Our Eastern Conference predictions are also live on our home page, so go check out what we at Pens Labyrinth are forecasting for the First Round.
Here we head west and try to make sense of the insanely stacked Western Conference. Here are our official predictions.
#1 Winnipeg Jets vs. #4 St. Louis Blues
This matchup, while it's not a rivalry, is shaping up to be an epic battle.
We already got Connor Hellebyuck vs. Jordan Binnington in the Four Nations Faceoff, and we're getting it again, with each representing the opposite country that they were before.
St. Louis ended the season on an absolute heater, while Winnipeg was the best team in the Western Conference all year long. Robert Thomas has been the best point producer since the Four Nations break. Kyle Connor has been among the best point producers all season.
This is a battle between consistency and streakiness. If the Blues can go on a run, it could make for an early exit for the Presidents Trophy winners, but the Jets might have too might firepower to handle in a seven game series.
Prediction: Jets in 6
#2 Dallas Stars vs. #3 Colorado Avalanche
It's the Mikko Rantanen Bowl. Tensions will be high in this one with arguably the two most complete teams in the league, however Dallas has really struggled down the stretch.
They lost SEVEN straight to end the regular season. It's almost a comedy what they've put on the ice the last three weeks, and ironically it started with their loss to the Penguins.
Nathan MacKinnon is one of the greatest playoff performers in NHL history, and his 116 points this season show no signs of slowing down when the lights are brightest.
Dallas has no momentum, and they're going to be met with a rude awakening. They're going to have a miserable end to a season where it was Cup or bust.
Prediction: Avalanche in 5
#1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. #4 Minnesota Wild
Anybody else thrown off at the fact the Golden Knights had 110 points this season? Maybe it's just me, but I thought they were objectively worse than last season. Obviously not.
On the other side, Minnesota got off to a scorching hot start before settling down towards the middle of the year. That's not to say they're a pushover, though. They're actually one of the better road teams in the NHL, which is going to be important playing games in hostile Vegas.
Vegas has the #2 best power play in the NHL, but their penalty kill is in the bottom quadrant of the league, which makes this series all about special teams. As a caveat, Vegas became the least penalized team in NHL history this season, so don't bank on Golden Knights in the sin bin much.
Conversely, Minnesota has bottom-tier special teams for both units. They're going to need Kirill Kaprizov to get back into stride quickly and get back to carrying this team offensively. He was their third best bulk producer this season...he missed 41 games.
Minnesota has their work cut out for them, and they have no business winning this series - which is exactly why I'm going to take them as our first major upset in these Stanley Cup Playoffs. I can't wait to be so insanely wrong.
Prediction: Wild in 6
#2 Los Angeles Kings vs. #3 Edmonton Oilers
For the 76th straight year, it's the Kings and Oilers in the First Round. Whoopie!
Actually, though, I'm really intriguied by this matchup. In years past Los Angeles hasn't stood a chance against Edmonton, but this year I feel like it's different.
Edmonton, in all respects, has been kind of middling this year (for a playoff team that is). They're still getting insanely good production from Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, but where is their depth?
In contrast, the Kings don't have a point-per-game player this season, but everyone just does their job. They have just two regulars in their lineup with a negative plus/minus this season: Trevor Lewis and Kevin Fiala. That's it. Edmonton has six.
The Kings have built a regiment that works wonders this season, and it's spearheaded by Darcy Kuemper between the pipes, who has a legitimate shot to win the Vezina.
The big boys of Edmonton can take over a series, we saw that last year, but this Kings team is polished, consistent, and owns the best record on home ice in the NHL at 31-6-4. With home ice advantage, they'll finally slay their dragon.
Prediction: Kings in 7
Our Western Conference predictions certainly have a bit more shakeups than the Eastern Conference. Truly, the west is so much stronger than the east this year. Their top dogs are better, and even their Wild Card teams are superior.
Out of Winnipeg, Colorado, Minnesota, and Los Angeles, we have two proven teams (one recent) and two very unproven teams.
The Kings won a pair of Stanley Cups a decade ago, but have failed to even come close to getting back there. The Avalanche dethroned the Lightning a few years ago and have the squad to get back there again.
Meanwhile, the Wild haven't won a playoff series since 2015, and Winnipeg, oh don't even get me started. I've personally wanted the Jets to be a real contender for years now. But they just can't figure it out when the lights get bright.
I have the Jets winning in the first round, but even that's not a given. I don't like putting stock into them going deep even though they've been the best team in the NHL this season. The Presidents trophy curse is a real thing.
My rationale is that Los Angeles and Colorado are built for the grind that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I do think, however, that Los Angeles is susceptible to going cold, and if they do, they'll be in trouble.
Our representative to come out of the west: the Colorado Avalanche. No disrespect to Minnesota, but them being in the final four in the conference is bold enough from me, so it's the Avs who will get the chance to win their second Cup in four years.
Let us know what you think about our predictions! Feel free to grill us on Twitter/X @PensLabyrinth and tell us who you think makes it out of the Western Conference! Also be sure to check out our Eastern Conference predictions HERE!