Finally, the Stanley Cup playoffs are upon us, and the first-round matchups in the Western Conference are incredibly tight. There is a distinct theme of veteran teams taking another swing at the Stanley Cup, with up-and-coming powers looking to make noise.
Let's take a detailed look at each matchup -- including a key strength and weakness of each team -- and make a call on how each series will be decided.
Chicago Blackhawks (109 pts) vs. Nashville Predators (94 pts)
Head-to-head: Blackhawks won the season series, 4-1, outscoring the Predators 20-13 overall.
Nashville strength: 51.4 Corsi for percentage (No. 2 in the West)
Nashville weakness: Pekka Rinne .907 save percentage in his past 20 playoff games
The Predators have arguably the NHL's best blue line. Its centerpiece, P.K. Subban, scored 40 points in 66 games this season and ranks among the league's elite with a 55.2 Corsi for percentage. While Subban is known for his offensive prowess, Nashville allows its fewest shot attempts against when the former Canadiens star is on the ice. Against the Blackhawks, he will likely be pushing 30 minutes per game, and the remainder will be filled by the outstanding pair of Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis.
No matter how well Nashville's outstanding defense corps performs, it will still need a big performance from its goalie Pekka Rinne, who has been shaky in the postseason in his career. Rinne heads into the playoffs with a solid .918 save percentage during the regular season, but he's only managed an above-average save percentage once in five postseasons in the Music City.
Chicago strength: 54.5 goals for percentage (No. 2 in the West)
Chicago weakness: 77.7 penalty kill percentage (sixth-worst in the West)
Chicago's depth might not be what it once was, but the Blackhawks have shown flashes of their dynasty days during the second half of the season, winning 17 of 20 games between Feb. 2 and March 19. And these are many of the same core players that led Chicago to three Stanley Cups since 2009-10. Patrick Kane ranks second in the NHL in scoring, Jonathan Toews is still facing off with opponents' top competition, Duncan Keith is fourth on the team in points and Corey Crawford has provided solid goaltending. By carrying their team to a division title and dominating at even strength, the Blackhawks' core has shown that another Cup is a possibility.
However, to reach the Stanley Cup finals, Chicago will have to be much better on the penalty kill than it was during the regular season. The one positive to the team's struggles on the PK is that the Blackhawks spent the second fewest minutes short-handed in the NHL this season.
The pick: Blackhawks in seven
When a matchup is close, the team with the best star players usually comes out on top. Subban's presence makes the Predators a tough matchup, but Toews and Kane will be too much yet again.
Minnesota Wild (106 pts) vs. St. Louis Blues (99 pts)
Head-to-head: The Blues won the season series 3-2 -- one Blues win was decided by shootout -- with the Wild outscoring the Blues 14-11 overall.
Minnesota strength: The Mikko Koivu-Mikael Granlund-Jason Zucker line has a 65.6 goals for percentage (No. 1 in the West among lines with more than 350 minutes together)
Minnesota weakness: Devan Dubnyk's .902 even-strength save percentage since March 1 (worst in the NHL among goalies with more than 10 starts)
For most of the season, Bruce Boudreau's bunch were the best team in the Western Conference. A major reason for their rise was the performance of their 1A line of Koivu, Granlund and Zucker. The veteran captain Koivu offered solid defensive play, allowing Granlund and Zucker to use their speed and skill to produce career-high point totals. The Wild's depth was bolstered by Eric Staal. Staal's 65 points were his highest total since 2011-12, and he also dominated puck possession.
Even during a recent slump, Minnesota has still produced goals and scoring chances. Its goaltending, on the other hand, has not held up. Despite posting the league's second highest overall save percentage since joining the Wild in 2014-15, Dubnyk has struggled for more than a month leading into the postseason. And as reliable has he's been during the regular season, he has an .896 all-situations save percentage in 16 career playoff games.
St. Louis strength: 51.3 shot attempts against per 60 minutes (No. 2 in the West)
St. Louis weakness:.907 all-situations save percentage (No. 22 in the NHL)
They may have changed coaches in the middle of the season, but the Blues are still the Blues when it comes to limiting opponents' shot totals. Their bevy of talented forwards and solid top two defensive pairings, combined with Mike Yeo's defensive savvy as a coach, have allowed them to clog the neutral zone and play effective -- if sometimes boring -- hockey. The addition of Vladimir Sobotka only bolsters their depth with another strong two-way winger.
