NHL Playoffs 2012: Predicting the Outcome of Each 1st-Round Series

After 2,460 regular-season games, the NHL is ready for the playoffs. The NHL playoffs are one of the most exciting times in all professional sports. Nothing matches the intensity of the NHL playoffs, and each series promises to be exciting and entertaining.

When the playoffs start, it doesn't matter what seed you are because everyone starts at 0-0. In order to win the Stanley Cup, a team needs to secure 16 victories. However the Final is months away so let's take a look at round one.

Will the Ottawa Senators or Los Angeles Kings pull off a first-round upset? Who will win the "Battle of Pennsylvania"?

With the first round ready to start, who will win?

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

The New York Rangers are locked in as the No. 1 seed and they will square off against the No. 8 Ottawa Senators.

On the year, the Senators have a 3-1 series advantage over the Rangers, including two regulation wins and a shootout win over the Blueshirts. The Senators have had the Rangers' number but as a whole they have cooled down.

With a 4-6 record in their last 10, including three straight losses, the Senators dropped from the No. 2 seed to No. 8 in a matter of weeks.

For a brief period, the Senators occupied the No. 2 spot and the Northeast Division lead. Now the Senators slipped down to the No. 8 seed.

The Rangers have also cooled off a bit but they are the top seed for a reason. This should be an interesting series with the teams matching up in some interesting ways. It will be a battle of speed and goaltending will be crucial.

The Senators have an offensive advantage due to the amount of skilled players they have on their roster.

With offensive punch from Milan Michalek, Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson and Erik Karlsson with secondary scoring from Colin Greening and Nick Foligno, the Senators should be able to keep the Rangers defenseman busy. The explosiveness of Jason Spezza could be a difference-maker.

However, Marian Gaborik, Brad Richards, Ryan Callahan, Carl Hagelin and Derek Stepan are no slouches themselves and they should provide offense.

Who Will Win? New York Rangers in 6

Henrik Lundqvist will be the difference-maker in this series. The Rangers have completely bought into the team mentality of taking everything at one shift at a time. In past years, Henrik has entered the playoffs worn down after appearing in as many as 73 of 82 games in a season.

This year he has played less and has had well-timed breaks in which Martin Biron has provided stability.

The Rangers won 51 games this year by playing consistent hockey so it is conceivable that in seven games the Rangers can win four of them.

Having Lundqvist, top shut-down defenders in Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi, and a top scoring line, the Rangers will move on to the second round of the playoffs.

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

The Boston Bruins are the defending Stanley Cup champions and successfully defended their Northeast Division title. They head into the postseason considered among the favorites because of their experience, balanced roster and top-notch goaltending.

The Washington Capitals were a Jekyll and Hyde team this season. They had two head coaches and multiple goaltenders due to injury, but now Alex Ovechkin is starting to turn it on, so it is hard to tell how this team will turn out in the postseason.

Who Will Win? Boston Bruins in 6

The Capitals have a better offense with loaded guns in Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Jason Chimera and a returning Nicklas Backstrom but, the goaltending and defensive advantage goes to Tim Thomas and the Bruins.

Good defense and goaltending can stymie and squander and good offense, and with rookie Braden Holtby in net, there are a lot of questions to be answered.

It should be noted that the Bruins have many forwards who can generate offense like Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin.

The Capitals have been on a good run, but the Bruins' experience and solid goaltending will shut the Capitals down.

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

The Florida Panthers made a splash in free agency and up to this point, their moves have paid off. The Panthers played better than the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning, and that is something that they should be commended for. Winning the division is quite the accomplishment.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the New Jersey Devils are the odd team out in the Atlantic Division. They are a team that is talented but is just overshadowed by the powerhouse New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers.

Who Will Win? New Jersey Devils in 5

The Devils are a team that has been waiting to make some noise in the playoffs. Last year the Devils made a valiant effort to come back during the second half. This year the Devils have played more consistently.

Led up front by Ilya Kovalchuk, Patrik Elias, David Clarkson and Adam Henrique, the Devils can run up the score if you let them. The Devils are also a very physical team that can grind against the Panthers. When you add the playoff experience and the play of Martin Brodeur, he could play a huge role in this series.

The Panthers are a very talented team that I feel will come back better next season. When you take the current roster and add prospect Jonathan Huberdeau and a healthy Jacob Markström to the equation, the Panthers could be a sleeper team to make some noise next season. 

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

This matchup features teams from one state and only allows for one to emerge victorious. The battle of Pennsylvania makes for great hockey and action in the month of April. Both these teams are close in build and talent, but who would have the edge?

Philadelphia has Claude Giroux, but Pittsburgh has Evgeni Malkin.

Philadelphia has Jaromir Jagr, but Pittsburgh has Jordan Staal.

Philadelphia has Scott Hartnell, but Pittsburgh has James Neal.

Philadelphia has Ilya Bryzgalov, but Pittsburgh has Marc-Andre Fleury.

You get the point. But who would emerge victorious?

Both teams are physical, can score and can keep the puck out of the net. Each team is similar in many ways, but one will ultimately have the edge. It is a series that would be very close and could impact the team that does advance.

