LOS ANGELES vs. SAN JOSE Must-Starts Los Angeles: Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik, Justin Williams, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Drew Doughty, Jonathan Quick San Jose: Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture, Dan Boyle, Antti Niemi Sleepers Los Angeles: Dustin Brown, Tyler Toffoli, Alec Martinez, Slava Voynov San Jose: Martin Havlat, Brent Burns, Tomas Hertl, Matt Nieto, Jason Demers Notes: LA took the season series 3 games to 2 but Kings' starter Jonathan Quick only played in one of those matches, posting a 1-0 shutout on January 27th. This series could very well come down to which Stanley Cup winning goaltender can outplay the other.  The Sharks have been waiting for Antti Niemi to lead them to the Promised Land ever since they signed him after he won the Cup with Chicago in 2010.  They have been waiting for Joe Thornton to bring them as well.  The one thing going for the Kings is that they have been down this road before and know what it takes to bring home the coveted chalice. The Kings main cog on offense is Anze Kopitar. Kopitar doesn't get enough recognition being that he plays on the West Coast, but this guy can play.  He usually lines up with Justin Williams, another unsung player but is crucial to the Kings success.  He has two Cups under his belt, the other with the Hurricanes.  Marian Gaborik was brought in a the trade deadline and is the sniper the Kings have been looking for all along as they wait for Tyler Toffoli to develop.  Mike Richards and Jeff Carter have displayed chemistry together since their days in Philly, so look for them to supply secondary scoring.  Can Dustin Brown repeat his playoff surge like he did when they won the Cup?  Brown could be a major factor once again. The Kings possess a plethora of offensive talent on the blue line starting with Drew Doughty. Doughty didn't reach the 40-point plateau for a defenseman, but along with Slava Voynov, they possess a dynamic duo at the points.  Alec Martinez displayed some offense towards the end of the regular season and with Jake Muzzin, should contribute to the score sheet as well.  Willie Mitchell and Robyn Regher supply the support in front of goaltender Jonathan Quick.  Quick won the Conn Smythe trophy in 2011-2012 with a 1.41 GAA and a .946 SP, outstanding numbers indeed.  It will be difficult to repeat that kind of performance, but anything close and the Kings will be back on top once again. The San Jose Sharks seem to be built for the long playoff run but somehow always fall short of expectations. Well, expectations are huge this year because of the length of time veterans like Thornton, Marleau and Boyle have been with the team without the hardware.  The young talent is ready to take over should these veterans begin to falter.  Couture and Pavelski are peaking at the right time, so perhaps they can go deep in these playoffs.  Vets Burns, Havlat & Tyler Kennedy, along with youngsters like Hertl, James Sheppard, Matt Nieto and Tommie Wingels, round out the forward ranks and give the Sharks a well-rounded attack. Veteran Dan Boyle leads the defensive corps along with Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Brad Stuart, Scott Hannan, Jason Demers, Justin Braun, and Rookie Matt Irwin are the rest of a solid defensive unit.  Boyle will provide most of the offense from the backend while the others provide support for goalie Niemi.  Niemi is relied perhaps a tad much during the regular season and wears down by the playoffs.  He has been there before so that should help.  PRIME PREDICTION: Los Angeles in 7 All the matchups in the West seem to be able to go either way and this one in particular could go down to the last minute of game 7. Los Angeles seemed to get their game together right after the Olympic break as did San Jose, as their records look eerily similar. The Kings were 15-6-2 while the Sharks went 14-6-3.  Quick started in 17 games during that span while Niemi start 16 during his.  Two players who may be the difference in this type of series are Hertl for San Jose and Toffoli for Los Angeles; two good candidates for sleeper status. This series just may have a few overtime games, meaning more quality hockey for your money and shorter fingernails. ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************ MINNESOTA vs. COLORADO Must-Starts Colorado: Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan O'Reilly, Nathan McKinnon, Tyson Barrie, Semyon Varlamov Minnesota: Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Ryan Suter Sleepers Colorado: Paul Stastny, Erik Johnson Minnesota: Jason Pominville, Ilya Bryzgalov, Jared Spurgeon Notes: Under first year head coach Patrick Roy, the Colorado Avalanche won the Central Division with 111 points, including a dominating 4-0-1 mark against Minnesota. This team is well-equipped for success in this postseason and beyond with arguably the most talented young nucleus of forwards in the NHL. Offensive depth and balanced scoring was their key to "blowing the door" past most defenses, as six forwards scored at least 19 goals and five collected at least 60 points. The team's leading scorer Matt Duchene will likely be out for the first round, but the team barely skipped a beat by going 5-2-1 without him down the stretch. Center Nathan McKinnon remains the overwhelming Calder Trophy favorite, amassing 24 goals and 63 points in his rookie campaign. Ryan O'Reilly and Gabriel Landeskog were also key contributors to the Avalanche offensive attack and should figure prominently in the team's scoring totals with Duchene out. On defense, there is no shortage of offensive blue-liners as Erik Johnson and Tyson Barrie both established career highs in points with 39 and 38, respectively. The X-factors in the series for the Av's will be goalie Semyon Varlamov, who thrived this season with a league-leading 41 wins and a .927 SP. His remarkable consistency throughout the '13-14 campaign, including a 3-0-1 record against Wild, is cause for much optimism as the Av's embark on their postseason run. If they are to secure a first-round upset, the Minnesota Wild will have to depend heavily on the contributions of their two most-prized free agent acquisitions LW Zach Parise and D Ryan Suter. The former Devil's sniper finished the season strong with 29 points in the last 30 games, while the All-World defenseman lead the entire NHL in average minutes played with 29:25. Lacking the offensive depth of their opponent, the Wilds offensive production will fall mostly on the shoulders of the Zach Parise-Mikko Koivu-Jason Pominville top line while Mikael Granlund emerged after the Olympic Break to provide decent secondary scoring. Winger Charlie Coyle and d-man Jared Spurgeon are two Wild on the rise, as they both showed glimpses of their untapped upside. More importantly, the revolving goalie situation in Minny left many doubters unsure whether the Wild had a quality, play-off tested goaltender to lead the team when it counted the most. However, their low-profile acquisition of Ilya Bryzgalov from Edmonton has paid off handsomely due to the injuries to their three previous starters- Niklas Backstrom, Josh Harding, and most recently, Darcy Kuemper. All "Bryzy" has done is posted a 5-1-1 record in his last seven starts, including two shutouts. While his shaky final outing against Nashville might cause some concern, the outcome of the game was meaningless and he has defeated some of the upper-echelon NHL teams, including Boston and Pittsburgh, during his "hot" stretch. PRIME PREDICTION: Colorado in 6. In terms of sheer offensive and team depth, the Avalanche are the better team and should advance past the streaking Wild but Minny will try to play these games 'close to the vest and keep the scoring chances to a minimum. Easier said than done, but the loss of Duchene will make the task more attainable. If Bryzgalov can continue to provide stellar work between the pipes, this series will be closer than people think. Just keep this in mind- despite their overall inexperience, this young Colorado team was perhaps the "most clutch" NHL squad this past season, having the best winning percentage in one-goal games. That should come in handy in Round 1- Avalanche in a six-game "dogfight". ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* CHICAGO vs. ST. LOUIS Must-Starts Chicago: Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith, Corey Crawford St. Louis: Alexander Steen, Ryan Miller, Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk, David Backes Sleepers Chicago: Brent Seabrook, Nick Leddy, Andrew Shaw St. Louis: Jaden Schwartz, Vladimir Tarasenko, Jay Bouwmeester Notes: When it comes to the reigning Stanley Cup champs, they surely hold the cards in dominant high-end forward talent with the likes of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, two of the most potent game-breakers in the NHL. With both stars returning from injury-related layoffs, the Chicago offense should be primed to perform at a high level. Let's not forget LW Patrick Sharp, who always flies under the radar despite leading the team with 78 points. Old "warhorse" Marian Hossa still has plenty of gas left in tank, scoring 30 goals and 60 points in 72 games. On the blueline, the electrifying Duncan Keith ranked second amongst NHL defensemen with 61 points while Brent Seabrook delivered his 2nd career 40+ point season. The promising Nick Leddy came on strong late, reaching the 30-point mark with 7 points in 15 March contests. Safe to say, there isn't a shortage of scoring options on this dynamic roster. In goal, Corey Crawford delivered another fine effort, posting a 32-16-10 record with a 2.26 GAA and a .917 SP. The ‘Hawks are comfortable in the crease with the proven Crawford. The St. Louis Blues have had huge regular season success predicated on a...