Part Two: The Play-In Round; Western Conference
Last blog we took a look at the matchups that will be taking place in Toronto between the 5-12 seeds of the Eastern Conference, this time we’re going to dive into the play-in round matchups taking place over in Edmonton between the 5-12 seeds of the Western Conference, Let’s take a look:
CHI (+145) v. EDM (-170)
MY PICK: Chicago +145
This series was an interesting one and took a while for me to come to a final decision. On one hand you have the two leading scorers in the NHL forward Leon Draisaitl (110 pts) and forward Connor McDavid (97 pts), who are leading the way for the Oilers. But on the other hand you have vets like forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathon Toews providing stability and leadership while Defenseman Duncan Keith locks down the back end for Chicago who have also won the season series against Edmonton 2-1. Now while McDavid may be the best player in the world right now I have to side with the team that has been here before… and won 3 cups. The only thing Edmonton has proven they can win is the 1st overall pick, which the loser of the series will have a 12.5% chance at receiving.
ARZ (+115) v. NSH (-135)
MY PICK: Arizona +115
Nashville has had a season with many ups and downs and the fact they managed to make it this far and be listed as favorites says something about the resilience of this squad. However, Arizona is a team on a mission this year, buyers at the deadline-acquiring superstar forward Taylor Hall, the Coyotes are Stanley Cup or bust this year and they seem determined to reach that goal. “I feel better than I did all year” says veteran Coyotes forward Phil Kessel and that could be dangerous for the Predators, a healthy Phil the Thrill buzzing around the ice spells disaster for the Predators and goalie Pekka Rinne who’s highlight of the year was scoring a goal against Chicago in early January. I can definitely see Rick Tocchet, who has already coached Kessel to two Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh, lead this Arizona team on a deep playoff run.
MIN (+115) v. VAN (-135)
MY PICK: Vancouver -135
The Wild have had an interesting year to say the least. GM Paul Fenton was fired just before the start of the season after only his 1st year on the job. New GM Bill Guerin came in and waited a while before eventually firing coach Bruce Boudreau with 25 games left in the season naming Dean Evason interim head coach. Meanwhile Vancouver’s season saw the rise of yound Defenseman Quinn Hughes, brother of last years first overall pick Jack Hughes. Quinn finds himself in the middle of a race for the Calder trophy-an award given to leagues best rookie. Posting an impressive stat line of 8G and 45A for 53pts he not only finds himself in the race but arguably the favorite against fellow defenseman Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche. I believe that Vancouver should hold off Minnesota and glide easily into the first round.
WIN (even) v. CAL (-120)
MY PICK: Calgary -120
Calgary has put themselves together a halfway decent year highlighted by an energizing rivalry with their neighbor in Alberta, the Edmonton Oilers. The Battle of Alberta has produced some of the more playoff-like atmospheres in the NHL this season. The Jets on the other hand have quietly put together a decent season posting a 37-28-6 record in 71 games played this season. Their brightest star this season has come from stud goaltender and Vezina Trophy finalist Connor Hellebuyck. He finished the year with a 31-21-5 record posting a .922 sv% and a 2.57 GAA to go along with a career high 6 shutouts. Winnipeg is 1-0 in the season series this year against the Flames, which the lone win coming on a snowy night in Regina where the two teams faced off outdoors in the 2019 Heritage Classic. Bryan Little scored in overtime to lift the Jets over the Flames in late October, nearly 9 months ago. Since that game I believe the Flames have grown enough to beat the Jets in a best of 5 series.
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