NHL West: First-round Stanley Cup matchups

The NHL’S Stanley Cup playoffs begin today with 16 teams vying for hockey’s biggest prize. Here’s a look at the first-round matchups in the Western Conference, which includes the Vegas Golden Knights.

Golden Knights vs. Kings

A Vegas Golden Knights team put together with other teams’ discards spent the season using a “why not us?” mantra in setting expansion-team records for most wins (51), home wins (29), road wins (22) and longest point streak (10-0-2). Vegas features six 20-goal-scorers, including trade-deadline addition Tomas Tatar.

The Golden Knights closed the season 6-3-2, with the regulation losses coming against non-playoff teams: Arizona, Edmonton and Calgary. Goalie Marc André-fleury went 29-13-4, but allowed six goals on 18 shots in a season-ending 7-1 loss at Calgary.

The defensive-minded Los Angeles

Kings allowed a league-low 202 goals and had the league’s best penalty-killing unit. Jonathan Quick’s 2.40 goals-against average was sixth among goalies appearing in 40 games.

Predators vs. Avalanche

Nashville finished seventh in the league with 261 goals without any player scoring

30. The Predators’ balanced attack is fueled by a group of speedy, playmaking defensemen who combined for a league-best 206 points (56 goals, 150 assists). Pekka Rinne went 42-13-4 to finish third in victories, and his 2.31 goals-against average was third among goalies playing 40 or more games.

Though Nashville has won 10 straight against Colorado, beware of the Presidents’ Trophy curse. Of the 31 teams to finish first since 1986 when the trophy was established, only eight have won the Cup.

Nathan Mackinnon entered the MVP discussion by leading Colorado with 97 points, including a league-leading 12 game-winning goals. Colorado tied with Arizona with the youngest roster at 25.8 years old.

Jets vs. Wild

The Winnipeg Jets closed their most successful season in both victories and points on a 20-5-1 run, including winning the final nine home games. Winnipeg is still searching for its first playoff victory after being swept in two previous appearances: by Anaheim in 2015, and by the Rangers in 2007, when the Jets were based in Atlanta.

Paul Stastny’s trade-deadline addition provided the NHL’S second-best offense with six 50-plus point producers. Third-year goalie Connor Hellebuyck went 44-11-9 and broke the single-season record for victories by U.s.-born goalies set by Tom Barrasso.

The Minnesota Wild limp into their sixth straight playoff appearance with defensemen Ryan Suter (broken right ankle) and Jared Spurgeon (torn right hamstring) sidelined, though Spurgeon is expected back from a 17-game absence in this series. Eric Staal’s 76 points (42 goals, 34 assists) were third-most in team history.

Ducks vs. Sharks

The Anaheim Ducks earned home-ice advantage with a 3-0 season-ending win over Arizona, coupled with the San Jose Sharks’ season-ending 6-3 loss to Minnesota. Anaheim went 25-10-4 since the bye break, and is 14-1-2 at home since Jan. 23. Goalie John Gibson went 21-7-3 in his final 31 decisions, but missed the final week and is listed day to day with an upper body injury.

The Sharks went 19-13-3 over their final 35 games since Joe Thornton was sidelined with a knee injury. Martin Jones allowed five goals on 19 shots against Minnesota, and is 1-4 in his past five while allowing 17 goals.