Goalie Jake Allen has turned things around in the second half of the season, but he remains a wild card. In 11 playoff appearances, Allen has just a .902 save percentage.
The pick: Wild in six
As much as Yeo will try to slow down his former team, the Wild's offensive game will be too much for the Blues to handle.
Anaheim Ducks (105 pts) vs. Calgary Flames (94 pts)
Head-to-head: The Ducks won the season series, 4-1, outscoring the Flames 17-14 overall.
Anaheim strength: 1.98 goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (No. 1 in the West)
Anaheim weakness: 18.7 power play percentage (No. 17 in the NHL)
After being eliminated from the playoffs in the first round last spring, it was fair to wonder if the Ducks were finished being a top contender. Instead, they bounced back to the top of the Pacific Division. At the center of Anaheim's terrific defense are shutdown forwards Andrew Cogliano and Ryan Kesler, along with No. 1 defenseman Hampus Lindholm, who has a team-best 53.8 Corsi for percentage and 61.8 goals for percentage.
Despite an excellent season from even-strength and power-play scoring rate leader Ryan Getzlaf, the Ducks' offensive game hasn't been as dynamic as it was in the past. If Getzlaf goes cold, it will be tough for the Ducks to advance.
Calgary strength: Dougie Hamilton, plus-7.2 percent relative Corsi (best in the NHL among defensemen who have played 1,000 or more minutes)
Calgary weakness: 2.17 goals for per 60 minutes (18th in the NHL)
When the Boston Bruins traded Hamilton to Calgary, many said they would regret it. After an up-and-down first campaign in Calgary, the former first-round pick has raised his play to star level, dominating the puck with his size, speed and skill. The Flames' talented forwards, such as Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, are tough matchups, but everything begins with Hamilton and fellow talented D-men Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie.
Calgary has received solid contributions from free agent Kris Versteeg and first-round pick Matthew Tkachuk, but Sam Bennett and Troy Brouwer haven't given the Flames the point production they expected, leaving them as a mediocre 5-on-5 scoring team.
The pick: Anaheim in five
Calgary has come a long way in its rebuild and is showing signs of being a contender for years to come. But it is not yet ready to beat a defensive-minded Ducks team with quality veterans leading the way.
Edmonton Oilers (103 pts) vs. San Jose Sharks (99 pts)
Head-to-head: The Oilers won the season series, 3-2 -- one Sharks win was decided in overtime -- outscoring the Sharks 16-13.
Edmonton strength: 61.5 goals for percentage with Connor McDavid on the ice
Edmonton weakness: 47.8 goals for percentage with Connor McDavid off the ice
At age 20, McDavid has already become everything the Oilers could have dreamed when they selected him No. 1 overall. He works at a blazing fast pace that opposing teams simply cannot match. Plus, he has shown the ability not only to make plays a lightning speed, but also finish when he gets to the front of the net. He is the runaway best player in the Western Conference playoffs.
Strong goaltending from Cam Talbot has buoyed a team that is top-heavy. McDavid's Hart Trophy-caliber season has painted over shortcomings in the depth scoring. And even with defensive improvements, Edmonton's blue line still has question marks.
San Jose strength: 58.0 shot attempts for per 60 minutes (No. 3 in the West)
San Jose weakness:16.7 power play percentage (No. 25 in the NHL)
While the Sharks are backing into the playoffs -- losing nine of their final 13 games -- they still have the same key players that led them to the Stanley Cup finals last season. Defenseman Brent Burns has become the centerpiece of San Jose's offense, taking more than one-third of the total shot attempts the Sharks take at 5-on-5. His 21.5 attempts per 60 minutes leads the NHL. Burns' skills are a perfect match for net-front scorer Joe Pavelski. When on ice together, they have a dominant 65.3 goals for percentage.
It isn't like the Sharks to struggle on the man advantage, but this season opponents have slowed them down. Their power-play prowess played a big role in making a deep playoff run last spring, and they will need to turn it around in order to return this season.
The pick: Oilers in six
The Sharks may have the experience, but they don't have an answer for Edmonton's pace when McDavid is on the ice.