For each round of the Stanley Cup playoffs I will publish a series preview with my predictions, and you are encouraged to leave your comments on each article picking the winners of each bracket. You get a bracket filled out correctly through the course of the posts, and I will send you a FanSided hoodie.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Here are the rules, it is very simple, you select and comment on each series preview with who you think will win the series. You can add as much opinion as you want, but all I want to know is what team you think will win and in how many games. You don’t necessarily need to get the game count correct to move on to the second round – but that will be used in the tie breaker.
I should preface this and say that there is, like every other year, sometimes no scientific fact behind my selection of these teams, as sometimes, I just don’t want to see a team win a series.
Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings
It’s the battle of California as familiar playoff foes battle once again. Can the Kings get over a long and grueling season to battle in the playoffs? Last season they couldn’t handle a full boat and get through the next rounds. Can the San Jose Sharks finally shed the playoff choke curse and get further into the playoffs?
For the Los Angeles Kings they would love for Tinsel Town to get a little more silver, adding the Stanley Cup parade back into the line of events for the City of Angeles. For the San Jose Sharks – years of being bounced in the playoffs feels like nothing more than a fruitless venture. Since joining the league in the 1991-1992 season, only five times have the Sharks actually missed the playoffs – but very rarely can they get themselves beyond the second round – and fans in San Jose would love nothing more than to get into the final seven game series just once before another team from California claims the Stanley Cup again.
Season Series
It could be a long series up and down the California coast. The regular season series was nothing more than the home team putting up two points in front of their fans. In five games, the home team was victorious in all but one contest. Anaheim suffered the only home loss on the season. While the series could go back and forth as well just like in the regular season, goal scoring will be at a premium as well. All games in the regular season were one goal affairs except one – and two needed extra time, one going as far as the shootout.
Playoff Schedule
| Thursday, April 17 | 10:30 p.m. | Los Angeles at San Jose | NBCSN, CBC |
| Sunday, April 20 | 10 p.m. | Los Angeles at San Jose | NBCSN, CBC |
| Tuesday, April 22 | 10 p.m. | San Jose at Los Angeles | NBCSN, CBC |
| Thursday, April 24 | 10:30 p.m. | San Jose at Los Angeles | NBCSN, CBC |
| *Saturday, April 26 | TBD | Los Angeles at San Jose | NBCSN, CBC |
| *Monday, April 28 | TBD | San Jose at Los Angeles | CBC |
| *Wednesday, April 30 | TBD | Los Angeles at San Jose | CBC |
Prediction
It has been a long season for both teams, and this is probably the toughest series to pick. I don’t think the Sharks can find the extra goal they need according to the NHL preview, but I think they get the goaltending they need from Jonathan Quick. Los Angeles battles through to the second round winning in seven games.