Photo Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel/USA TODAY Sports
It’s that time of the year again hockey fans when games become more aggressive and passionate. They mean so much more to both fans and players as they try to win the most coveted trophy in hockey, the Stanley Cup. These eight Western Conference teams have played their best throughout the regular season to be able to show up and battle for the Western Conference spot in the Stanley Cup Finals come June.
Central Division
The Dallas Stars have had a very successful season. With a record of 50-23-9 and 109 points in total, the Stars made it back to the playoffs after not qualifying last season. The team boasts a high scoring offense with 3.22 goals on average per game. Captain Jamie Benn has been a scoring leader in the league for what seems like the entire season. As third in the league in scoring, Benn has generated 41 goals. Coach Lindy Ruff also won his 700th game this season, making him the fifth coach in NHL history to do so. The Dallas Stars are seeded at number one in the division and will play the second Wild Card team, the Minnesota Wild, in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. The Wild also return to the playoffs after qualifying for the past two years; in both of those posteason appearances, they were ousted in the second round. During the regular season, Zach Parise led the Wild with 25 goals and goalie Devan Dubnyk has had five shutouts. The first game of Stars-Wild series matchup will be April 14 at 9:30PM EST on NBCSN.
The defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Chicago Blackhawks, made it back to the playoffs for the 8th time since 2009. Blackhawks’ forward Artemi Panarin leads all NHL rookies in points with 77 points this season. Chicago superstar Patrick Kane leads the league in points and is second in goals league-wide. Goalie Corey Crawford is third in the NHL for save percentage among goalies. The Blackhawks are seeded at number three in their division and will play the second seeded team, the St. Louis Blues, in the first round of the playoffs. The Blues are 49-24-9 in the regular season, with pretty even statistics at home and away. St. Louis forward Vladimir Tarasenko has scored 40 goals this season while goalie Brian Elliot leads goalies in the league with an astounding .930 save percentage. Their last three appearances in the playoffs have resulted in first round losses. The Blackhawks and Blues’ first game of the quarterfinals will be April 13 at 9:30PM EST on NBCSN.
Pacific Division
The Anaheim Ducks made it back to the playoffs following an amazing playoff run in 2015. Although they did not make it to the Stanley Cup Finals, after losing to Chicago in the Western Conference Finals, many thought that they would be the ones to win the Cup last year. This is their fourth postseason appearance since 2013. The Ducks have a record of 46-25-11, doing slightly better at home. Listed third in the league, Anaheim goalie John Gibson has a 2.07 goals against average. The Ducks are seeded as number one in the division and take on the Nashville Predators as the Wild Card. Predators goalie Pekka Rinne has 34 wins, four of which were shutouts. Young forward Filip Forsberg leads the team with 33 goals and 64 points. This series gets its start on April 15th at 10:30PM EST on NBCSN.
The L.A. Kings are making another playoff appearance after not qualifying last year. They won the Stanley Cup the previous year against the New York Rangers. Kings goalie Jonathan Quick is about league average on goals against with a goals against average of 2.23 goals. Quick also is second in the league in wins with 40, 27 more wins than league average. The Kings are seeded at number two and will play the number three team, the San Jose Sharks, in the Conference Quarterfinals. Oddly enough, San Jose opened their regular season playing against this same team. San Jose returns to the playoffs after not qualifying last year and losing to the Kings in the first round in 2014. Sharks’ Joe Pavelski is the team leader with 38 goals and 78 points, while his teammate Joe Thornton has 63 assists. Goalie James Reimer has a .922 save percentage. This series of the first round will commence on April 14th at 10:30PM EST on CNBC.
Check out the full schedule for the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs here.
