The NHL Stanley Cup playoffs are always the most exciting time of year for hockey and that tradition will surely continue when teams start hitting the ice for the Stanley Cup playoffs on Wednesday.
In the Pacific Division bracket, the No. 1 Ducks will take on the Wild Card Predators in Round 1 action, while California rivals in the No. 2 Kings and No. 3 Sharks will go head-to-head.
Check out the entire Round 1 schedule for the Stanley Cup playoffs here. For more on the seeding format, check here. To view our Pacific Division bracket slideshow, click start at the top right of this page.
Our picks for the Central Division bracket can be found here.
Here are our predictions for each matchup in this bracket:
No. 1 Anaheim Ducks (46-25-11, 103 points) vs. W.C. No. 1 Nashville Predators (41-27-14, 96 points)
Cup Dreams: Anaheim is looking to eventually get back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since winning it all in 2007, while Nashville will try to reach the final round for the first time in franchise history.
Season Series: 2-1 Predators.
Special Teams: Ducks: 23.1 percent power play (1st), 87.2 percent penalty kill (1st); Predators: 19.7 percent power play (10th), 81.2 percent penalty kill (16th)
Projected Goalie Matchup: Either Frederik Andersen (22-9-7, 2.30 GAA, .919 save percentage) or John Gibson (21-13-4, 2.07 GAA, .919 save percentage), Ducks; Pekka Rinne, Predators (34-21-10, 2.48 GAA, .908 save percentage).
Series Overview: The Ducks appeared poised for a huge year, but after being absolutely terrible throughout the first half of the season, they turned things around -- going 34-10-5 after the Christmas break -- and are back on track to being one of the Stanley Cup favorites. After finishing second in the Central last season, the Predators settled for a Wild Card spot to make it to their second straight postseason.
The Ducks found a way to successfully split up Ryan Getzlaf (team-best 63 points) and Corey Perry (62) and it ended up helping them become even more formidable. Ryan Kesler (21 goals) continues to make plays for Anaheim, while Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg each netted 20 goals this season.
For the Predators, Filip Forsberg had a tremendous sophomore season, pacing the club with 64 points, while Roman Josi (61 points) and Shea Weber (51) continued to help out on offense and lead one of the best blue lines in the NHL. James Neal should be a force in this series after scoring 31 goals and notching 51 points.
Last Call: The Ducks have been a house of fire and though the Predators won the season series 2-1, all those games took place before Thanksgiving. Anaheim's special teams have paced the league and it should be the reason the club is able to bounce the Predators with relative ease. Josi and Weber will do their best to shut down a dynamic Ducks unit, but the depth will overcome them in the end.
The Pick: Ducks in 5.
No. 2 Los Angeles Kings (48-28-6, 102 points) vs. San Jose Sharks (46-30-6, 98 points)
Cup Dreams: Los Angeles is looking to eventually make it to its first Stanley Cup Final since 2013-14 and to win its third Cup in five years, while San Jose is still in search of its first Stanley Cup Final appearance in franchise history.
Season Series: 3-2 Sharks.
Special Teams: Kings: 20.0 percent power play (8th), 81.4 percent penalty kill (15th); Sharks: 22.5 percent power play (3rd), 80.5 percent penalty kill (21st).
Projected Goalie Matchup: Jonathan Quick, Kings (40-23-5, 2.22 GAA, .918 save percentage); Martin Jones, Sharks (37-23-4, 2.27 GAA, .918 save percentage)
Series Overview: There is no shortage of history between these two California rivals. In their most recent series, the Sharks blew a 3-0 lead in the first round two years ago as the Kings clawed back to win in seven games and rolled all the way to their second Stanley Cup in three years. After both teams missed out on the playoffs last year, the Sharks are out for revenge, while the Kings seek some more springtime magic.
This will be one of the most hard-hitting series' of the first round and features dynamic storylines throughout. On offense, Anze Kopitar leads the Kings against the Sharks' rejuvenated Joe Thornton, who had a huge season. On defense, perennial Norris Trophy candidate Drew Doughty leads Los Angeles, while San Jose's Brent Burns is one of the most dynamic two-way defenseman in the game.
Then, there's the goalie matchup where two-time Stanley Cup champion Quick goes up against his former teammate and protégé in Jones. This series has it all.
Kopitar had 25 goals and a club-best 74 points for the Kings in the regular season. Tyler Toffoli led the way with 31 goals on the campaign, while Jeff Carter scored 24 goals and brings in a postseason pedigree and Milan Lucic notched 20 goals in his first year in L.A.
For the Sharks, Thornton and Joe Pavelski provide a spark on the top line with Tomas Hertl. Thornton finished tied for fourth with 82 points during the regular season, while Pavelski's 38 goals were fifth in the league. Burns (27), Patrick Marleau (25), Hertl (21) and newcomer Joel Ward (21) all reached the 20-goal plateau, while Logan Couture found the twine 15 times despite being limited to 52 games.
Last Word: This is one that could go either way and seems to be the most likely series to go the distance in this opening round. This will be a physical war, but it will come down to whether or not the Sharks and exorcise their demons by stopping a Kings team that always seems to get the better of them.
The Pick: Kings in 7.
