How they got here. Colorado's brave avalanche gave the Nashville predators the best they could in the first round for a surprisingly entertaining series. The Predators prevailed in six games, but some warts were exposed, especially the propensity to allow a late goal.
The Winnipeg Jets, meanwhile, won the franchise's first postseason series since April 1987, when all but four players on the Jets' roster were not even born. Another reminder of how long ago it was: "I Knew You Were Waiting (for me)," by Aretha Franklin and George Michael, was number one on the Billboard 100.
The Jets ran into a Minnesota Wild team, but they showed they could win games in any way, with a burst of scoring or tight defensive fighting. Winnipeg won in five games, including two shutouts. This is a true clash of the titans, as the Predators and Jets recorded the two best total points in the NHL this season.
The Predators won the regular season series 3-1-1, beating the Jets 22-20.
First line. Somehow, it does not seem that Filip Forsberg is praised enough for how skilful he is. Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Johansen make a good trio for the Predators, but Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler could be better and more dominant. If we go for regular season totals, the top three of the Predators combined for 179 points in 224 games, while the Jets trio has 208 points in 217 games. Advantage: Jets
Depth. The third line of the Predators, Nick Bonino, Colton Sissons and Austin Watson combined for 19 points against the Avalanche; Sissons and Watson were the team's two best scorers in the series. Eleven forwards picked up at least one point against Colorado. The Jets also have a balanced alignment, but it is being tested for injuries (more on that later). Of course, it's always a tough match when the No. 2-ranked scorer in the league, Patrik Laine, is on the second line. Advantage: predators
Defending. The Predators may have had some defensive lapses against the Avalanche in the first round, but they still have the six best talents in the league (and they showed up in that suffocating deciding factor of Game 6). Against the Wild, the Jets showed that they are not only an offensive team and that they can also win tight games. Dustin Byfuglien exercised a level of physicality in the first round series that should scare anyone. Injuries are a concern, however. Advantage: predators
Special teams The Predators would like to make a replacement in some areas for that first round series, but they will gladly keep the penalty exactly as it was: a suffocating 90 percent efficiency. The Jets were decent with 76.9 percent. The Jets, meanwhile, flexed their dominant power in the first round (23.1 percent efficiency against 15.8 percent for Predators). Advantage: even
Training. Two veteran veterans here, since both bosses have trained more than 1,000 NHL games. Peter Laviolette has won a Stanley Cup and two conference championships. Paul Maurice has 1,447 NHL coaching experience games, but he has an Eastern Conference championship to his credit, and that was 16 years ago with the Carolina Hurricanes. He also has to manage a young roster with many players sailing in his first postseason race. The work is easier for the most successful Laviolette. Advantage: predators
Health. The Jets are injured. Nikolaj Ehlers, Toby Enstrom, Tyler Myers and Mathieu Perreault missed all the games against Wild in the first round. Enstrom will hopefully return soon, while Perreault, a player of underestimated depth, is one to monitor. Defender Dmitry Kulikov has been out since the beginning of March, and backup goalkeeper Steve Mason is also beaten.
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