1 bold prediction for each 2018 Stanley Cup playoff team

PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 04: The Pittsburgh Penguins watch their 2017 Stanley Cup Championship banner rise to the rafters behind the Stanley Cup prior to a game agains the St. Louis Blues at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 4, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 31: William Karlsson /

Vegas Golden Knights

William Karlsson will go cold

William Karlsson has had an unbelievable breakout season with the Golden Knights as he scored more than 40 goals. It was his first time ever hitting that milestone in a single season — in fact, it’s first time he even went over 20 goals in a full season. He was one of the biggest reasons why Vegas got into the playoffs.

The playoffs are a whole different animal, though, and Karlsson may not be able to keep up his very high shooting percentage. It’s such a small sample size and for a player like him, the danger of going cold at any minute always exists.

There’s also the scenario that Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick could get hot in the playoffs, as any goaltender can stand on his head in a series. It’s definitely going to be a close series with the Kings, but Karlsson won’t have a major impact on it.

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