Will goaltender Roberto Luongo, left, be pulled in favour of Cory Schneider, right, if the veteran netminder struggles? (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)
No. 1 Vancouver (50-22-9--109 pts) vs. No. 8 Los Angeles (40-27-14--94 pts)
Three storylines
1. When will Canucks sniper Daniel Sedin return from his concussion? A couple weeks ago Vancouver general manager Mike Gillis proclaimed that Sedin would be back in time for the start of the playoffs. But in the past few days the Canucks have been quiet and there apparently was no truth that Sedin had been skating on his own. Vancouver did go 8-1-0 after Sedin suffered his head injury, but eight of those games were against non-playoff teams.
2. All eyes will be on Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo. His detractors may be a vocal minority, but it will be interesting to see how Vancouver head coach Alain Vigneault reacts if Luongo has a poor performance and whether the Canucks are willing to ride the capable Cory Schneider if Luongo falters.
3. Can Mike Richards get under the skin of Henrik Sedin and his brother if he is healthy enough to play? Richards is at his best when championships are on the line. He's already won a Memorial Cup, world junior gold, a Calder Cup, Olympic gold and lost in the Stanley Cup final with the Philadelphia Flyers in the past nine years.
Season series - Canucks 2-1-1.
Prediction - Canucks in seven.
No. 2 St. Louis Blues (49-22-11--109 pts) vs. No. 7 San Jose Sharks (43-29-10--96 pts)
1. Jaroslav Halak or Brian Elliott? We probably won't find out which goaltender will start for the Blues until the day of the series opener. Halak has the playoff success. But both earned two wins versus the Sharks this season and both registered shutouts. They combined to stop 107 of the 110 shots the Sharks fired at them in four games this year.
2. On the surface there doesn't appear to be any lingering hostilities from the Joe Thornton headshot on David Perron on Nov. 4, 2010 that kept the St. Louis forward out 13 months and 97 games. Thornton even sent Perron a "good luck" text before his first game back last fall. But we'll see. Perron played extremely well in his return, checking in with 21 goals and 42 points in 57 games.
3. Although Blues forward Scott Nichol and defenceman Kent Huskins were depth players on the Sharks the past two seasons, they are smart hockey men and will no doubt provide St. Louis head coach Ken Hitchcock with some insider information on their former team. Nichol suited up for 30 playoffs games with San Jose and Huskins 20. Their playoff experience also should help the younger Blues.
Season series - Blues 4-0-0.
Prediction - Blues in five.
No. 3 Phoenix Coyotes (42-27-13--97 pts) vs. No. 6 Chicago Blackhawks (45-26-11--101 pts)
Three storylines
1. As much as the NHL doesn't want to address the sorry state of this franchise's future in Arizona, you know it will be a topic during the playoffs. Last week, Glendale mayor Elaine Scruggs criticized the NHL for misleading Glendale officials about the prospects of selling the Coyotes. How much a distraction the muddy future of the Coyotes in Glendale will be to the players in the playoffs remains to be seen.
2. The Blackhawks have been without their captain Jonathan Toews because of a concussion for the past 22 games. He hoped to return for a few games in the final week of the regular season. But now the Blackhawks will have to wait and see if he is ready to go in time for the series opener.
3. One of the reasons why the Coyotes clinched a division title was the play of goalie Mike Smith. He was third in save percentage at .930, third in shutouts at eight, fourth in wins at 38 and eighth in goals against with an average of 2.21. But he has only three games of Stanley Cup playoff experience. It will be interesting to see how he performs under the increased intensity of the playoffs.
Season series - Coyotes 3-1-0.
Prediction - Coyotes in six.
No. 4 Nashville (48-26-8--104 pts) vs. No. 5 Detroit (48-28-6--102 pts)
Three storylines
1. When Alexander Radulov was allowed to return to the Predators from Russia without passing through waivers last month, no team was angrier than the Red Wings. Behind the scenes Detroit general manager Ken Holland didn't agree a player who skated away from his existing contract should be allowed to return on his own accord. Plus, Holland knew the Predators would improve with Radulov back. He checked in with three goals and seven points in his nine regular-season games.
2. The Predators were busy before the trade deadline with the acquisitions of Andrei Kostitsyn, Paul Gaustad and Hal Gill. But the strengthened lineup didn't translate into a dominant late-season run. Nashville went 12-7-1 since the trade deadline. One player to watch will be Gill. He went to three straight conference finals in 2008, 2009 and 2010, and won a Stanley Cup with the Penguins in between. Only Chicago's Marian Hossa (72) has played in more playoff games the past four years than Gill's 69.
3. The Red Wings will perform in the post-season for the 21st consecutive season - the longest active streak of any teams in the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL. The next longest in the NHL is the Sharks at eight. Detroit also has won the first round five years in a row, the longest active streak in the NHL.
Season series - Tied at 3-3-0.
Prediction - Red Wings in seven.
Click here for the Eastern Conference storylines
Tim Wharnsby
Tim's worked the sports beat at The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Sun, specializing in Canada's one true sporting obsession - hockey. He knows the players, the coaches, the backroom boys and most importantly, the fans. That's what he brings to his stories. Knowledge, fairness and understanding are trademarks of a Wharnsby story. That's what you will get here as he writes for CBCSports.ca.
