2016 NHL Western Conference Champion Expert Picks and Predictions

How do you call this year’s NHL Western Conference with plenty of razor-close matchups? It’s pretty difficult to do so with the Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, Anaheim Ducks and the like all looking like legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. It’s also pretty likely that the eventual Stanley Cup champs will come from the West much like in the past four years.

With this bracket so difficult to predict, it’s time to take a look at what the experts have to say about the Western Conference Playoffs. For more on Stanley Cup Playoffs action, check out our experts predictions for the Eastern Conference as well as the entire Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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2016 NHL Western Conference Champion Expert Picks and Predictions

The Odyssey

Round | Matchup | Yanni Latzanakis’ Predictions
Conference Quarterfinals | Stars vs. Wild | Stars in 5
| Kings vs. Sharks | Kings in 7
| Blues vs. Blackhawks | Blues in 7
| Ducks vs. Predators | Ducks in 6
Conference Semifinals | Stars vs. Blues | Blues in 6
| Ducks vs. Kings | Ducks in 7
Conference Championship | Ducks vs. Blues | Blues in 7

Yanni Latzanakis of The Odyssey is going with the higher-seeded teams to beat their opponents in the Western Conference. But that’s only for the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs. Latzanakis shook things up in the conference semifinals, pegging the Blues to beat the Dallas Stars.

Having the Blues in the conference final is a very tough proposition. They face the defending Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks in the first round of the playoffs. But this Blues team could get the job done. Latzanakis believes that this is the best St. Louis team in recent years, while their goaltenders are the best they’ve had in the past four seasons. The Blues also own the regular season series, going 3-2 against Chicago.

Beating the Blackhawks could be the spring board for the Blues. Latzanakis believes that St. Louis wins their first Stanley Cup in franchise history after surviving a very tough schedule in the Western Conference.

Bleacher Report

Round | Matchup | Adrian Dater’s Predictions
Conference Quarterfinals | Stars vs. Wild | Stars in 5
| Ducks vs. Predators | Ducks in 6
| Blues vs. Blackhawks | Blues in 7
| Kings vs. Sharks | Kings in 6
Conference Semifinals | Stars vs. Blues | Blues in 6
| Ducks vs. Kings | Kings in 7
Conference Championship | Ducks vs. Blues | Kings in 7

The Los Angeles Kings are back in the playoffs and Adrian Dater of Bleacher Report has them as the eventual Western Conference Champions. The Kings are a defense-first hockey team, having allowed only 195 goals in the regular season. They’re pretty tough to score against, especially with Jonathan Quick between the pipes.

Quick went an impressive 40-23-5 with a 2.22 GAA in the regular season. While Quick should certainly be a solid goalie, the Kings can hold their own on offense. They have five players with more than 50 points led by Anze Kopitar up the middle. Kopitar is already playoff-ready, entering the postseason on a three-game points streak.

NHL.com

Round | Dan Rosen’s Prediction
Conference Championship | Kings over Stars

Add in NHL.com’s Dan Rose as another believer in the Kings. He believes that Los Angeles has all the tools they need to not only win the Western Conference, but also to take the Stanley Cup back home to Los Angeles.

Goaltending will be key for the Kings’ Stanley Cup Playoffs run. They’re third in the league when it comes to defense, allowing just 2.3 goals per game. The last time goalie Jonathan Quick was in the playoffs, he amassed a 2.65 GAA with two shutouts in 26 games. He was impenetrable when it mattered the most, going 4-0 with a 1.25 GAA in four-straight games to erase a 3-0 deficit in the quarterfinal series against their rival San Jose Sharks.

The Kings also have all the offense in the world to give them a victory. Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli are solid players each with 58 or more points. They also have some solid support from Milan Lucic (55 points). Then there’s veteran blue liner Drew Doughty, who could go off like Duncan Keith did a year ago for Chicago to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.

For Rosen, the Kings not only have all the tools to win the conference. They also have everything it takes to win the Stanley Cup. After all, it is an even-numbered year much like when the Kings won the cup in 2012 and 2014.

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