NHL playoffs 2017: Wild vs. Blues preview and prediction

The Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues are set to start their first round series of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Which team will win?

The first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs features divisional rivalries thanks to the NHL’s postseason format. One of best ones is the series between the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues. By virtue of the second seed, Minnesota will have home ice advantage and will open the series at home on Wednesday.

This should be a very close series which could go either way. The Wild have the advantage, as their late season struggles were more due to bad luck than anything else. Also, they ended the season on a good note with a four game winning streak. Minnesota is led by center Eric Staal, who has emerged as a franchise center after a down year.

Their greatest strength is their defense, led by top defensemen Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon. Matt Dumba and Jonas Brodin form a very solid second pairing. Devan Dubnyk is a bit rusty, but is a lot better than many of head coach Bruce Boudreau’s goalies in the past.

On the other side of the ice, the Blues have the most points in the NHL since firing Ken Hitchock on Feb. 1. Their 93 goals scored are tied for ninth in the league during that span. Moreover, the Blues have allowed just 60 goals since then, the fewest in the NHL. They are led by captain Alex Pietrangelo and star forward Vladimir Tarasenko.

Must Read: 2017 NHL Playoffs: Predictions and Preview

Prediction

This series really could go either way. However, the Wild have the clear coaching advantage. In a series where both teams are evenly matched, that’s likely going to be the determining factor.

Pick: Wild in 7