NHL Playoff Predictions 2012: Picks and Odds for First-Round Matchups

The NHL playoffs provide the most exciting and thrilling action of any sport's postseason, and this year will be no different.

With so many great matchups in the first round, no team is safe from an upset. None of the 16 teams can be taken lightly.

The Boston Bruins will attempt to become the first team since the 1998 Detroit Red Wings to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, but the road back to the Final will be tough.

Let's look at predictions and odds for each first round matchup. (All odds from sportsbook.ag)

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Nicholas Goss is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.

No. 1 New York Rangers vs. No. 8 Ottawa Senators

The New York Rangers finished the season with the best record in the Eastern Conference, but have a tough first round matchup with the Ottawa Senators.

Many experts picked the Senators to miss the playoffs for the second straight season, but a breakout season by young defenseman Erik Karlsson really gave Ottawa another dimension offensively.

With Milan Michalek, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson all capable of scoring goals consistently, the Rangers will have to play strong defensively to win this series.

The key to the series will be the performance of the goaltenders. If Henrik Lundqvist dominates between the pipes for the Rangers, then New York won't need more than five games to win this series.

Stanley Cup Odds

Rangers 6/1, Senators 25/1

No. 2 Boston Bruins vs. No. 7 Washington Capitals

The Boston Bruins begin their Stanley Cup defense against the Washington Capitals, who most people thought would win the Cup this season.

A late season push helped the Capitals make the playoffs, but that streak of good play is about to end.The Bruins have amazing goaltending with last year's Conn Smythe Trophy winner in Tim Thomas, and have the most defensive depth of any NHL team.

With six 20-goal scorers, the Bruins also have a ton of offensive depth, and all of their forwards are strong defensively as well.

Boston's roster is built for the playoffs, and they will defeat the Capitals in five games.

Stanley Cup Odds

Bruins 7/1, Capitals 35/1

No. 3 Florida Panthers vs. No. 6 New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils have the luxury of playing the Southeast Division winning Florida Panthers, who have not played well in recent weeks.

The Panthers were 26th in goals scored per game, while the Devils allowed the second fewest goals per game of anyone in hockey.

The Devils also have the best penalty kill in the NHL and are very disciplined in their own end. With elite offensive players such as Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk capable of taking over a series, the Devils will defeat the Panthers in five games.

Stanley Cup Odds

Panthers 30/1, Devils 25/1

No. 4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. No. 5 Philadelphia Flyers

One of hockey's greatest rivalries will feature in the first round of the playoffs when the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers battle next week.

These two teams hate each other, and last week both teams engaged in a massive line brawl that set the example of the passion this series will have.

The Flyers don't have home ice, but that's not really a concern given their perfect record at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.

For some reason, the Flyers score a lot of goals in Pittsburgh, and have the offensive depth to make up for their inconsistent play on defense.

If the Flyers get good goaltending from Ilya Bryzgalov and they are physical with the Penguins, Philly will win the series in six games.

Stanley Cup Odds

Penguins 3/1, Flyers 8/1

No. 1 Vancouver Canucks vs. No. 8 Los Angeles Kings

The Vancouver Canucks have won the Presidents Trophy for the second straight season, and hope to return to the Stanley Cup Final and win it after last year's disappointment.

Their first round opponent is the Los Angeles Kings, who certainly won't be easy to beat. Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick is a legitimate Hart and Vezina Trophy candidate, and is the No. 1 reason the Kings are even in the playoffs.

Los Angeles has had trouble scoring goals this season, so Quick has had to steal games for them. However, if their offense wakes up, the Canucks could be in trouble.

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo has to be fantastic between the pipes for the Canucks to win this series. In the end however, the Canucks are the better team in nearly every area, especially if star forward Daniel Sedin is healthy.

The Canucks will win this series in six games.

Stanley Cup Odds

Canucks 6/1, Kings 20/1

No. 2 St. Louis Blues vs. No. 7 San Jose Sharks

The St. Louis Blues have been one of the best teams all season but they lost six of their last 10 games in either regulation or overtime.

Their first round opponent, the San Jose Sharks, come into the playoffs winning seven of their last 10 games.

The Sharks were lucky to make the playoffs, and now the pressure is going to go up on them tremendously. This could be the last time a lot of these Sharks players make a run at the Stanley Cup together. If they don't reach the Final, this team could be blown up in the summer.

For the Blues, they can take comfort in the fact they have the best goaltending duo in hockey and a very structured defense that is hard to score goals against.

The Blues will win this series in five games.

Stanley Cup Odds

Blues 7/1, Sharks 30/1

No. 3 Phoenix Coyotes vs. No. 6 Chicago Blackhawks

Even if Jonathan Toews doesn't play in this first round series for the Chicago Blackhawks, they still have enough talent to defeat the Phoenix Coyotes in six games.

Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett has done a great job leading the franchise to its first ever division title with a small budget and constant distractions, but they are going up against a Blackhawks team with too much offensive firepower.

The Coyotes will need goaltender Mike Smith to play spectacularly throughout the series for them to defeat the Blackhawks, but I cannot see that happening.

If the Blackhawks play strong defense and goaltender Corey Crawford gives the team a chance to win, Chicago won't lose this series.

Stanley Cup Odds

Blackhawks 12/1, Coyotes 30/1

No. 4 Nashville Predators vs. No. 5 Detroit Red Wings

The Nashville Predators have so much riding on this first round playoff series with the Detroit Red Wings. The Predators need to make a deep playoff run to convince free-agent defensemen Shea Weber and Ryan Suter that the team can contend for a Stanley Cup into the future.

Unfortunately for Nashville, they will not win this series even though they have the home ice advantage. The Red Wings have a ton of Stanley Cup winning experience and have elite goal scorers capable of winning games in even strength or on the power play.

The Predators need star goaltender Pekka Rinne to dominate in the series if they want to advance to the second round, but he has played in a ton of games this season. Rinne was the only goalie in the NHL to play in over 70 games this year, and his season-low .902 save percentage in March easily could have been a product of fatigue.

Detroit will win this series in six games and send Nashville on vacation earlier than their fans would like.

Stanley Cup Odds

Red Wings 8/1, Predators 15/1