Our first-round picks for the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs

With the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs getting underway today, here are my predictions for the first-round matchups:

Western Conference

Blackhawks (47-26-9) vs. St. Louis (49-24-9)Hawks leaders:

Patrick Kane (46G, 60A, 106 points); Corey Crawford (.924 save percentage)

Blues leaders:

Vladimir Tarasenko (40-34-74); Jake Allen (.920) and Brian Elliott (.930)

The skinny: The Hawks didn't lose to St. Louis in regulation this season, going 2-0-3. They won't have Duncan Keith for Game 1, but it's difficult to bet against a team that's reached three straight conference finals - especially vs. a team ousted three straight times in the first round.

Prediction: The Blues have overcome lots of injuries and impressed all season, but they got the wrong opponent at the wrong time. Hawks in 6.

Minnesota (38-33-11) vs. Dallas (50-23-9)Wild leaders:

Mikko Koivu (17-39-56) and Zach Parise (25-28-53); Devan Dubnyk (.918)

Stars leaders:

Jamie Benn (41-48-89); Kari Lehtonen (.906) and Antti Niemi (.905)

The skinny: Dallas won four of five against Minnesota, but three games went to OT. How will the Stars fare if Tyler Seguin (Achilles) isn't ready?

Prediction: It's tempting to pick the Wild in an upset, but Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya have the leadership Dallas needs to escape. Stars in 7.

San Jose (46-30-6) vs. Los Angeles (48-28-6)Sharks leaders:

Joe Thornton (19-63-82) and Joe Pavelski (38-40-78); Martin Jones (.918)

Kings leaders:

Anze Kopitar (25-49-74); Jonathan Quick (.918)

The skinny: The Sharks may be the only NHL team that wouldn't want home-ice advantage as they went 18-20-3 at SAP Center and 28-10-3 on the road. The Kings, who won it all in 2012 and 2014, are back in the playoffs after a one-year hiatus.

Prediction: This series will be closer than many think, but L.A. is on a mission. Kings in 6.

Nashville (41-27-14) vs. Anaheim (46-25-11)Predators leaders:

Filip Forsberg (33-31-64), Roman Josi (14-47-61) and James Neal (31-27-58) Pekka Rinne (.908)

Ducks leaders:

Ryan Getzlaf (13-50-63); Corey Perry (34-28-62); Frederik Andersen (.919); John Gibson (.920)

The skinny: Anybody who predicted Anaheim would win the Pacific after a 1-7-2 start would have looked foolish, but Bruce Boudreau's squad pulled it off by going 45-18-9 after that wretched opening stretch. Nashville is a streaky team with a sensational defense. An upset can't be ruled out.

Prediction: This was my conference finals matchup when the season began. I took the Ducks then, so I'll stick with that here. Ducks in 7.

Eastern Conference

Philadelphia (40-27-14) vs. Washington (56-17-8)Flyers leaders:

Claude Giroux (22-45-67) and Wayne Simmons (32-28-60); Steve Mason (.918)

Capitals leaders:

Evgeny Kuznetsov (20, 57, 77) and Alex Ovechkin (50-21-77); Braden Holtby (.922)

The skinny: The Flyers went to the collegiate ranks to hire their new coach last off-season, bringing North Dakota's Dave Hakstol on board. The move paid off as Philly increased its win total improving from 33 to 40.

Prediction: The Flyers' story is a nice one, and although they went 2-2-0 against Washington, those victories came in overtime and a shootout. Ovechkin and Co. cruise. Capitals in 5.

New York Rangers (46-27-9) vs. Pittsburgh (48-26-8)Rangers leaders:

Mats Zuccarello (26-35-61) and Derrick Brassard (27-31-58); Henrik Lundqvist (.920)

Penguins leaders:

Sidney Crosby (36-49-85); Marc-Andre Fleury (. 921)

The skinny: This is the third straight season these franchises have met in the postseason. The Rangers have won 14 of their last 16. The Penguins are dealing with serious injury problems to their goaltenders: Marc-Andre Fleury has a concussion and Matt Murray was hurt in the season finale.

Prediction: New York takes advantage of the banged-up Penguins and advances in 5.

Detroit (41-30-11) vs. Tampa Bay (46-31-5)Red Wings leaders:

Henrik Zetterberg (13-37-50) and Pavel Datsyuk (16-33-49)

Petr Mrazek (.921) and Jimmy Howard (.906)

Lightning leaders:

Nikita Kucherov (30-36-66) and Steven Stamkos (36-28-64); Ben Bishop (. 926)

The skinny: Both teams are a train wreck. Tampa Bay will be without Stamkos for 1-3 months (blood clot), and must deal with injuries to winger Ryan Callahan and defenseman Anton Stralman. D-man Viktor Hedman and Kucherov aren't 100 percent. As for the Red Wings, they went 9-10-0 in last 19 games, and Howard has struggled this season.

Prediction: These teams met in the first round last postseason, with Tampa Bay advancing in seven games. It's a tossup again this year. Red Wings take advantage of Tampa Bay's injuries and prevails in 7.

N.Y. Islanders (45-27-10) vs. Florida Panthers (47-26-9)Islanders leaders:

John Tavares (33-37-70); Thomas Greiss (.925)

Panthers leaders:

Jaromir Jagr (27-39-66); Roberto Luongo (.922)

The skinny: Florida was 14-12-4 on Dec. 12 before going on a 12-game win streak in which it allowed just 15 goals. With only two playoff appearances in past 15 seasons, the Panthers haven't won a playoff series in 20 years.

Prediction: Some experts will take New York, but I believe in Florida. This team won its division, boasts five 20-goal scorers (and Jussi Jokinen had 18) and believes in itself. The Isles won't know what hit them. Panthers in 5.