A look at the Western Conference playoff series:
Colorado Avalanche (1st Central) vs. Seattle Kraken (1st wild card)
Game 1: Tuesday at Colorado
SEASON SERIES: Kraken won two of three, all low-scoring one-goal results.
PAST PLAYOFF MEETINGS: Seattle’s first appearance in Year 2 of the franchise.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Power play, Colorado 24.5% (6th), Seattle 19.8% (21st), Penalty Kill, Colorado 79.0 (17th), Seattle 76.7% (21st).
SIGNIFICANT INJURIES: Colorado, LW Gabriel Landeskog (knee) won’t be making a playoff comeback. Seattle, LW Andrei Burakovsky (lower body) won’t play unless the Kraken go a couple of rounds. RW Joonas Donskoi (concussion) is out.
WHAT ELSE: Opening in Denver won’t faze the Kraken, one of the best road teams in the league, winning seven on one trip … Everyone knows the challenge of repeating and the Avs already came through a spate of injuries, 400 man games lost in all, including Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar … Alexandar Georgiev gives the Avs the edge in net, a 40-game winner to Martin Jones’ .887 save percentage … Kraken gave up fewest shots per game in the conference, but their scoring falls off after Jared McCann.
DID YOU KNOW: Seattle is back in the playoffs in the 105th anniversary of its Metropolitans winning the last pre-NHL Stanley Cup.
QUOTE: “I’d probably be lying to say I expected the season we’re having, but I did expect improvement.” – Seattle GM Ron Francis.
PREDICTION: Colorado in six.
Dallas Stars (2nd in Central) vs. Minnesota Wild (3rd in Central)
Game 1: Monday in Dallas.
SEASON SERIES: Two 4-1 Dallas wins, sandwiched by its shootout losses to the Wild, though no head-to-heads the past two months.
PAST PLAYOFF MEETINGS: In 2016, Dallas won a first-round series in six games.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Power play, Dallas 25.0% (5th), Minnesota 21.4% (15th), Penalty Kill, Dallas 83.5% (3rd), Minnesota 82.0% (10th).
SIGNIFICANT INJURIES: Dallas just got power forward Mason Marchment back, while the Wild lost defensive centre Joel Eriksson Ek in the closing days of regular season with a lower body injury, until late in the series.
WHAT ELSE: Wild coach Dean Evason has the choice in net of playoff warhorse Marc-Andre Fleury or young Filip Gustavsson … Dallas made the 2020 final under the cloud of COVID-19, so this time there’s lots of enthusiasm for a long run in the wide-open West … Stars top scorer Jason Robertson enters the playoffs on a high, as NHL player of the week for six points in three games as the Stars went 6-0 down the stretch … Conversely, the Wild sputtered at the end, but won their fair share against the league’s elite teams.
DID YOU KNOW: There’s an intense rivalry between the one-time Minnesota-based Stars and the Wild, some of whom departed Texas for jobs in Minny such as GM Bill Guerin and advisor Mike Modano.
QUOTE: “We know how to play playoff hockey.” — Wild coach Dean Evason.
PREDICTION: Dallas in six
Vegas Golden Knights (1st in Pacific) vs. Winnipeg Jets (2nd wild card)
Game 1: Tuesday at Vegas
SEASON SERIES: A three-game sweep by the Knights, but all games were played before Christmas.
PAST PLAYOFF MEETINGS: Bitter memories in Manitoba of the expansion Knights winning the 2018 Conference final in five games.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Power play, Vegas 20.3% (18th), Winnipeg 19.3% (23rd). Penalty Kill, Vegas 77.4% (19th), Winnipeg 82.4% (7th).
SIGNIFICANT INJURIES: Jets C Cole Perfetti (upper body) will miss some or all of the first round, Sam Gagner (hip) is out. Vegas looks to get forward Mark Stone back, but is still missing G Logan Thompson and LW William Carrier with lower body issues at present.
WHAT ELSE: It’s shaping up as a ‘frenemy’ crease battle between Connor Hellebuyck and his former Jets back-up Laurent Brossoit, who is doing well in the unlikely starter’s role … All’s well in the Winnipeg room after a rough patch threatened their playoff hopes under intense media scrutiny … Vegas’s Jack Eichel gets his long awaited chance in playoffs, while Pierre-Luc Dubois looks to excel in a two-way role for the Jets … Winnipeg, which averaged the fewest shots per game of any playoff team, faces the league’s best group of shot blockers.
DID YOU KNOW: While Winnipeg fans plan another playoff home ‘White Out’, the Knights just introduced a new team pet for playoffs, Goldie the goldfish, who lives in a dressing room tank.
QUOTE: “I’ve seen guys with his ability, size and strength control a playoff series.” — Jets head coach Ric Bowness on Dubois.
PREDICTION: Vegas in five.
Edmonton Oilers (2nd in Pacific) vs. Los Angeles Kings (3rd in Pacific)
Game 1: Monday in Edmonton
SEASON SERIES: Split 2-2, but give the nod to Edmonton for their late season victories in which the Kings managed just one goal.
PAST PLAYOFF MEETINGS: Last year’s rally by the OIlers to prevail in seven games revived an intense rivalry. The clubs had battled in seven series over a decade until 1992, the Kings winning just twice.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Power play, Edmonton 32.4% (1st), L.A. 25.4% (4th), Penalty Kill, Edmonton 77.0% (20th), L.A. 75.8% (24th).
SIGNIFICANT INJURIES: Edmonton none, L.A. C Gabe Vilardi (upper body) is day to day.
WHAT ELSE: Short of throwing a giant net on Hart Trophy favourite Connor McDavid, the Kings will have to limit his damage and hope to contain the second wave of Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman … Mattias Ekholm gives the Oilers a better back line, but Kings’ Drew Doughty missed last year’s series … Rookie Stuart Skinner needs to maintain his crease magic, while Kings’ coach Todd McLellan is being coy whether Joonis Korpisalo starts ahead of Pheonix Copley.
DID YOU KNOW: Edmonton’s power play percentage topped the ’77-78 Montreal Canadiens’ league record of 31.9, while Draisaitl’s goal in the final regular season game was a franchise record 89th with the man advantage.
QUOTE: “I don’t think there’s anything that sets you up for Edmonton. It’s a different monster,” McLellan on taming the Oilers’ offence.
PREDICTION: Oilers in five.
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