red Wing's biggest strength with Mike Babcock looking for another Stanley Cup.

Tampa Bay will win if... their deep forward group keeps scoring. Steven Stamkos is one of the best pure goal scorers in the league, and the "triplet line" of Nikita Kucherov, Tyler Johnson, and Ondrej Palat has been fantastic all season long. If the defense does it's job and Ben Bishop stays healthy and plays solid in net, the Lightning will be a tough team to beat.

Prediction: The Red Wings have playoff experience, but that won't cut it against the high-powered scoring offense of Tampa Bay, who will take advantage of Detroit's goaltending problems and advance to the second round. Lightning in 5.

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. New York Rangers (1)

Pittsburgh will win if... Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are healthy and living up to their reputations as elite superstars and Marc-Andre Fleury does not fall flat on his face again in the playoffs. The defense could be in trouble if Kris Letang is done for the season.

New York will win if... they continue to play great hockey as team as they have done all season long. Rick Nash needs to make last year's abysmal playoff performance forgettable and the defensive group needs to continue to shut things down. Henrik Lundqvist will have to play lights out in net, but the Rangers cannot afford to rely solely on his strong play again.

Prediction: The Penguins will give the Rangers a tough series, but Marc-Andre Fleury will yet again be in playoff form and Henrik Lundqvist and co. will move on. Rangers in 6.

New York Islanders (3) vs. Washington Capitals (2)

New York will win if... Jaroslav Halak steps up and plays like the number one goaltender this team acquired him to be. The defense will also need step up and take some pressure off of Halak. The Islanders are a team that can roll all four lines headlined by Art Ross trophy runner up John Tavares.

Washington will win if... Alex Ovechkin takes control and scores some big goals. Nicklas Backstrom will also be an offensive factor for the Caps, who have been a more defensively responsible team thanks to new coach Barry Trotz. This is good news for goaltender Braden Holtby, who has been fantastic in his playoff career, and will need to be again if Washington does not want another one and done.

Prediction: The Caps play better defensively this year and score some big goals on Halak, who will play inconsistently. The Islanders will do their best to keep up with Washington offensively, but Braden Holtby continue his spectacular playoff career and advance the Caps to the second round. Capitals in 6.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Minnesota Wild (4) vs. St. Louis Blues (1)

Minnesota will win if... Devan Dubnyk continues the strong play in net that he has shown since being traded to the Wild. Minnesota also needs a combination of scoring from their veterans and young guys. Ryan Suter and the defense will make or break the Wild in the first round.

St. Louis will win if... everyone continues to do their job and do it well. Ken Hitchcock possesses four forward lines that can all contribute and a strong, stable defensive group. The goaltending also needs to be on point, whether it's by Brian Elliot or Jake Allen. Look out for Vladimir Tarasenko.

Prediction: The Blues play like the well-oiled machine that they have been all year long and finally overcome their first round struggles. Devan Dubnyk has been a force in net for Minnesota and will give the Blues a great series, but his storied season will come to an end. Blues in 7.

Chicago Blackhawks (3) vs. Nashville Predators (2)

Chicago will win if... they continue to be the force that has dominated the Western Conference for these past few years. With the leadership of Joel Quenneville, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith, the Blackhawks can compete with anyone. Their lineup might be getting a huge boost with Patrick Kane possibly returning sooner than later from his injury.

Nashville will win if... their defensive group continues to be a force and Pekka Rinne is in Vezina trophy form. Their forward group headlined by rookie Filip Forsberg and rejuvenated veteran Mike Ribeiro can score and make big plays, but the Predators will ultimately have to rely on the play of their defense and Rinne.

Prediction: Peter Laviolette's group has been an outstanding story this year, but their lack of scoring combined with Chicago's talented team and playoff experience will earn them a first round exit. Blackhawks in 6.

Winnipeg Jets (4) vs. Anaheim Ducks (1)

Winnipeg will win if... they can show that making the playoffs was no fluke. The line of Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little, and Blake Wheeler will need to step up big in this series, and Ondrej Pavalec needs to show that he is truly a number one goaltender in this league. Dustin Byfuglien is another name to watch on the ice for the Jets.

Anaheim will win if... their goaltending steps up. Whether it's John Gibson or Frederik Anderson, the Ducks need their goaltending to come up big. Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Ryan Kesler can score and the defense is good, but goaltending will make or break this team.

Prediction: Anaheim's goaltending will be better and the Ducks will score on Pavalec. The Jets will do their best in their first playoffs since moving to Winnipeg, but their season will come to an end. Ducks in 5.

Calgary Flames (3) vs. Vancouver Canucks (2)

Calgary will win if... their defense continues to play well without captain Mark Giordano. The Flames have a very talented forward group headlined by Calder trophy hopeful Johnny Gaudreau, Jiri Hudler, and Sean Monahan that can score without much trouble. The way this defense and goaltender Jonas Hiller plays will determine if the Flames advance to the conference semifinals.

Vancouver will win if... Ryan Miller plays well after returning from an injury and the Sedin twins can step up big. Vancouver has a promising group that has played very well all season long, but they need to shake that infamous reputation of folding in the playoffs.

Prediction: This series will go back and forth, but overall the Flames will come out on top with their "Giordano-less" defense holding strong and their forward group continuing to score big goals. Ryan Miller will be unable to shake off the rust as Vancouver will again be eliminated from the playoffs. Flames in 7.

So what do you think? Which teams will advance to the conference semifinals? Do you have any upsets happening or sleepers winning? Tune in on Wednesday for the first puck of playoff hockey to drop.

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