NHL Playoff Bracket 2016: Complete 1st-Round Schedule and Series Predictions

The 2015-16 regular season is in the book, and it's time to separate the top NHL teams from the wannabes.

That's what the first round of the NHL playoffs is all about. There are a couple of decent teams that did not make the playoffs such as the Colorado Avalanche and the Boston Bruins, but they don't compare with the 16 teams that made the postseason.

The playoffs get underway Wednesday, and here's a look at the complete first-round schedule.

Conference	Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Prediction	Skinny
Eastern	Washington (1-Metropolitan)	Philadelphia (2-WC)	Washington in six	Capitals pushed hard by Flyers.
Eastern	Pittsburgh (2-Metropolitan)	N.Y. Rangers (3-Metropolitan)	Pittsburgh in seven	Crosby leads the way.
Eastern	Florida (1-Atlantic)	N.Y. Islanders (1-WC)	New York in six	Panthers' memorable season ends here.
Eastern	Tampa Bay (2-Atlantic)	Detroit (3-Atlantic)	Detroit in six	Lightning not prepared this year.
Western	Dallas (1-Central)	Minnesota (2-WC)	Dallas in six	Stars will get stronger as series moves along.
Western	St. Louis (2-Central)	Chicago (3-Central)	St. Louis in seven	St. Louis no longer has postseason Blues.
Western	Anaheim (1-Pacific)	Nashville (1-WC)	Anaheim in five	Ducks ready to get on a roll.
Western	Los Angeles (2-Pacific)	San Jose (3-Pacific)	San Jose in six	Pavelski will have huge series.

Series to Watch

Flyers vs. Capitals

There are compelling stories that will be written during the playoffs, and one of the most interesting ones involves the Washington Capitals. The Caps dominated the regular season and won the Presidents' Trophy because they were the top team in the league from start to finish.

They have a superstar in Alex Ovechkin (50 goals), and he has an excellent supporting cast led by Evgeny Kuznetsov (77 points) and Nicklas Backstrom (70 points) up front. The Caps also have an excellent blue line led by John Carlson (39 points, plus-16) and Matt Niskanen (32 points, plus-10), while goalie Braden Holtby (48 wins, 2.20 goals-against average) is a legitimate Vezina Trophy contender.

The Caps should have a relatively easy matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers, who qualified for the No. 2 wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. But looks can be deceiving, because the Flyers overcame a poor start and played well down the stretch. They have big-time scorers in Claude Giroux (67 points) and Wayne Simmonds (32 goals), and rookie Shayne Gostisbehere (17 goals, 29 assists) is a creative force on the blue line. 

The Flyers have enough weapons to win a game or two against the Caps, but there's one other key factor in this series. The Caps are favored to win the Stanley Cup at odds of 4-1, according to Odds Shark, while the Flyers are tied with the Detroit Red Wings as the longest shots on the board at 33-1.

With that favorite status comes pressure, and the Caps have never responded well to that pressure in the past. They have never won the Stanley Cup and have lost plenty of series as the favorites.

The Caps are the better team, but they must show they can handle pressure against a loose, offensive-minded team like the Flyers.

Prediction: Washington wins in six games.

Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images

Rangers vs. Penguins  

The Pittsburgh Penguins are the hottest team going into the playoffs, and many expect them to challenge Washington in the Eastern Conference. After a slow start, Sidney Crosby returned to form this year with 36 goals and 49 assists, and much of his production coincided once the Pens brought in head coach Mike Sullivan.

The Penguins became a much faster and more aggressive team under Sullivan, and they ended the season by winning 14 of their last 16 games. However, that finish won't mean a thing if the Pens can't handle the New York Rangers in the first round. New York has eliminated Pittsburgh from the playoffs each of the last two seasons.

One of the reasons for that is Henrik Lundqvist is one of the best playoff goaltenders and Marc-Andre Fleury has struggled in the postseason since he helped win the Stanley Cup in 2009. Lundqvist has not been sharp recently, while Fleury has been sidelined with a concussion.

Sullivan anticipates having Fleury back, but he has not played since March 31. That's just enough time for a goaltender to show a little bit of rust. With Fleury, that rust could lead to self-doubt.

The Penguins have much to prove here, and this will come down to a seventh game.

Prediction: Pittsburgh finally solves the Ranges and wins the series, 4-3.

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Sharks vs. Kings

The Los Angeles Kings missed a glorious opportunity to wrap up the Pacific Division on Saturday night. They rolled to a 3-0 lead over the Winnipeg Jets in their regular-season finale. However, they could not hold their advantage, and the Jets bounced back to record a 4-3 shootout win. That opened the door for the Anaheim Ducks, who won their Sunday season-ender at Washington to take the Pacific Division.

Now the Kings must play the San Jose Sharks in the first round. A good case can be made that if they had won the Pacific, they would have had an easier matchup with the the Nashville Predators, who earned the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Joe Pavelski (38 goals), Joe Thornton (82 points), Brent Burns (75 points) and the rest of the Sharks would love nothing more than to punish the Kings for their mistake.

The Sharks missed the playoffs a year ago, but they bounced back with a strong third-place finish this season. While most expect the Kings to have a long run in the playoffs this season, they are going to have a difficult time with San Jose.

If Jonathan Quick is at his best, the Kings will probably survive, but if he is anything less, the Sharks will get the victory.

Prediction: San Jose registers the upset in six games.

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Blackhawks vs. Blues

The Chicago Blackhawks have earned three Stanley Cups in the last six years, and head coach Joel Quenneville's team is looking to make it four in seven.

The Blackhawks had an up-and-down regular season and finished third in the Central Division. The St. Louis Blues barely missed out on winning the division, finishing two points behind the Dallas Stars. Their second-place finish means they have to play the Blackhawks in the first round.

The Blues have been one of the league's biggest postseason disappointments in recent years, having been beaten in the first round in each of the last three seasons. Head coach Ken Hitchcock is under pressure to lead his team to a deep postseason run, and it can't afford to blink against Chicago.

It won't be easy since the Blackhawks have Jonathan Toews (58 points) and Patrick Kane (league-best 108 points), but Vladimir Tarasenko scored 40 goals, and he will not be easy for Chicago to stop. Tarasenko has plenty of support from Alex Steen, Paul Stastny and David Backes, and the Blues should put together their best postseason performance this year.

Prediction: St. Louis learns its postseason lesson and beats Chicago in seven games.