NHL Playoff Schedule 2012: Expect Upsets To Kick off Playoffs on Wednesday

Finally, the NHL’s second season has arrived.

After 82 grueling regular season games, the intensity and pressure has been ratcheted up to a whole different level.  

The festivities kick off on Wednesday and right off the bat I like two of the higher-seeded teams to pull off the Game 1 upset.

This is the best time of year for puck heads and expect the NHL’s second season to be kicked off in exciting fashion.

(Click here for full NHL schedule)

No. 8 Los Angeles Kings (40-27-15) over No. 1 Vancouver Canucks (51-22-9)

The Kings are surging into the postseason because of their defense. They are second in the league in goals against (2.1 gpg) and are the fourth-best team at killing penalties (87 percent). A big part of their success can be attributed to goaltender Jonathan Quick.

His 1.95 GAA and .929 save percentage make him one of the elite goalies in the game.

If he keeps this up, the Kings can do some serious damage. On Wednesday against a Canuck team that doesn’t even know who their goalie is going to be (Roberto Luongo or Cory Schneider?) and an offense that has been inconsistent, don’t be shock when the Kings silent the home crowd and steal Game 1.

No. 5 Philadelphia Flyers (47-26-9) over No. 4 No. 4 Pittsburgh Penguins (51-25-6)

The Keystone rivalry gets taken to the next level on Wednesday and the Flyers are the better team despite the slightly inferior record.

With Ilya Bryzgalov nursing a foot injury, Sergei Bobrovsky has really stepped his game up in his absence. Now the Flyers enter the playoffs with two strong goalies that are more than capable of getting hot and putting Philly on their back. That will be of extreme importance against a Penguins team that leads the NHL in scoring (3.3 gpg).

Offensively, Claude Giroux just capped off his best year as a pro and is one of the most dangerous players still alive in the chase for the Stanley Cup. Pascal Dupuis enters the postseason having scored a point in 17-straight games.

The Penguins are 2-4 against the Flyers this season as it seems Philly is one of the few teams that can slow the frantic pace of the Pittsburgh offense.

Not only will the Flyers win on Wednesday, they’ll win the series in six games. 

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