NHL Western Conference Semifinals Preview

The West is wwwwwwiiiiiidddddddeeeeee open in the NHL. The three favorites were all eliminated in the first round, proving that the NHL playoffs are bananas and the best playoffs in sports. Now we have four teams remaining, all fighting for the right to lose to Alex Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby in the Finals.

San Jose Sharks vs. Nashville Predators

Goaltending: Pekka Rinne turned in an outstanding Game 7 performance against the Anaheim Ducks, but was just average for most of the series. Martin Jones was great for the Sharks in round one, shutting down his old team at every turn. Neither has much playoff history to fall back on. Rinne is the more experienced of the two, but hasn’t exactly been good in them. Jones has a ring, but as a back-up. My gut tells me to trust Rinne a bit more than Jones.

 Best Player: The two captains. Shea Weber will have to be just as good as he was in round one and the same goes for Joe Pavelski. We’re going to see a lot of this match-up and it’s going to be great to watch. The Predators are hoping that Weber won’t have to chip in quite as much offensively, but they’ll need him to shutdown Pavelski the way he shutdown Corey Perry. And the Sharks will need Pavelski to dominate Weber the same way he dominated Drew Doughty.

Other Factors: The Sharks are known playoff chokers, but their confidence should be high after ousting their arch-rival Kings. The Predators are in unfamiliar territory and had a longer, tougher, series, but there is literally no pressure on this team. Special teams will be huge and the Sharks have the advantage there.

Prediction: I might throw my buddy Steve Cook a bone and keep picking against the Predators, something he was unwilling to do for me in the Super Bowl. I just don’t trust the Sharks. They’ve had good teams before and they’ve always found a way to lose. That said, I don’t know if this Nashville team has the firepower to keep up with the Sharks. This series is a coinflip of mysteries. Sharks in Six

Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues

Goaltending: I don’t know who the Stars are going with. Kari Lehtonen struggled after the first two games in round one and Antii Niemi isn’t much better. Brian Elliott was good in the first round, but I still have my doubts about him. Both teams might feel comfortable pulling their goalie for 60-minutes and playing the entire game six-on-six.

Best Player: Jamie Benn. Dallas wins games with offense. They’re not going to win 2-1, they’re going to win 5-4. To do that, they need Benn to be at his best, especially if Tyler Seguin continues to miss time with an injury. It won’t be easy as the Blues have one of the best defensives in the league and did a great job containing Jonathan Toews in the first round.

Other Factors: The Blues, like the Sharks, are known playoff chokers. But they, like the Sharks, conquered their biggest rival in the first round. How much did that take out of them and is it enough of a mental boost to carry them past the best team in the West?  

Prediction: I don’t think Dallas’ offensive output is sustainable in the playoffs, especially with Seguin missing. Nine out of ten times, defense wins in the playoffs. St. Louis is the better defensive team and can win low scoring games. I don’t think Dallas can. Blues in six.