It’s time for the second round of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs, and that means it’s time to chime in with our series predictions.
In the first round, we went 4-0 with the Eastern Conference predictions and 2-2 with our Western Conference picks to go 6-2 overall.
Earlier, we posted our second-round Eastern Conference picks. It’s now time for our Western Conference picks. And remember, these are one person’s educated guesses. Let’s get to it.
Winnipeg Jets (C1) Vs. Dallas Stars (C2)
Season series: 3-1 Winnipeg
Why Winnipeg will win:The Jets were the NHL’s best regular-season team, and they narrowly avoided elimination in Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues, tying the game late and winning on overtime.
The Jets found ways to win, even if they weren’t at their best. They’ve also beaten the Stars in the regular season, so they have confidence they can win this round.
Winnipeg has home-ice advantage in this series, which may come into play – the Jets’ 30-7-4 home record matches up very well compared to Dallas’ so-so 22-16-3 road record. Of course, regular-season stats don’t always translate into the same post-season stats, but the Jets should feel like they can compete with the Stars.
The Jets are hungry to make it to the Western Conference final for the first time since 2017-18. They’ll need a better showing from goalie Connor Hellebuyck, but if they get that, the Jets will be tough to eliminate.
Why Dallas will win: The Stars have significantly better special teams in the post-season, with a power play at 30.4 percent efficiency (compared to Winnipeg’s 22.7 percent) and a penalty kill rate of 86.4 percent (compared to the Jets’ 76.9 percent).
Stars goalie Jake Oettinger’s 2.85 goals-against average and .911 save percentage are also vastly better than those of Jets counterpart Hellebuyck, who has a 3.85 GAA and .830 SP.
Even without injured star blueliner Miro Heiskanen and injured left winger Jason Robertson, the Stars knocked off a Colorado Avalanche squad that is as competitive as Winnipeg. That said, Stars coach Peter DeBoer said he expects Robertson and Heiskanen to be back at some point in the second round, which would be a huge boost to Dallas’ fortunes.
The Stars’ depth, speed and high-end skill will help them beat a Jets team that barely got by the second wild-card team. The Stars are well-constructed, well-coached, and determined to get back at least to the Western final for the third straight season.
Prediction: Stars in five games
Are we disrespecting the Jets by predicting they’ll only win one game against the Stars? No, we’re just being more respectful to a Stars team we predicted would win the Central Division and this year’s Cup before the season. Yes, we did lose a bit of faith in Dallas after it was known Heiskanen and Robertson would be out of action in the first round, but the team’s resilience in their absence makes it all the more impressive.
Adding star right winger Mikko Rantanen, who was Dallas’ Game 7 hero against the Avs, really puts the Stars over the top. If the Jets don’t have star center Mark Scheifele for any period, Winnipeg will be in trouble.
NHL Playoff Predictions 2025: Which East Teams Will Win Round 2? Expect A Leafs And Panthers Game 7The second round of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs starts Monday, so it’s time to predict them.
Vegas Golden Knights (P1) Vs. Edmonton Oilers (P3)
Season series: 2-2 tie
Why Vegas will win: The Golden Knights were the Pacific Division’s top team in the regular season, and they overcame a 2-1 series deficit to the Minnesota Wild by winning two overtime games and a tight Game 6 to advance to the second round.
Vegas’ heavy grind proved too much for Minnesota, and the Edmonton Oilers are in serious trouble taking on a Golden Knights team that is confident and expertly coached, which limits its mistakes.
The Knights must contain Edmonton’s elite forwards, as the Oilers had the best first-round offense, averaging 4.50 goals-for per game. However, Vegas can and will exploit Edmonton’s porous defense, which surrendered a bloated 4.00 goals against per game against the Los Angeles Kings.
Vegas got to the second round without much offense, with no Golden Knights player averaging at least a point per game against the Wild. But Knights star center Jack Eichel, right winger Mark Stone and center Tomas Hertl should feast on the Oilers’ defense and goaltending.
Why Edmonton will win: The Oilers stormed back from a 2-0 series deficit with four straight wins – two of them came despite trailing after two periods – as they generated 20 goals in their victories to beat L.A.
The Oilers got the expected excellent output from superstars Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, who combined for 21 points in six games. But the supporting cast also contributed meaningfully, with four other Edmonton players generating at least five points.
Edmonton’s skill at punching back when trailing games is a terrific harbinger of what they could do against a Golden Knights team that sometimes buckled against the Wild.
Calvin Pickard’s 2.93 GAA and .893 SP aren’t especially encouraging, but they compare fine to Vegas goalie Adin Hill, who had a 2.83 GAA and .880 SP. If Pickard can continue battling the way he did against the Kings, Edmonton’s offense can impose its will on the Golden Knights, and the Oilers can return to the Western final for the second consecutive season.
Prediction: Golden Knights in seven games.
The Oilers aren’t a subpar team by any means, and we expect them to put up a valiant effort against the Golden Knights. When you pick a team to win in seven games, you’re essentially saying the series is a toss-up. That’s exactly the case in this series. But we still believe the Oilers’ defense is their Achilles’ heel.
Vegas comes at its opponent in waves. They also defend very well.
Edmonton has the two best players in the series, McDavid and Draisaitl, but the absence of injured defenseman Mattias Ekholm will continue to impact the Oilers’ ability to defend.
And considering that Edmonton gave up 24 goals to the Kings, the Golden Knights will have an excellent opportunity to put the Oilers on their heels in their own zone. And so, in what will almost assuredly be a seven-game series, we like Vegas just a little bit more than we like the Oilers.
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