The Dallas Stars have punched their ticket to the second round after winning a decisive Game 7 on Sunday night, making them the last of eight teams to advance through the opening series. We reviewed the Eastern Conference here, and in this article we will preview the two upcoming Western Conference series. As with the Eastern Conference preview, we will call out potential unrestricted free agents that have some offensive upside. This can give Kraken fans some players to keep an eye on while watching the rest of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Out of all first-round series there was only one “upset,” and that was the Colorado Avalanche over the Winnipeg Jets. The Vegas Golden Knights had Dallas on the ropes but ultimately took a first-round exit, guaranteeing a new Stanley Cup champion will be crowned this year. Meanwhile, there are only two Canadian teams remaining, and since they are playing each other, there will be one in the Western Conference Finals and one hitting the golf course.

Dallas Stars vs Colorado Avalanche

Season series between Colorado and Dallas

• Nov. 18 – Colorado won 6-3
• Jan. 1 – Colorado won 5-4 in overtime
• Feb. 27 – Colorado won 5-1
• Apr. 7 – Dallas won 7-4

The Colorado Avalanche won the season series 3-1. More impressively, Colorado scored four or more goals in each game.

The Avs stumbled into the playoffs, losing seven of their last 11 games. Their offense woke up in their first-round matchup with the Winnipeg Jets, though, and scored five or more goals in every game. That came against a Winnipeg team whose save percentage and goals-against average were the best in the NHL during the regular season.

The Dallas Stars are coming off a hard-fought seven-game series with the defending Stanley Cup champions. Dallas showed resilience in coming back from a 0-2 start in the series. Wyatt Johnston has had an amazing sophomore season, leading the Stars in goals with 32 during the regular season. His skill has been on full display in the playoffs, and he has scored some big timely goals and led the team with four goals and seven points in Round 1.

Jake Oettinger was also strong in the first round, posting an impressive 1.95 GAA and .925 save percentage while playing all seven games of the series.

Trade Deadline acquisitions

The Trade Deadline was a busy time for the Avalanche, who added Casey Mittelstadt, Brandon Duhaime, Yakov Trenin, and Sean Walker. They also moved on from Ryan Johansen, but had to part ways with Bowen Byram to shore up the second-line center role with Mittelstadt. Mittelstadt had a bit of a slow start but has blossomed in the playoffs with six points in five games.

Trenin and Duhaime have retooled Colorado’s fourth line. Walker is playing a depth role and helping out on the third defensive pairing.

The Dallas Stars added to their defensive corps at the deadline by trading for Chris Tanev. Former Kamloops Blazer, Logan Stankoven, also cracked the Stars lineup and has definitely turned some heads while chipping in 14 points in 24 games.

Key UFA’s to watch during this series

Series outcome

This series has two Stanley Cup favorites going toe-to-toe, and fans should sit back and enjoy the ride. With the recency bias of Colorado handling Winnipeg, we think they have the slight edge going into the series.

Prediction: Colorado wins in seven games (though I will be pulling for Dallas to win)

Vancouver Canucks vs Edmonton Oilers

Season series between Vancouver and Edmonton

• Oct. 11 – Vancouver won 8-1
• Oct. 14 – Vancouver won 4-3
• Nov. 6 – Vancouver won 6-3
• Apr. 13 – Vancouver won 3-1

The Vancouver Canucks swept the season series winning all four games. However, three of those games took place during the first month of the season when Edmonton could do nothing right.

Canucks goaltending

The Canucks all-star goaltender, Thatcher Demko, sustained a knee injury in Game 1 of Vancouver’s first-round matchup with the Nashville Predators. He is listed as week-to-week and has yet to participate in practice, but has been seen skating. Coach Rick Tocchet has ruled Demko out for at least Game 1 of the series.

Furthermore, Vancouver’s backup goaltender Casey DeSmith was also injured in Game 3 in the first round series. Arturs Silovs was thrust into action and has thrived with a 1.70 GAA and .938 save percentage in three games. He seems to have taken the de facto starting job for now, even as DeSmith has recovered from injury. Silovs is set to start game one vs Edmonton.

Having uncertainty in your goaltending is not something you want as you set to start a playoff series against the top two NHL point leaders over the past nine year. Connor McDavid has scored 982 points and Leon Draisaitl has scored 841. Nobody else in the NHL has scored even 800 points in the last nine years

Edmonton on a roll

The Edmonton Oilers’ standings points from the regular season are a bit misleading. On Nov. 6, after the Oilers lost to Vancouver, they had five total points and were in 31st place. They fired Jay Woodcroft, hired Kris Knoblauch, and since then, they have have been on a tear, earning 99 points to finish the season, best in the NHL over that span. The Oilers continued on that pace into the first round of the playoffs, disposing of the Los Angeles Kings in five games.

Trade Deadline

To prepare for the playoffs, Vancouver swung for the fences and traded for center Elias Lindholm. However, he has not panned out as well as the Canucks front office imagined. His 0.46 points per game (12 in 26 games) is well below his career average of 0.68 points per game.

The Edmonton Oilers acquired Adam Henrique to help round out their top six. Henrique has landed a dream role of playing with Connor McDavid, but his point totals have declined from his time with the Anaheim Ducks.

Series outcome

Although neither team hit home runs with their deadline acquisitions, they are still excellent teams that had success in the regular season. Edmonton has the edge in goals scored per game, power play percentage, and penalty kill percentage.

It should not be overlooked that Vancouver was 4-0 versus Edmonton. The Canucks have the ability to win on any night. Ultimately, though, the carousel in goal is what will cause the Canucks to lose this series.

Key UFA’s to watch during this series

Prediction: Edmonton Oilers win in six games

Second round wrap-up

As with the Eastern Conference, a case could be made for all four teams remaining to be able to hoist the Stanley Cup. It has been speculated all year that a team will have to run the gauntlet to make it out of the East, but the West is no easier. The team that emerges will have gone through battle.

There is not a clear-cut favorite in any of the remaining series, and as a hockey fan, I am here for it. Crack a college soda (or your favorite beverage) and enjoy the playoff hockey as much as you can. If you need more beyond the NHL, the Coachella Valley Firebirds best-of-five series is tied 1-1.