NHL Playoff Schedule 2012: First-Round Matchups That Won't Live Up to the Hype

The 2012 NHL playoffs are now set to get underway, as this postseason should be as promising as any.

Will the Presidents Trophy winners prove too strong to take down? Will the San Jose Sharks turn things around against a St. Louis Blues team that has dominated them all season long?

These are the three first round series matchups that will not be as close as they may seem on paper.

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

In spite of the four-game win streak and seven wins in their last nine outings, the San Jose Sharks will go down hard to a significantly stronger St. Louis Blues team.

Although not boasting one of the more dynamic offenses in hockey, the Blues are as sound a defensive unit as there is. Heading into the postseason, the team is No. 1 in the league in goals allowed (1.8) and No. 7 in penalty kill percentage at an astounding 85.2 percent.

Given the Blues are 4-0-0 against the Sharks this season, have scored 11 goals against them and have allowed a mere three goals (two shutouts), expect the Sharks to dominate behind the top-notch play of goalie Jaroslav Halak.

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

Although boasting the No. 6 seed in this playoffs, there is no question the Devils are the team to beat in this playoff series.

After finishing 38-39-5 and failing to make the postseason, the Devils now boast a 48-26-8 record behind 83 points from Ilya Kovalchuk and sheer dominance against the power play, killing 89.4 percent of all power plays.

The Devils also carry with them some of the stronger momentum of any team in the postseason, winning their last six heading into the playoffs. The Panthers, on the other hand, have lost eight of their last 10.

No. 1 Vancouver Canucks over No. 8 L.A. Kings

The best team in the West and arguably the best team in hockey, the Vancouver Canucks are destined to roll over the Kings in Round 1 of the 2012 NHL playoffs.

The Presidents Trophy recipients of 2012 will be a hard team to take down this postseason, as there are too many talents for a team like the Kings to keep up with. The Sedin brothers will be a force up front, while RW Alex Burrows and C Ryan Kesler can also bring it to teams offensively on any given night.

The four have combined for a whopping 94 goals, with LW Daniel Sedin leading the way with 30 of his own as well as 37 assists. Despite his concussion several weeks ago, according to Yahoo! Sports, Sedin has taken part in workouts and should be ready to go for the first game.

In spite of the firepower a team like the Kings boasts, hockey's finest will have L.A. searching for answers throughout the series.