NHL Playoff Bracket 2013: Projecting Closest Round 1 Series

The field for the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs has officially been set, and in this lockout-shortened season, there are plenty series on tap that promise to be as tightly contested as ever.

Though there appear to be a select few favorites to take home Lord Stanley's cup, the postseason race is wide open. Disparity in seeding doesn't necessarily make a series inevitably decided—just look at the defending champion Los Angeles Kings, who won it all last year as a No. 8 seed.

Here is a breakdown of the most intriguing Round 1 series that are likely to yield the closest ultimate outcomes.

Note: For complete NHL playoff bracket, visit NHLPlayoffsBracket.com.

(2) Anaheim Ducks vs. (7) Detroit Red Wings

It took a four-game winning streak for the Red Wings to sneak their way into the postseason, but now that they're in, anything can happen.

Had they missed out, it would have been the first time since 1991 that the historic franchise didn't qualify. This isn't a particularly stacked Detroit team like the cup champions in recent memory, though the presence of veterans Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.

Over the aforementioned hot streak to cap off the regular season, Zetterberg registered 10 points, and Detroit is undoubtedly in playoff mode.

Meanwhile, the Ducks are sure to be favored, and have a one-two punch of their own in Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. Having said that, Anaheim does have question marks—particularly in goal.

It's kind of a good problem to have with Jonas Hiller and Viktor Fasth both playing so well, but which one will be counted on in the team's most important stretch of the season? Fasth has no playoff experience, and Hiller's reps are limited to 12 games.

Jimmy Howard, meanwhile, has been a stalwart on the back end for his team, allowing one goal or less in 10 of his past 11 starts.

Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock gets a shot at his former team, and should have an advantage in terms of puck control. The Ducks hold an advantage in terms of physicality and size, though, and Detroit will have to eliminate giveaways and get to nearly every loose puck to keep things interesting.

(3) Washington Capitals vs. (6) New York Rangers

Expectations are sky-high for the Capitals now that they have won 15 of their final 19 games and superstar Alex Ovechkin has found his all-world form.

That is precisely the setting in which Washington has failed to deliver in recent years, and the Rangers will be no easy out thanks to their stout defense and phenomenal goaltending by Henrik Lundqvist.

This serves as a rematch of the Eastern Conference semifinals from the previous season, which marked the fourth time in five years the two clubs met in the playoffs. New York won that series in seven games.

Katie Carrera of the Washington Post logged comments about the impending series by Capitals winger Eric Fehr on Saturday after the team's victory over Boston in the season finale:

"

They’re a real physical team. It’s going to be a tough opponent. Obviously, we have a little bit of history with them. We’ve played them a number of times. It’s going to be a man’s series, no question. They’ve got a lot of big guys and they like to play physical. It’s a good challenge for us.

"

The emergence of Rangers center Brad Richards down the stretch has given New York more of a punch on the second line, and the trio of Rick Nash, Carl Hagelin and Derek Stepan can match up well with Washington's top line.

However, it will take an extraordinary effort from Lundqvist between the pipes for the Rangers to pull off the upset. It can happen, but the recent return to health of Washington's assistant captain Mike Green makes it all the more difficult.

The Capitals should advance in this one, but this physically grueling battle may take the wind out of their sails in a seven-game showdown.

(4) St. Louis Blues vs. (5) Los Angeles Kings

The road appears a little easier for the Kings this time around. Now that they have a target on their backs, it should be interesting to see how they handle the dynamic this time around.

St. Louis will be especially eager to get a crack at Los Angeles, since the Blues were swept in last year's conference semifinals after a wonderful year had them as the No. 2 seed.

Adding defensemen Jordan Leopold and Jay Bouwmeester will be critical for the Blues' efforts, and helped them finish on a 12-3 run in the regular season after being on the playoff bubble.

This is Bouwmeester's first taste of the postseason in his entire 10-year career, so he'll be looking to make the most of it. The veteran packs an offensive punch even as a defender, and will give Kings goalie Jonathan Quick one more thing to worry about.

It's impossible to count out this incredibly resilient Kings team, who must have at least somewhat of a psychological edge having won the past seven meetings.

Goals will be hard to come by between the improved St. Louis blueline and recent play of goalie Brian Elliott, whose April has been incredible (h/t David Rogers of FrozenNotes.com):

The reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner Quick wasn't quite as impressive during the regular season after his brilliant play in 2011-12, but he should be ready to roll. Still, don't be surprised if the Blues pull this out in seven.

Even as the higher seed, they should be considered a slight underdog given these teams' recent history and the Kings' status as defending champions.