NHL Playoffs 2016: TV Schedule, Odds, Predictions for Friday's Stanley Cup Games

The St. Louis Blues are breathing much easier right now. They have overcome the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks and their own recent poor playoff history. 

By coming through in the seventh game of their opening-round series, the Blues have slain some major demons and can go into the second round with a major weight off their collective shoulders.

That's a good thing, because they have a formidable and high-scoring opponent on their hands in the Dallas Stars. Dallas edged the Blues out by two points to win the Central Division title and earn home-ice advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs. 

Dallas averaged 3.2317 goals per game this year to lead the NHL and is capable of lighting up the scoreboard with rapid-fire scoring. Jamie Benn is the Stars' most dangerous player, and he has followed up his 89-point (41 goals and 48 assists) regular season with 10 points in the playoffs.

Benn had four goals and six assists in the six-game win over the Minnesota Wild, and Jason Spezza was right behind with four goals and five assists. John Klingberg is one of the best offensive defensemen in the league, but he was relatively quiet in the first round with one goal and two assists against Minnesota. He has the ability to trigger the Stars offense with his pinpoint passing and accurate shooting.

But as the series with the Blues gets underway, the Stars won't have Tyler Seguin in the early games. He suffered an Achilles injury late in the season, and while he returned for Game 2 of the Minnesota series, but he did not play after that.

Mark Stepneski, who covers the Stars for their own website, reported that Seguin did not skate at Thursday's practice, and an NHL.com story reported that Seguin would not be able to play for at least a week.

Seguin provides a huge part of the Dallas offense, as he racked up 33 goals and 40 assists this season.

Game	Time (ET)	TV	Odds	Predicted Winner
St. Louis at Dallas	8 p.m.	NBCSN, CBC	Dallas, -116; St. Louis +105	St. Louis
Nashville at San Jose	10:30 p.m.	NBCSN, TVAS, SN	San Jose -160; Nashville +144	San Jose

While the Blues are not as explosive as the Stars, they may be more well-rounded. They were a middle-of-the-pack team on offense, as they averaged 2.6707 goals per game (15th), but they were much better on the defensive end. They allowed just 2.4204 goals per game, ranking fourth in the NHL.

The Blues proved they could score in the clutch throughout their first-round series with the Blackhawks. They outscored the Blackhawks 8-5 in the third period throughout the series, and Vladimir Tarasenko (four goals), Jaden Schwartz (seven points) and rookie Robby Fabbri (five points) are all dangerous scorers.

The Stars are minus-116 favorites to take the opening game on home ice over the Blues (plus-105), according to Odds Shark.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

The well-rested San Jose Sharks are much bigger favorites to take their series opener against the Nashville Predators Friday night.

The Sharks are minus-160 to beat the Preds (plus-144), who will be just two days removed from their seventh-game road victory over the Pacific Division champion Anaheim Ducks.

While it could take the Preds a game or more to get that Anaheim victory out of their system, the Sharks are roaring to go after their one-sided, five-game victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

The Sharks have a couple of big guns in Joe Pavelski (five goals vs. the Kings) and Brent Burns (eight points) who are capable of carrying the team a long way in the postseason. They also have key support from veterans Joe Thornton (three points) and Patrick Marleau (four points), who have been mainstays for the Sharks and remain vital contributors.

The Sharks have not played a game since ending the Kings' season April 22. There was a bit more urgency at their Thursday practice when they knew who they would be playing in the second round, and the Sharks were respectful in their comments about their opponents.

Forward Logan Couture seemed particularly concerned with Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne. 

"He's a goalie that can steal games," Couture told NHL.com correspondent Eric Gilmore. "He's proven that over his career. We've got to get traffic. That's the main thing with him. If you look at the goals that Anaheim scored throughout the series, they had traffic, they had guys in front of him. So we're going to need to do that."

Predictions

The Stars have home-ice advantage and want to get off to a good start in the series, but they may not be ready for a St. Louis team that has never felt better about itself. When you knock out the defending champions with a stellar seventh-game performance, that breeds real confidence.

The Stars will not roll over, but look for the Blues to get the jump in this series by taking charge in the third period and pulling out a 3-2 victory in the opener.

The Sharks appear to be on a mission after pounding the Kings in the first round. Now that they have gotten rid of their own demons, head coach Peter DeBoer should have them ready for an emotionally spent Nashville team. The first game will not be easy, but the Sharks will defend their home ice with a 4-2 victory.