NHL Round 1 Preview

It's the most exciting time of the year in the NHL, the Stanley Cup Playoffs. There are a few interesting storylines heading into the postseason. Will the Pittsburgh Penguins Repeat? Will the Washington Capitals finally get the job done? Can the Chicago Blackhawks win their fourth title in seven years?

How will Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews perform in the postseason?

Eastern Conference: Metropolitan Division: (WC2) Toronto Maple Leafs vs (1) Washington Capitals: How overwhelmed must Auston Matthews feel that his first ever career playoff series is against Alex Ovechkin. Well it might be a quick one for the Maple Leafs. Toronto is inexperienced and not ready yet and Washington is looking to go deep. If Frederik Andersen isn't healthy for Toronto, the Capitals might just explode offensively and they might anyways. The pick: Washington in 5.

(3) Columbus Blue Jackets vs (2) Pittsburgh Penguins: The Blue Jackets are in a slump heading into their first round series with the Penguins. Columbus missing Zach Werenski on the back end is hurting them right now. He should be back to give them a jolt. However, the Penguins are the defending champions and they are playing with swagger with Sidney Crosby leading the way. Sergei Bobrovsky vs Matt Murray should be a terrific goaltending matchup. The pick: Pittsburgh in 6.

Atlantic Division: (WC1) New York Rangers vs (1) Montreal Canadiens: Henrik Lundqvist and Carey Price are hit and miss goalies. The Rangers attack has been slowed down lately and they are playing too much catch up. The Canadiens are playing with physicality that will slow down the Rangers. Alex Galchenyuk is the most dangerous player on the ice in this series. The pick: Montreal in 6.

(3) Boston Bruins vs (2) Ottawa Senators: Boston had problems throughout the season with getting a speed game going against a trap defense Ottawa likes to play. In the playoffs, Ottawa can't rely on that because they are going to need to score sooner rather than later. Boston has better snipers when the game is on the line than Ottawa does. The pick: Boston in 7.

Western Conference: Central Division: (WC2) Nashville Predators vs (1) Chicago Blackhawks: If you enjoy watching goals being scored, this is the series to tune into. James Neal, P.K. Subban, Roman Josi, and Filip Forsberg are the main snipers on Nashville. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin, and Ryan Hartman are the main snipers on Chicago. Which ever goalie survives the plethora of shots in this series will come out on top. The pick: Chicago in 7.

(3) St. Louis Blues vs (2) Minnesota Wild: Mike Yeo gets to coach against his former squad in the first round. St. Louis has played well down the stretch and Minnesota hasn't. Yeo doesn't put down his players after a loss like Boudreau does sometimes for the Wild. When times get tough, expect the Blues to respond better than the Wild. The pick: St. Louis in 6.

Pacific Division (WC1) Calgary Flames vs (1) Anaheim Ducks: This is the worst possible draw for the Flames in the first round. They are quick but very small and the Flames are scared of the Ducks big bodies. Getzlaf and Perry have been solid lately. The thing is who will be the starting goalies in the series. Will it be Brian Elliott or Chad Johnson for the Flames? Will it be Jonathan Bernier or John Gibson for the Ducks? The pick: Anaheim in 4.

(3) San Jose Sharks vs (2) Edmonton Oilers: If Logan Couture and Joe Thronton aren't healthy for the Sharks, that will spell major trouble for them in the first round. They need to be healthy to have a chance against a speedy Edmonton team. Martin Jones might be able to steal a series, but Connor McDavid, Milan Lucic, and others are on another level right now. Cam Talbot is a pretty good goalie to. The pick: Edmonton in 6.