(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (8) Nashville Predators

The President’s Trophy winners have too much firepower for their division rivals from Music City to handle…

Red Wings Outlook: Led by captain Nicklas Lidstrom, the talented Wings put together another magnificent season, coming away with their third President’s Trophy in the last four seasons. Lidstrom is the prohibitive favorite to win the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman, while dynamic forwards Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk pace the potent offense. Brian Rafalski, an offseason free agent signee, has replaced the departed Mathieu Schneider (Anaheim Ducks) with aplomb, serving quite capably as a power play point man alongside Lidstrom. And Johan Franzen emerged as a valuable clutch performer down the stretch. But the key to the Wings’ Cup hopes are in goal, where they’re hoping that 43-year-old veteran Dominik Hasek has a few more dominating performances left in the tank. If not, the task will fall to the re-emergent Chris Osgood, who enjoyed a fine season as Hasek’s backup.

Predators Outlook: It’s been a wild season for the Preds, whose future in Nashville was far more uncertain in October than it is today. Power center Jason Arnott paces the offense, while J.P. Dumont and impressive sophomore Alexander Radulov provide valuable support. On the blue line, Marek Zidlicky (43 points), Ryan Suter (31 points), and Shea Weber (five power play goals) have done a solid job making up for the free agent loss of captain Kimmo Timonen (Philadelphia Flyers). In goal, Dan Ellis vastly outplayed Chris Mason for much of the season, taking over the starting role with a league-best .924 SV%. The Predators are quite solid, but it’s unlikely that they have enough firepower to take down the stacked Wings.

Prediction: Wings in Five

(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (7) Calgary Flames

Former Sharks goalie Miikka Kiprusoff attempts to take down his old team…

Sharks Outlook: The Sharks were one of the NHL’s top teams all season long, but it was trade deadline acquisition Brian Campbell who pushed them over the top and turned them into a bona fide Cup contender. Campbell, a talented puck-moving rearguard, provided a tremendous spark for the Sharks’ offense, tallying 19 points in 20 games with San Jose while posting a stellar plus-nine rating. In particular, his presence was felt most on the power play, where the threat of his shot from the point provided power center Joe Thornton with valuable extra time and space. Captain Patrick Marleau suffered through a terrible first ¾ of the season, but when he wasn’t dealt at the deadline, he responded with a strong finish. Look for Marleau to be a big factor in the postseason. If there’s a question mark, it’s whether Evgeni Nabokov will be worn down after starting 77 of the Sharks’ 82 games. He’d never played more than 67 games in a season before, and head coach Ron Wilson might live to regret not giving him more rest when the games mattered less.

Flames Outlook: Captain Jarome Iginla is an NHL throwback in the best way imaginable, a hard-hitting power forward who impacts games with both his offensive skill (50 goals, 98 points) and his willingness to engage opponents physically. And blue line standout Dion Phaneuf is quite similar, a bruiser (team-leading 182 PIMs) with tremendous offensive skill (60 points in 82 games, including 10 power play goals). If not for Lidstrom’s continued magnificence in Motown, Phaneuf would be amongst the favorites to win the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defender. In goal, Miikka Kiprusoff suffered through a bit of a down year, posting a .906 SV% and 2.69 GAA. But his play improved significantly as the season progressed, and he should life quite difficult for the Sharks, as should the raucous home crowd in Calgary.

Prediction: Sharks in Seven

(3) Minnesota Wild vs. (6) Colorado Avalanche

With Stastny and Sakic leading the way, the Avs will be difficult for the Wild to contain…

Wild Outlook: Dynamic winger Marian Gaborik, one of the NHL’s most explosive players, paces the Wild offense. He led the team with 42 goals and 83 points, and most importantly, appears to have put the injury bug behind him. Gaborik suited up for 77 of the Wild’s 82 games, and should be quite a challenge for the Avalanche defense to neutralize. On the Wild blue line, young Brent Burns took another huge step forward with his game, posting franchise records (for defensemen) in goals (15), assists (28), and points (43). And in goal, Niklas Backstrom enjoyed another fine season (33-13-8, 2.31 GAA, .920 SV%), proving that his stellar rookie campaign (as a 29-year-old) was no fluke.

Avalanche Outlook: Just as Joe Sakic supplanted Peter Stastny as the franchise’s go-to offensive force 20 years ago, this year Peter’s son took the mantle from Sakic. Stastny led the Avs with 71 points in 66 games, while posting a team-best plus-22 rating. Meanwhile, though Sakic battled through injuries, he still managed to score 40 points in 44 games, and will no doubt be a factor in the playoffs. The Avs’ defense got a little meaner with the offseason signing of Scott Hannan, who will do his best to rough up Gaborik whenever he approaches the crease. And in goal, one of the NHL’s biggest surprise stories has been the re-emergence of former Hart Trophy winner Jose Theodore. Theodore reclaimed the starting job with a strong bounce-back performance (.910 SV%, 2.44 GAA). And if he can continue to reclaim the form he displayed in the early part of this decade, the Avs will be a dangerous threat to capture the Cup.

Prediction: Avs in Six

(4) Anaheim Ducks vs. (5) Dallas Stars

No Sergei Zubov likely means big trouble for Dallas…

Ducks Outlook: It’s difficult to evaluate the Ducks’ season, largely because they spent much of it without key components Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne. But with both stars back in the fold, the defending Cup champions are looking quite dangerous. Young Ryan Getzlaf took another huge leap forward with his game this year, scoring 82 points in 77 games to go along with a team-leading plus-32 rating, and he will be expected to carry Anaheim’s offense. The Ducks’ defense is the NHL’s finest, with Niedermayer complemented by perennial All-Star Chris Pronger, hard-shooting veteran Mathieu Schneider, and workhorse Francois Beauchemin. And in goal, Jean-Sebastien Giguere put together yet another Vezina Trophy-caliber season (.922 SV%, 2.12 GAA, 35-17-6).

Stars Outlook: Mike Ribeiro continued to enjoy a renaissance in Dallas, posting career highs in all major scoring categories. Ribeiro was awarded for his efforts with a lucrative contract extension midway through the season, and he’ll be expected to continue to pace the Stars’ offensive attack. Providing valuable support for Ribeiro will be captain Brenden Morrow (32 goals) and trade deadline acquisition Brad Richards (11 points in 12 games with the Stars). A big question mark for the Stars is defenseman Sergei Zubov, who likely won’t be available for the start of the playoffs. Without him leading the breakout, the Stars will have a great deal of trouble matching up against Anaheim.
Prediction: Ducks in Four