NHL playoff preview: Western Conference

Here's the second half of our NHL playoff preview, the Western Conference:

Team: San Jose Sharks (1)
Record: 51-20-11, 113 points
Past 10: 8-1-1
First round opponent: Colorado (2-1-1 in 2009-10, 25-35-5-2 all-time, 9-10-0 playoffs)
Last met: 2004 Conference semifinal (won 4-2)
Stanley Cups: 0
All-time playoff record: 59-66-0
Northwestern Ontario content: None
Storyline: Unlike last year, the Sharks hit the playoffs on a roll, wining eight of their last 10 games. But as good as this team’s been in the regular season, San Jose always finds a way to screw up when it counts. They went to the final four in 2004, but haven’t made it past the second round since.
Key players: Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau proved they could win the big one with Team Canada, but Sharks fans want to see them perform in the playoffs. Thornton, a three-time 100-point man, has disappointed in the playoffs with just 35 points in 41 postseason games with San Jose over four years.
Under the radar: Joe Pavelski scored 25 goals, including five game-winners. Clutch goals are just what the Sharks will need against an Avalanche team that has proven pesky all season long – a team on the rise that would like to make a name for itself with a first-round upset over the top team in the conference.
Why they’ll win: At some point they just have to. They’ve got the talent, they’ve got the record and they’re peaking at the right time. Heatley might be the difference. They’re also tougher this time around.
Why they’ll lose: They always do. Goalie Evgeni Nabokov  could be suffering post-Olympic stress syndrome, the Avalanche could play above their heads, like the Ducks did last year.
Fun fact: Over the past two decades, only Dallas and Detroit have won back-to-back regular season Western Conference championships. It took the Stars and Wings until their third straight conference crown before it translated into Stanley Cup success.
Prediction: Conference semifinal loss to Detroit
 
Team: Chicago Blackhawks (2)
Record: 52-22-8, 112 points
Past 10: 6-3-1
First round opponent: Nashville (4-2-0 in 2009-10, 31-31-4-3 all-time, 0-0-0 playoffs)
Last met: Never met
Stanley Cups: 0
All-time playoff record: 6-16-0
Northwestern Ontario content: Patrick Sharp (Thunder Bay), Duncan Keith (Fort Frances)
Storyline: Chicago missed being the top seed by a point, and have some injury concerns – although defenceman Brian Campbell was spotted practicing on Wednesday morning. With a Norris Trophy candidate in Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane up front , the Hawks are loaded with talent and have the experience of going to the semifinal last year
Key players: Kane is the main man for the Hawks, surpassing Toews, who got off to a slow start and never completely found his groove. Don’t forget our own 25-goal man Patrick Sharp, who set a career high with 66 points.
Under the radar: Troy Brouwer scored seven of his 22 goals on the power play, and seven were also game winners. His dad’s been sick, giving him even more motivation to perform this spring.
Why they’ll win: There might not be a team in the league with more depth than the Hawks. They have eight or nine quality NHL forwards who could start for any team, and a defence corps not seen since Montreal’s Big Three patrolled the Montreal Forum in the 1970s.  
Why they’ll lose: If Campbell and Kim Jonsson, acquired from Minnesota in February for high-priced Cam Barker, can’t go, the Hawks could be forced to overplay Keith and Brent Seabrook, already tired from their Olympic gold-medal run. That could lead to mistakes, which in turn could lead to goals.
Fun fact: Like the New York Rangers of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, the Hawks own the dubious distinction of owning the longest Cup drought in the NHL. They haven’t won since 1961, when Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull were lighting the lamp at old Chicago Stadium. A win would pass the dishonour to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where it probably belongs.  
Prediction: Stanley Cup final loss to Washington
 
Team: Vancouver Canucks (3)
Record: 49-28-5, 103 points
Past 10: 5-4-1
First round opponent: Los Angeles (3-1-0 in 2009-10, 93-88-32-3 all-time, 8-9-0 playoffs)
Last met: 1993 division final (lost 4-2)
Stanley Cups: 0
All-time playoff record: 77-100-0
Northwestern Ontario content: Ryan Johnson (Thunder Bay, injured, broken foot)
Storyline: Vancouver was the second-highest scoring team in the NHL, but has struggled defensively since the offensive break. Vancouver tied for the league lead with 30 home wins, but was a sub-.500 squad away from GM Place.
Key players: The Sedin twins and Roberto Luongo are the go-to-guys in Vancouver. Henrik Sedin did the unthinkable and beat out Alexander Ovechkin for the soring title. Brother Daniel would have scored 100 points, but missed a chunk of time. Luongo was the gold-medal winner for Canada, and would like to add a Cup ring, though his numbers were middle-of-the-pack.
Under the radar: Mason Raymond came out of nowhere to score 25 goals, including eight with the man advantage.
Why they’ll win: They owned the Kings in the regular season. The Sedins have never been better and enter the playoffs on a high. But they’ll have to get goals from someone other than the Swedish duo.
Why they’ll lose:Luongo’s second-half slide has to be a concern for the Canucks, who have built this team from the net out.
Fun fact: Roger Neilson, who coached the Canucks to the 1982 Stanley Cup final, began the towel-waving tradition in the NHL, hoisting a towel on the end of a hockey stick in a gesture of surrender to the referee Bob Myers. Three other players joined in and were ejected. Fans took over the practice and have been at it ever since in the playoffs.  
Prediction: Conference semifinal loss to Chicago
 
