NHL Playoffs 2012: Who Really Is the Best in the Western Conference?

The Western Conference had a tight knit year again. Although Vancouver sits atop the West and claims the NHL's best record with 111 points, there are many teams close behind ready to dethrone the defending Western Conference Champions.

At this point in the season, there really are no flukes in the deep end of the water.

The most intriguing Western Conference matchup is that of the Blues and the Sharks, granted they don't beat each other quickly and go until game seven. The winner of this series will gain enough momentum to have a solid series and advance against whoever wins the Vancouver-Los Angeles Round.

The Sharks' depth and star power make them such an appealing pick to continue and have success in their postseason run. Although St. Louis' roster is filled with role-playing "team members," which is very different from their opponents, it is a very appealing match-up.

The Sharks have made it to two consecutive Conference finals and have a combined 1-8 record. With superstars Thorton and Marleau in their mid-thirties, it will be more than likely they will not beat St. Louis.

The toughest matchup is the Nashville Predators and the Detroit Red Wings. Nashville already drew first blood and leads the series 1-0.

Its going to be tough to stop Detroit once they get going. If the Predators can surpass the possibly toughest postseason opponent in the West, they can go all the way. Unfortunately, Detroit has the better team and will pass Nashville and go into the second round.

The series that are less likely to have a spoiler alert is the Number 1 Canucks against the Number 8 Kings as well as the Blackhawks and the Coyotes. Although Chicago is ranked 6th compared to Phoenix's 3, they are not the underdogs and seem to have gotten hot at the right time.

With Toews, Kane, Hossa and Sharp, it seems just wrong and ill-advised to go against Chicago.

Vancouver is the more complicated story. They finished the season with the Presidents' Trophy and went to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals and lost to Boston just last season. As much as people would like to see Vancouver win so their city doesn't see another riot, they will not win the Cup this season. But they will go to the Western Conference Finals.

The teams to beat are Vancouver, St. Louis and Detroit. These teams all have common characteristics: great puck possession, winning one-on-one battles and traffic in front of the net.

Although I would hate to go against the Canucks in winning the west, Luongo's shaky playoff experience and breakdowns are still vivid.

Final Prediction

Vancouver vs. Detroit in the Western Finals

Red Wings win in 7