2017 Western Conference Round 1 Preview 2017-04-27 (S1) Winnipeg Jets vs. (W1) Edmonton Oilers Everyone is not taking the plucky young Oilers lightly, especially with the talented Bobrovsky in net. The Jets though are battle hardened and just a bit deeper than their Canadian counterpart. That's why it seems like the Jets are the favourite in this series. Editors Prediction: Jets have been here before and have guys in their lineup that will make life a living hell for some opponents on the Oilers side. In a year with some of the rookies coming up in Edmonton, this could be a different series. Jets in 6 (S2) Nashville Predators vs. (S3) Chicago Blackhawks A little bit of division between the East in picking this series. The Blackhawks seem to be the favourites just on paper, with depth on depth. The Predators are deep as well, which has many of the predictors saying this series will go the distance. Editors Prediction: For my money this is the most exciting series of the first round. Both teams have a lot to prove, which would not surprise anyone if it's get pushed to a full 7 games. Blackhawks have had difficulty the last few years getting over the hump, but you just can't go against that roster. Blackhawks in 7 (B1) Calgary Flames vs. (W2) San Jose Sharks Other than the one outlier, most think the Flames will steamroll through the Sharks. The Flames score more, give up less and are just a much stronger team. Editors Prediction: Patrick Kane was unstoppable this year, while Semyon Varlamov stopped a lot. The Sharks were agressive at the deadline but it's still probably not enough against the conference winning Calgary Flames. Flames in 4 (B2) Vancouver Canucks vs. (B3) Anaheim Ducks It's almost a consenus amongst the Eastern GM's that the powerhouse Canucks will move on to the next round, but everyone agrees that it won't be easy. It's hard to figure out why the Ducks have been able to put themselves in this position, especially after selling at the deadline, but here they are and as one GM put it "this league loves its Cinderella stories" Editors Prediction: The Canucks are just too good and the Ducks on paper are just not that good. Halak might be able to steal a game, but the Canucks are much stronger defensively which will count for a lot more when things tighten up in the playoffs. Canucks in 4