Team: Phoenix Coyotes (4)
Record: 50-25-7, 103 points
Past 10: 5-3-2
First round opponent: Detroit (2-2-0 in 2009-10, 40-56-22-2 all-time, 4-8-0 playoffs)
Last met: 1998 conference quarter final (lost 4-2)
Stanley Cups: 0
All-time playoff record: 29-63-0
Northwestern Ontario content: Taylor Pyatt (Thunder Bay)
Storyline: The Coyotes came out of nowhere – financial ruin to – and are the surprise of the NHL this year. Ilya Bryzgalov was nothing short of stunning in net this season, winning 42 games with eight shutouts. With the ownership uncertainty all but settled, they’re the feel good story of the playoffs – if they can get past the Red Wings. Watch out for the rubber snakes.
Key players: Bryzgalov’s the only player on the squad who can singlehandedly win a series for the Coyotes. Wojtek Wolski was a nice deadline pick-up and captain Shane Doan can always be counted on.
Under the radar: The Leafs gave up Lee Stempniak at the deadline, and probably wish they hadn’t. The former Dartmouth College star scored a whopping 14 goals in 18 games down the stretch.
Why they’ll win: They’ve been doing it all year and they’ve shown they can hang with the Wings. They’ve got good goaltending and for the first time in franchise history, beefed up in March, rather than selling.
Why they’ll lose: No one wanted to play Detroit, who flirted with missing the playoffs until after the Olympics, before showing what they were made of. The Wings have been to the final the past two years, winning the Cup in 2008, and won’t give up their conference crown easily, especially in the first round.
Fun fact: The Coyotes haven’t won a playoff series since 1987, when they were in Winnipeg and beat Calgary in the first round. They also beat the Flames in 1985. Other than that it’s been 16 first-round exits since they entered the league in 1979.  
Prediction: Conference quarterfinal loss to Detroit
 
Team: Detroit Red Wings (5)
Record: 44-24-14, 102 points
Past 10: 8-1-1
First round opponent: Detroit (2-0-2 in 2009-10, 58-38-22-2 all-time, 4-8-0 playoffs)
Last met: 1998 conference quarter final (lost 4-2)
Stanley Cups: 11 (1935-36, 1936-37, 1942-43, 1949-50, 1951-52, 1953-54, 1954-55, 1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02, 2007-08)
All-time playoff record: 29-63-0
Northwestern Ontario content: Mike Babcock (Manitouwadge)
Storyline: The Red Wings came close to missing the playoffs, but were one of the NHL’s best teams down the stretch, winning of their final 10 games. Since 1997 they’ve won four Cups. Only New Jersey, with two, has more than one during that period.
Key players: The European contingent powers the Motor City’s finest. Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and future hall of famer Nicklas Lidstrom all took steps backward in 2009-10, but all have that intangible springtime experience that counts for so much at this time of year.
Under the radar: Dan Cleary was a 15-point scorer for the Wings in last year’s playoffs and has been a consistent player in Detroit for several years.
Why they’ll win: Experience goes a long way in the playoffs, and the Wings have plenty of it.
Why they’ll lose: The team seems to have lost a step, the goaltending is a question mark and the hunger just doesn’t seem to be there. Detroit just doesn’t  scare teams like it did last year and the year before.
Fun fact: The Red Wings are in the playoffs for the 19^th straight season. The Boston Bruins, from 1968 to 1996, own the record at 29.
Prediction: Conference final loss to Chicago
 
