NHL Playoff Predictions 2015: Picking Each 1st-Round Matchup

Let the predictions begin.

With the NHL postseason bracket set, hockey fans will now set out to see into the future and predict which of these 16 teams will advance. That is particularly difficult with the NHL playoffs, as so many of these teams seem very evenly matched.

Still, predict I must, so below you'll find my predictions for all eight Round 1 series.

Eastern Conference

Montreal Canadiens vs. Ottawa Senators

Unless Carey Price (44-16-6, 1.96 goals-against average, .933 save percentage) suddenly stops playing like the best goalie in hockey, the Montreal Canadiens are going to win this series. But, boy, it should be close.

Don't sleep on the Ottawa Senators. They beat the Canadiens in three of four games this year and have essentially been playing playoff-esque hockey for the past month as they scrambled to earn their postseason berth.

They are already in postseason form.

And with Habs forward Max Pacioretty out for at least Game 1 of this series, per Adam Gretz of CBSSports.com, Montreal won't be at full strength to start the series.

Still, the Canadiens are the better team with the best player going at the moment in Price. That should be enough to get them through a tough series.

Prediction: Canadiens in seven.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Detroit Red Wings

The league's best offense is going to be too much for Detroit to handle. The Tampa Bay Lightning average 3.16 goals per game, tops in the NHL, and are led by Steven Stamkos (72 points), Tyler Johnson (72 points), Nikita Kucherov (64 points) and Ondrej Palat (63 points).

Detroit stands a chance. It just doesn't stand much of one.

Prediction: Lightning in five.

New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Scott Burnside of ESPN pretty much summed up perfectly why the New York Rangers are likely to win this series.

"The most complete team in the tournament," he wrote. "Elite goaltending, great defense—including the addition of Keith Yandle at the trade deadline—a nice mix of youthful talent and battle-tested veterans. What's not to like?"

Well, if you are a Pittsburgh fan, there's very little to like. Superstar forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin alone are worth a win in this series, but that's about it.

Prediction: Rangers in six.

Washington Capitals vs. New York Islanders

Over the years—and namely during the Alex Ovechkin years—the Washington Capitals have always had talent, but something seemed to be missing. Sometimes it was cohesion, a stout defense or even the right sort of attitude.

This year, however, the Capitals seem to have the right mix of talent and intangibles, and that is going to make it very difficult on the New York Islanders.

"I'll say this is probably the greatest group of guys, tight-knit group that we've had," Mike Green told Burnside. "It has to do with the off-ice unity and then how it carries on the ice, really. We go to bat for each and every one of our teammates."

He added:

"

It's been a journey over the past 10 years. Eight years for Nick [Backstrom]. It's been a journey together and we've had a lot of great experiences and we've fallen short of our goals, so the greatest thing about this is we have another opportunity this year and the maturity and the experience hopefully these pieces of knowledge will help us and guide us through to the final goal.

"

The Islanders are a very good, very dangerous team led by John Tavares (86 points), and they won't go down without a fight. But Washington feels like the more complete team, and its more physical style will ultimately wear down the skilled Islanders.

Prediction: Capitals in six.

Western Conference

Anaheim Ducks vs. Winnipeg Jets

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Winnipeg may be the underdog that everyone loves, but from top to bottom, Anaheim is the better team. The Ducks aren't without their question marks, however—namely the sometimes-shaky goalie duo of Frederik Andersen and John Gibson.

If one of those two can't step up and get hot, the Jets could earn the upset quite easily in this one.

The pair hasn't hurt the Ducks all that much to this point, though. Expect that to continue. 

Prediction: Ducks in five.

Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames

The battle of the redemption stories.

Vancouver failed to make the playoffs a year ago but remains a talented team led by the Sedin twins. The Calgary Flames have been perhaps the surprise of the season, playing gritty hockey and getting into the playoffs despite the loss of their best player and captain, Mark Giordano (torn biceps tendon).

Still, can the Flames string together four wins over the Canucks without Giordano? It's one thing to do so against weaker NHL teams. It's another thing to do it in the postseason.

Everyone loves the gritty, resilient play of the Flames, but it won't be enough to sneak past the more talented Canucks.

Prediction: Canucks in seven.

St. Louis Blues vs. Minnesota Wild

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

This is going to be an epic series, and Sarah Kwak of SI.com summed up nicely why the Minnesota Wild are going to be tough to beat:

"

Perhaps the hottest team in the Western Conference after the All-Star break shouldn’t really be considered a dark horse, but as a wild card team the Wild could make some waves in the tightly contested Central Division bracket. Of course, netminder Devan Dubnyk is the story, but don’t forget this team also has winger Zach Parise, center Mikko Koivu and defenseman Ryan Suter, all playing some of the best hockey they’ve ever played. ​

"

The St. Louis Blues are a very, very good team, but they have a habit of coming up short in the postseason. Given the fact that the Wild come into this series as a pretty hot team, you have the recipe for a knockdown, drag-out series win for the Wild.

Prediction: Wild in seven.

Nashville Predators vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Come playoff time, it's always dangerous to bet against the Chicago Blackhawks. They just always seem to be in the running for the Stanley Cup, and the return of All-Star forward Patrick Kane makes them all the more frightening:

Add in the fact that oft-maligned netminder Corey Crawford has been pretty good this season (32-20-5, 2.27 GAA, .924 save percentage), and Chicago is tough to bet against.

The Nashville Predators will make a series out of this one, but they won't win it.

Prediction: Blackhawks in six.