NHL Playoffs 2016: Updated Stanley Cup Schedule and Predictions

At the conclusion of business Wednesday night, the first round of the NHL playoffs will finally be in the books, and it will be on to the second round.

Once the Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators conclude their seventh game, the second round will be set.

Actually, the second round will get underway as the first round is ending, as the New York Islanders will play the first game of their series with the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Amalie Arena in Tampa.

Julie Jacobson/Associated Press

The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals will meet in the other Eastern Conference second-round series, while the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars will do battle in the Western Conference. The schedules for all the known series have been announced by the NHL. 

The winner of the Anaheim-Nashville series will take on the San Jose Sharks. If the Pacific Division-winning Ducks are victorious in the seventh game at home, they will have the home-ice advantage over the Sharks. If the Preds pull off the win on the road, San Jose will have the home-ice advantage in the second-round series.

The Penguins and the Capitals will almost certainly be the glamour matchup of the second round. That's what happens when Sidney Crosby goes up against Alex Ovechkin.

Conference	Matchup	Predicted Winner	Skinny
Eastern	N.Y. Islanders-Tampa Bay	New York	Tavares leads them again
Eastern	Pittsburgh-Washington	Washington	May be toughest battle for Caps
Western	St. Louis-Dallas	St. Louis	Tarasenko with a huge series
Western	San Jose-Anaheim*	San Jose	Sharks won't let Ducks find their stride.
*Assuming Anaheim beats Nashville in Game 7 Wednesday night

However, this series is about far more than two of the biggest stars and rivals in the NHL. Both men are trying to lead their teams to the Stanley Cup, and both would appear to have an excellent chance.

The Penguins won 14 of their final 16 regular-season games before overpowering the New York Rangers in five games. The Capitals won the Presidents' Trophy this season with an impressive 120 points, and that kind of performance has made them the postseason favorite to hoist the legendary trophy.

The combination of Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson and Braden Holtby give the Capitals formidable depth. The Penguins are loaded with speed and skill in Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and Kris Letang. This should be a formidable seven-game battle.

The St. Louis Blues threw a huge monkey off of their collective backs when they came through with a 3-2 seventh-game victory over the Chicago Blackhawks Monday night.

Not only did the Blues win their first series since 2011-12, but they got rid of the defending Stanley Cup champions in the process. They should be a much looser and relaxed team now that they have overcome their first-round jinx.

Billy Hurst/Associated Press

The Blues fell just short in their run to the Central Division title during the regular season, finishing second to the Dallas Stars. Those two teams should have a memorable meeting in the second round.

The Blues have excellent depth and a well-rounded team. Vladimir Tarasenko is an explosive scorer, and he gets plenty of help from Jaden Schwartz and Robby Fabbri. The Blues also have a superb defense led by Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk and Colton Parayko, and goaltender Brian Elliott is coming off an impressive series against the Blackhawks.

The Stars have a dominating offensive team led by Jamie Benn, Patrick Sharp, Jason Spezza and Patrick Eaves. However, Tyler Seguin's status is still in doubt. Seguin injured his Achilles late in the regular season and while he came back to play in Game 2 of the Stars' first-round series against Minnesota, he was unable to play in any of the other games of the series.

"

Stars still waiting for Tyler Seguin to get back on the ice https://t.co/HBNi8xkjog

— ESPN NHL coverage (@ESPN_NHL) April 26, 2016"

Dallas has the offensive game to score with any team in the league, but there are legitimate questions about its defense and goaltending. 

Predictions

The Anaheim Ducks have had a difficult time in their series with the Nashville Predators, but they will survive the seventh game and advance to the second round against the San Jose Sharks.

Look for the rested Sharks to jump out to an early lead over the Ducks thanks to Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns. San Jose will advance to the Western Conference Final with a six-game series victory.

The St. Louis Blues should be in a position to play their best hockey of the year after beating the Blackhawks. They heard a lot of whispers about choking throughout that series, but they came through in Game 7, and a huge burden has been lifted. 

The Stars may not be prepared to play a team that is flying from the start of the series. While the Stars have an explosive offense, their defense will let them down, and St. Louis will win the series in five games.

The New York Islanders have been riding the enormous coattails of superstar John Tavares. He scored the tying and winning goals in Game 6 against Florida, and he should continue to roll against Tampa Bay. This is a seven-game series, and the Islanders will survive and advance.

Finally, the Capitals will be pushed to the limit by the streaking Penguins. This will be a back-and-forth series that each team will lead at one point, but the seventh game will belong to Holtby, Carlson and Ovechkin.