Team: Los Angeles Kings (6)
Record: 46-27-9, 102 points
Past 10: 4-3-3
First round opponent: Vancouver (1-2-1 in 2009-10, 91-90-32-3 all-time, 9-8-0 playoffs)
Last met: 1993 division final (won 4-2)
Stanley Cups: 0
All-time playoff record: 65-105-0
Northwestern Ontario content: None
Storyline: Another pleasant surprise after six years on the outside looking in come playoff time. The Kings have won one playoff series since Wayne Gretzky led them to the final in 1993. Youth isn’t wasted on this version of the Kings, who could pull an upset if Vancouver looks beyond them.  
Key players: Anze Kopitar finished 17^th in NHL scoring with 81 points, while defenceman Drew Doughty came into his own, netting 16 goals and earning a gold medal with team Canada. Ryan Smyth has always been a playoff performer.  
Under the radar: Justin Williams has spent much of the last three seasons on the sidelines, but performed well when healthy. He was a key cog in the Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup success in 2006, collecting 18 points in 25 games.
Why they’ll win: Youth is on the side of the Kings, a team content to build experience. They could use their speed to outgun the Canucks, taking advantage of an unusually shaky Roberto Luongo in the Vancouver net.
Why they’ll lose: Jonathan Quick is bound to be tired, setting a franchise record by appearing 72 games in the Los Angeles net. A lack of experience means growing pains. You have to learn how to win in the playoffs.
Fun fact: The Kings have been absent from the playoffs for so long that defenceman Sean O’Donnell, with two, is the team’s active playoff point leader. O’Donnell is the only current King to play in the postseason with the franchise.  
Prediction: Conference quarterfinal loss to Vancouver
 
Team: Nashville Predators (7)
Record: 47-29-6, 100 points
Past 10: 6-3-1
First round opponent: Chicago (2-4-0 in 2009-10, 31-31-4-3 all-time, 0-0-0 playoffs)
Last met: Never met
Stanley Cups: 0
All-time playoff record: 6-16-0
Northwestern Ontario content: None
Storyline: The Preds hit the century mark in points for the first time, but draw perhaps the best team in the West, a Blackhawks team that tasted victory last year and are back at the trough again wanting more. The Predators are the lowest scoring – tied with Phoenix – of the Western Conference playoff teams.
Key players: Unheralded Patric Hornqvist, the 230^th pick in the 2005 entry draft, paced Nashville with 30 goals. Martin Erat was the only other 20-goal scorer on the team, though familiar faces like Jason Arnott and J.P. Dumont can turn it on.
Under the radar: Steve Sullivan seems to be a forgotten man in hockey. After sitting a season-and-a-half, returning midseason last year, he led the team in points in 2009-10, albeit with just 51. He’s never been a playoff performer, though.
Why they’ll win: Discipline is key here. In their final 20 games, the Predators did not take more than three penalties
Why they’ll lose: The low-scoring Predators may not be able to beat the Hawks defence at either end of the ice. Chicago forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane outrank any Nashville forwards, by a country music mile. 
Prediction: Conference quarterfinal loss to Chicago 
 
Team: Colorado Avalanche (8)
Record: 43-30-9, 95 points
Past 10: 3-5-2
First round opponent: San Jose (2-2-0 in 2009-10, 37-23-5-2 all-time, 10-9-0 playoffs)
Last met: 2004 conference semifinal (lost 4-2)
Stanley Cups: 2 (1995-96, 2000-01)
All-time playoff record: 130-113-0
Northwestern Ontario content: None
Storyline: After missing the playoffs two of the past three years, the Avs are back in search of their first championship in nine years. Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic are ancient history in Denver, a city looking to develop a new set of stars to lead them back to the promised land.
Key players: Peter Stastny’s son Paul is making poppa proud, and carrying on the family name with a franchise the elder Stastny owned in the 1980s.
Under the radar: Forward Brandon Yip had 19 points in 32 games, including four on the power play.
Why they’ll win: The Avalanche actually outscored the Sharks in four outings this season, 14-13. The playoffs is a different animal, to be sure, but if Craig Anderson doesn’t fall asleep at the wheel, a first-round upset is possible. Three of the four games were decided by a goal, with Colorado winning the only blowout 5-2.
Why they’ll lose: Their inexperience may finally be starting to catch up to the Avalanche. Chris Stewart has no goals in his final 10 games and rookie-of-the-year candidate Matt Duchene has one in his last 15. An injury to trade-deadline pickup Peter Mueller doesn’t help the team’s depth. He had 20 points in 15 games after the trade.
Fun fact: When Colorado started the season with Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly in its lineup, it marked the first time in 14 years that a team had two 18-year-olds in its lineup. The last team to do it was Winnipeg in 1995-96, with Shane Doan and Jason Doig.
Prediction: Conference quarterfinal loss to San Jose