NHL Playoffs First Round Preview: Western Conference

St. Louis Blues vs. Minnesota Wild

The series between the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild is very similar, according to our numbers, to that of the series featuring Toronto and Washington. Minnesota has been at the top of the league since the season has began, and St. Louis made the playoffs on the heels of the weak end of the Central Division.

The Wild have been high flying all year. With Mikael Granlund and Eric Staal playing well, it's not surprising that the cast of characters in the State of Hockey are in the hunt for the Stanley Cup for the fourth consecutive season.

St. Louis has been in the playoffs the past few years, as well, including a trip to the Conference finals in last season's tournament. But with the deadline dealing of Kevin Shattenkirk, the Blues' defense isn't the same as it was a year ago.

The lack of a true puck moving, scoring defensemen (sorry, Alex Pietrangelo) leaves a massive hole in the lineup for St. Louis, one that is anchored almost entirely by the scoring of Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz.

Our metrics tell us everything we need to know in this series as Minnesota's 0.55 nERD is miles ahead of the Blues' mark of 0.19. Our series probability models have this as the Western Conference's most lopsided first-round clash, giving the Wild a 61.5% to move on.