NHL Playoff Predictions 2012: Winner from Each First Round Series

The 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs are set to face off in just a few hours with the drop of the puck in Consol Energy Center. The Pittsburgh Penguins are facing a potential first-round loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, so they need to get off to a good start at home.

There could be as many lower seeds advancing as top-four seeds, in part due to a pair of three-seeds from weak divisions. Following is a summary of what to expect from each series.

NHL Western Conference

Vancouver Canucks (1) vs. Los Angeles Kings (8)

This series could be better than expected. The Los Angeles Kings were sitting atop the Pacific Division on April 5 when they started a home game vs. the San Jose Sharks.

They lost in a shootout and the pair went to San Jose to settle the division. An overtime loss and a Phoenix win dropped them from a three-seed to eighth.

The Canucks won’t be a kind host, though. They have unfinished business with the Stanley Cup and will be up to the challenge. But there won’t be any easy series in the Western Conference.

The biggest storyline for the Canucks is when Daniel Sedin will return to play. The one that could have more impact on their pursuit of the cup is the goalie that will be asked to carry the team.

Roberto Luongo is the established starter, but Cory Schneider has become a steady…possibly even a better option to consider in the net for the playoffs. The Canucks should give Schneider a few early starts to see how he manages the pressure of the playoffs.

He could be the difference in the Stanley Cup Finals this season.

Vancouver wins the series in six games.

St. Louis Blues (2) vs. San Jose Sharks (7)

As mentioned above, the Sharks took the last two games of the season from the Kings to move into the seven-seed. Their reward is facing the Blues instead of the Canucks in a brutal game of pick your poison.

St. Louis has been strong and consistent this season, but the Sharks are a dangerous matchup. One interesting story line will be to watch how the Blues utilize their goalie tandem of Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott. Halak has more experience, but Elliot has been better in the crease this season.

The Sharks have three powerful scorers and one of the best feeders in the league (Joe Thornton, 59 assists). It won’t be quite enough to get past a tough St. Louis unit, though.

St. Louis wins the series in five games.

Phoenix Coyotes (3) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (6)

This series is as close to a coin flip as they come. The Blackhawks are the better team, but the Coyotes match up against them quite well.

The Chicago Blackhawks played in a very competitive Central Division with four teams finishing with triple-digit points. Phoenix, on the other hand, barely edged out the Sharks and Kings in a weaker Pacific Division.

The Coyotes are riding a five-game winning streak and playing solid hockey. They are also playing for pride, as the league-owned team has been linked to a Seattle venture that's busily working on buying an NHL franchise.

Phoenix will fare better than their four-game sweep by the Detroit Red Wings in 2011. Home ice could be the deciding factor.

Coyotes win Game 7 at home.

Nashville Predators (4) vs. Detroit Red Wings (5)

Detroit played very well on their home ice this season, but had difficulty when playing away from Joe Louis Arena. Their path to victory consists of stealing one of the first two games in Nashville, followed by three home wins.

Jimmy Howard is having another fine season in net, and their trio of centers will keep the pressure on Pekka Rinne and his 2.39 goals-against average.

The biggest factor in this series is experience. The Red Wings have it and the Predators have one playoff series win since 2005. During that period, Detroit has hoisted the Stanley Cup once and lost in the finals another time.

Detroit wins the series in Game 6.

NHL Eastern Conference

New York Rangers (1) vs. Ottawa Senators (8)

Ottawa was an afterthought entering the 2011-12 season. They finished one game out of the cellar last year and little was expected of them this season.

Their fans will be rewarded for their loyalty with two playoff games, one of which the Senators might even win.

Rangers take the series at home in Game 5.

Boston Bruins (2) vs. Washington Capitals (7)

The Capitals were a major disappointment this season. After winning the Southeast Division last season with a conference-leading 107 points, it has been mostly downhill. They were swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning in four games in the Conference Semifinals and won a tiebreaker with Ottawa to secure the seven-seed.

Boston will prove to be too tough in this matchup. Tim Thomas should have little trouble with the Capitals' lines. Alex Ovechkin had two assists in their final matchup this season, but did little else.

The Bruins will sweep the Capitals.

Florida Panthers (3) vs. New Jersey Devils (6)

Speaking of teams making a drastic move this season, the Panthers were at the bottom of the Eastern Conference last year. They responded with chaotic play this season, balancing winning and losing streaks to eventually take the apathetic Southeast Division.

The Panthers didn’t get there by wins, though. They compiled 18 points off of overtime losses. Those aren’t going to help them in the playoffs.

New Jersey is just too strong for Florida. The Cats may have a chance if they can extend the series to seven games, but don’t expect that to happen.

The Devils will win the series in six games.

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (5)

These two squads were tight virtually all season. The Penguins barely edged the Flyers in total points, but the Flyers had the 4-2 advantage in head-to-head games. The last contest was their final regular season game, as reserve goalies took to the net for both teams.

The Penguins won that game to make the series look close. They were without Sidney Crosby for two of the losses and one win. He could be the difference-maker in the series, but don’t expect goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to be worried about facing him. Crosby failed to score in the lone contest when both players were on the ice.

Flyers will advance with a Game 6 win.