NHL Playoffs 2011: Western Conference Power Rankings

Just one more day and the wait will be over. After a long 82 game season, the playoffs are upon us and for the next two months, hockey fans across the world will be taken on an incredible ride.

Over the course of the final month of the season, the Western Conference playoff positioning flipped and turned every night. It wasn't until the final game of the year before the seedings were all finalized.

With less then 24 hours before the 2011 playoffs begin, here is a look at the western powers.

No. 8 Los Angeles Kings

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 24: Willie Mitchell #33 of the Los Angeles Kings celebrates his goal with teammates Oscar Moller #9, Anze Kopitar #11 and Drew Doughty #8 in the second period during the NHL game against the San Jose Sharks at Staples Center on Ma

As the Kings came down the stretch, they began to limp and then lost their offensive playmaker Anze Kopitar. Without Kopitar in the lineup, the Kings will turn to their defense and goaltending.   

To make things worse for the Kings, they match up with the Sharks who have been playing some of the best hockey in the league as of late. If the Sharks keep playing at that level, it could be hard for the Kings to match the pace. 

No. 7 Nashville Predators

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DENVER, CO - MARCH 31: Goalie Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators warms up prior to facing the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on March 31, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Rinne had 27 saves as the Nashville Predators defeated the Colorado Avalan

Never a flashy team, but always consistent. Nashville is once again back in the playoffs and will take on Anaheim in the opening round. Entering these playoffs, the Predators will once again lean on their defense, penalty killing and goaltending to get the job done.  

In past years, Nashville has had success with this formula and will also look for timely goal scoring in this year's playoffs. They will need to be very disciplined and effective on their penalty kills as they are going up against one of the best power plays from this year.

No. 6 Anaheim Ducks

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LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 09: Saku Koivu (L) #11 and Corey Perry #10 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrate Koivu's goal in the first period against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on April 9, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Im

Seemed like with not much time left in the season, Anaheim was fighting off teams for the final spot in the West. When the dust finally settled, the Ducks found themselves in the four spot, with home ice advantage.  

The Ducks have one of the best lines in hockey right now and Corey Perry has been their go-to guy. If the Ducks can stay disciplined—a big if—and take advantage of their excellent power play, They should find themselves moving on to the second round.

No. 5 Phoenix Coyotes

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GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 01: Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov #30 of the Phoenix Coyotes during the NHL game against he Colorado Avalanche at Jobing.com Arena on April 1, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. The Avalanche defeated the Coyotes 4-3 in an overtime shoot out.

When taking a look at Phoenix, you need not look any further then the man between the pipes: Ilya Bryzgalov. Bryzgalov is a dominating force and an equalizer in the Wings series. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, all it takes is a hot goaltender to make a deep run.  

If Phoenix can stay out of the penalty box and get timely goaltending from Bryzgalov, they will push the Wings deep in this series and could reverse the fortunes from last year.

No. 4 Chicago Blackhawks

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CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 10: Michael Frolik #67 of the Chicago Blackhawks (center) is congratulated by teammates including Ben Smith #57 and Patrick Kane #88 after scoring a goal in the 2nd period against the Detroit Red Wings at the United Center on April 10,

Chicago had to wait and wait and wait before finally knowing their playoff fate. With only needing one point against the Red Wings on the final day of the season, Chicago came up short and lost 4-3 in regulation. Due to the loss, Blackhawks players had to wait until the final buzzer sounded on a Dallas loss to finally lock up the final spot in the West.  

Despite the last minute nature of getting in the playoffs, the Hawks can get scoring from multiple lines and are strong on the blueline. To make things better, Chicago can play with confidence against Vancouver, a team they have seen two straight years in the playoffs.

No. 3 Detroit Red Wings

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DETROIT, MI - MARCH 30: Nicklas Lidstrom #5 of the Detroit Red Wings looks on the St. Louis Blues at Joe Louis Arena on March 30, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Detroit is a team that will be hard to read coming into the playoffs. They certainly have a ton of talent up and down their lineup. From their forwards to their defenseman, Detroit is certainly not short on playmakers.  

The big question for the Wings is when will Henrik Zetterberg return and is Nicklas Kronwall ready to return from an injury that has recently kept him out of the lineup.  

Things will not be easy to start for the Wings either. They open the playoffs against Phoenix, who pushed the Wings to seven games last year. A quick series would be a huge benefit for the Wings but this has all the making of a six or seven game series.

No. 2 San Jose Sharks

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ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 06: Dany Heatley #15 of the San Jose Sharks looks on prior to the start of the game against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on April 6, 2011 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

San Jose seems to have found the right time to get hot this year. The question with the Sharks has been, and will be, can they get it done in the playoffs. Last year, the Sharks made it to the Western Conference finals before running out of gas.  

Coming into the 2011 playoffs, the Sharks have been getting great goaltending and will be matching up with a Los Angeles team that is missing there biggest weapon, Anze Kopitar.  

If the Sharks can continue to play the way they finished the season, they could be looking at a deep run in the playoffs.

No. 1 Vancouver Canucks

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VANCOUVER, CANADA - MARCH 31: Daniel Sedin #22 of the Vancouver Canucks is congratulated by Henrik Sedin #33 and Victor Oreskovich #38 after scoring against the Los Angeles Kings during the second period in NHL action on March 31, 2011 at Rogers Arena in

Since the month of March rolled around, the Vancouver Canucks have had the President's Trophy firmly in their grasp but have not let off the gas pedal. They currently have the best overall power play and also have a top three penalty kill.  

Vancouver fans may still be on edge. They have seen this script before with a hockey club that had superior goaltending, four solid offensive lines and top notch defense. To put them even more on edge, they get to face the team that has caused nightmares for them the past two years: Chicago.  

With all this said, Vancouver is still the best team in the west from top to bottom and will be hard to knock off.