Who Will Win? Pittsburgh Penguins in 7

With Sidney Crosby healthy, the Penguins are the team to beat. They have offense, defense and goaltending. They also have experience as they have won a Stanley Cup in the last five years.

The Penguins will win but they will be battered in the second round. With this series expected to go seven games, it will be a brutal fight to the finish with tons of physicality.

While both teams have similar arsenals, a healthy Sidney Crosby is the game-changer. 

It will be one of the toughest playoff series in recent memory.

When you add up the hotness of Pittsburgh, its dominant offense, defensive soundness and the goaltending of Fleury, the Penguins are going to be a very scary team in the playoffs.

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

The Vancouver Canucks successfully defended their Presidents' Trophy after defeating the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night. The Los Angeles Kings fell into the No. 8 seed after losing twice to the San Jose Sharks down the stretch.

Who Will Win? Vancouver Canucks in 6

This series will be a goaltenders' duel between Jonathan Quick and Roberto Luongo. The Kings had problems scoring this year and the Canucks had no problem scoring goals, especially on the power play. 

With a very deep Vancouver team that includes the Sedins, Alex Burrows, Ryan Kesler and a Stanley Cup champion in Sammy Pahlsson, the Canucks have the talent, experience and motivation to drive them onward in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

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

The St. Louis Blues are a very interesting team. They had an amazing year on the heels of solid goaltending and a defense-first mindset led by a combination of Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak with Kevin Shattenkirk and Alex Pietrangelo on the blue line.

The Blues' top offensive producers include players like David Backes, T.J. Oshie,  Pietrangelo, David Perron and Kevin Shattenkirk.

The Blues are not very potent offensively and that could hurt them against a very powerful Sharks offense.

The Sharks boast big-name scorers like Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture, Joe Thornton, Ryane Clowe, Martin Havlat and offensive defenseman like Dan Boyle and Brent Burns. With players that can transition from defense to offense the Sharks can be very dangerous.

Who Will Win? San Jose Sharks in 7

This is a wild-card pick but the Sharks pack more offensive firepower than the Blues and that could be the difference-maker. In a seven-game series, can the tandem of Elliott and Halak and their defense stay on its toes to stymie the Sharks offense?

Over the course of the season the Blues played great but when you face a team over and over again, defensive tendencies can become predictable and easier to break through. With the Sharks' versatile offense players, it will be tougher to shut them down. 

The Sharks also match the Blues in goaltending. Antti Niemi has a Stanley Cup ring and has proven he can steal a series before so that gives him an advantage over the tandem. Jaroslav Halak was hot for the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs too but the Cup ring gives Niemi an advantage.

In this series, the Blues will stymie the Sharks the first few games but once San Jose breaks through, it will be all Sharks with a series win in seven games.

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

This series may be one of the most exciting in this first round. The Phoenix Coyotes are a team that has been facing relocation rumors for the past few seasons yet it was able to fight through adversity and locked up the No. 3 seed in the West. 

Mike Smith is absolutely on fire as of late, and hot goaltending is crucial in the postseason. Ray Whitney, Radim Vrbata and Shane Doan have had solid years offensively and are veteran leaders on the Coyotes. On the blue line, Keith Yandle remains a constant threat to score a key goal.

The Chicago Blackhawks are a very powerful team as well. They boast a lineup with Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane, and Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith on the blue line.

With Jonathan Toews eying a return for Game 1 against Phoenix, it could give the Blackhawks a motivational lift.

Who Will Win? Phoenix Coyotes in 7

In your pools, don't sleep on the Coyotes. Mike Smith is red hot and will be the best goaltender in this series. With a 38-18-10 record and a GAA of 2.21 and eight shutouts, Smith had one of the best records in the entire NHL. 

When you consider that the Coyotes have found ways to win down the stretch to secure a playoff spot, they have been practically playing playoff hockey for the past few weeks. Chicago will put up a valiant effort but Phoenix will surprise a ton of people.

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

This will be a rematch from the 2007 playoffs and a lot has changed since these two teams squared off. Pekka Rinne has evolved into one of the NHL's elite goaltenders, Alexander Radulov has returned back to the NHL, and the Predators are going all in.

With uncertainty looming with Ryan Suter and Shea Weber, the Predators added multiple pieces at the deadline to bolster up. 

The Detroit Red Wings need no introduction. They have a world-class goaltender in Jimmy Howard, they have Pavel Datsyuk, they have Henrik Zetterberg, they have Nicklas Lidstrom, they have Niklas Kronwall...you have gotten the point. 

The Wings have the talent, experience and ability to win at home so the three games at Joe Louis Arena will be tough on the Predators.

Who Will Win? Nashville Predators in 7

Home-ice advantage will play a role If Game 7 was at Joe Louis Arena, the Red Wings clearly have the advantage.

With Rinne having a career year, with Weber and Suter a top shut-down pairing and the Predators' surging play, Game 7 will ultimately make the difference. It will be a close series throughout but the Predators are playing like a playoff team that can make some noise.

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Tom Urtz Jr is an NHL Featured Columnist.

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