Western Conference Final Game 1 Predictions

The Western Conference Final begins tonight. Let’s take a look at the top NHL playoff predictions.

Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.

I was personally shocked that there was this quick of a turnaround for the Anaheim Ducks.

The Nashville Predators had it easy. They dispatched the St. Louis Blues in six games, and captured a thrilling victory in front of an eye-opening raucous crowd. That was on Sunday. They have had four full days of rest, preparation, and practice.

While Nashville was rocking and rolling to a berth in the Western Conference Final, the Anaheim Ducks were getting trounced by the Oilers.

That same Sunday, Edmonton thrashed Anaheim to the tune of a 7-1 blowout. Anaheim would have to gear up for a winner-take-all Game 7 Wednesday night. After all was said and done, the Ducks emerged with a nail-biting, heart-stopping, hard-fought 2-1 victory. It was a wild game that clearly drained everyone in the Honda Center, both on and off the ice.

To have to play again just two days later seems insane to me. The Ducks barely have time to catch their breath, much less prepare for an entirely new opponent with a totally different style of play.

Where the Predators hold the advantage is that they have had all week to prepare for a high-octane offense. Whether the Ducks or Oilers were emerging from their series, Nashville knew they were going to have to go toe-to-toe with a fast-paced north and south team that can light the lamp at a moment’s notice. Anaheim has been locked into a scoring slugfest for so long between Calgary and Edmonton that Nashville will be a brutal change in pace for them. There will be no catching Roman Josi flatfooted. There is no blowing past P.K. Subban. There is no easy way through the neutral zone against a 1-3-1 trap.

It all seems very cruel.

At least the Ducks have home-ice advantage.

Which may not actually be a huge deal.

Anaheim did win Games 5 and 7 on home ice, and both were monumental wins for obvious reasons. But the Ducks were thoroughly outplayed in Games 1 and 2 at the Honda Center, and it took the miracle comeback of miracle comebacks in Game 5 to get the win. And even then it did not come without some controversy.

Nashville lost two of three games away from the comforts of home in the second round, but managed to steal both games in the United Center against the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round. The Preds have won Game 1 in both series so far.

This series may be the sort that the Ducks actually sorely miss Patrick Eaves. Eaves cemented himself as an integral part of the Ducks’ offense after being acquired at the NHL trade deadline, and his physical brand of play would actually go a long way against a team like Nashville. When a team implements a neutral zone trap, it often results in the attacking team having to dump and chase, relying on their ability to win boards battles. It’s the kind of skill that doomed the Rangers in Game 7 against the Ottawa Senators. Not only would Eaves be an asset going into the corners, but he is also one of the toughest men in the league in front of the net.

Nashville has put on a clinic showing how to limit teams to the outside low-danger areas. Eaves’ ability to drive the net will be missed.

That kind of energy would especially be needed at a time where the Ducks are relying on pure adrenaline to beat the Preds. They have not had a whole lot of time to study strategy or look at film. Tonight, they are just going to be sticking to the old hockey adage of playing “their game.” Whether or not it works will hinge on their ability to adapt on the fly.

Which unfortunately plays right into Nashville’s hands.

Peter Laviolette is far too good a coach to be beaten by a team simply winging it. I expect the Predators to know every move the Ducks make tonight. They won’t make too many mistakes because Anaheim does not know how to exploit them just yet.

Their three meetings this year have been on every end of the spectrum. In their first encounter back in October, the Ducks ran the Preds out of the Honda Center 6-1. Then two weeks later, the Preds shut the Ducks out in Tennessee 5-0. Finally, the Ducks bested the Predators in a shootout in March 4-3.

Goaltending will be at the forefront tonight. Since I don’t expect a whole lot of scoring early on in this series while these two teams feel each other out, expect the Rinne-Gibson duel to be in the spotlight. And if it comes down to that, Pekka Rinne is the better goaltender. Yes, Gibson has starkly better regular season numbers than Rinne, but Rinne is having the best postseason of any goaltender in the NHL playoffs this year. He has been so good that he may even get Conn Smythe consideration if, dare I say, the Predators venture any further.

But, cart before the horse and all that.

Gibson got his act together in Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers after having arguably his worst game ever in Game 6. Perhaps “worst game ever” is an extreme moniker, but given the Memory Foam softness of the three goals he allowed and the situation he and his team found himself in- you know, Game 6- I think it’s fair. Gibson may have made it this far in the postseason, but he still has a lot to prove. Who knows, Anaheim may be exploring the goaltender market in free agency if Gibson is unable to do his job properly. This series could very well make or break his future in an Anaheim Duck uniform.

The home team has won five of the last six meetings. But anything goes tonight. It’s the Western Conference Final, y’all.

Prediction: Take the Predators to win Game 1. Play the under.