It's the matchup that was never supposed to happen.

The Nashville Predators pulled off the mother of all upsets in the first round, knocking out the Western Conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks in a clean sweep. The St. Louis Blues then followed that up with a 4-1 series win over the No. 2-ranked Minnesota Wild.

So here we are.

The Predators and Blues will now battle for a spot in the Western Conference Final. This series looks to be a battle of two defensive specialists, but that's just one of the storylines to keep an eye on heading into this second-round clash.

Will Tarasenko break out?

The Blues just aren't the same team without Vladimir Tarasenko.

No, the Russian forward hasn't been injured, but with just one goal and only two helpers in the previous series, it's clear the Blues will be wanting more from their offensive dynamo.

Tararensko had 16 more goals than his closest teammate and 20 more points during the 2016-17 campaign. He also led his club with nine power-play goals during the regular season and the team could certainly use more of those.

So it's time for him to get back on track. During his playoff career he has averaged at least one goal every other game and that's exactly what the Blues would like to see from the 25-year-old.

The Blues need Tarasenko to be at his best. That being said, if the Predators can keep him in check, they will certainly help their chances of escaping the series with a win.

Rinne vs. Allen

Don't expect any blowouts here.

This matchup will feature the two hottest goalies going in Pekka Rinne and Jake Allen. In fact, these two men both arguably won their team's first-round series single-handedly.

Rinne certainly has the edge in the numbers, thanks in large part to the two goose eggs he posted in the first two games against the Blackhawks, but it should be noted that Allen has been the busier of the two, having faced an average of nearly five more shots per game.

That being said, it sure looks like we have the makings of a real goaltending duel on our hands.

Can Blues up their game?

Minnesota dominated St. Louis in their first round series, just ask head coach Bruce Boudreau.

The Wild were the better team, but still the Blues reigned victorious thanks in large part to the man mentioned above. The Blues were out-dueled in almost every aspect of the game and sit in the playoff basement in several important categories.

They rank last among all postseason clubs in shots per game (26.8), shots against per game (38.8), tied for last in power play proficiency (6.7 percent), and rank second-last among teams remaining in goals per game (2.20).

It's becoming quite clear that this is not a winning formula, and while they may have escaped the first round, they cannot depend on Allen to save the day once again.

Mike Yeo must get his club back to controlling some of the play if they are to advance to the next round.

Betting Line

Prediction

As mentioned above, this should be a tight one.

Both teams muscled their way to the second round on the backs of great goaltending and solid play in their own end. However, recent trends in these playoffs suggest the Predators have the edge.

While the Blues got by almost entirely on goaltending, the Predators got both great performances from Rinne and solid offensive contributions in the first round.

The team averaged 3.25 goals per game, good enough for third in the postseason behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks. The Predators are averaging the highest percentage of goals scored at 5-on-5, while just seven of the Blues' 11 goals have come at full strength.

The Predators also own the more well-rounded and versatile defense core. We could see some ugly looking hockey, but when all is said and done, the Predators are likely to prevail.

Schedule

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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And then there were eight.

The first round's in the books, and a good time was had by all. (Well, except the teams that had their seasons end.)

Related: 5 reasons why the 1st round was excellent

theScore's hockey editors are ready for Round 2. Our picks for the four series are below, as well as our first-round prediction performances.

Eastern Conference

Senators vs. Rangers

• Only two editors picked the Senators to beat the Bruins in the first round. They've picked up only one additional believer as they head into the Eastern semifinals against the Rangers.

Capitals vs. Penguins

• We believe it's the Capitals' time, as they prepare to tangle with the Penguins in what is the second round's most exciting series.

Western Conference

Blues vs. Predators

• None of us picked the Predators to upset the Blackhawks. Don't lie, you didn't either. With all due respect to the Blues, we've converted, almost to a man, to believers of Nashville.

Ducks vs. Oilers

• Like Rangers-Senators and Capitals-Penguins, this one comes in at 6-3, as well, in favor of the Ducks. Can't spell spoilers without Oilers, though.

1st-round results

Here's how we did in the Round of 16:

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The Chicago Blackhawks' decision to fire assistant coach Mike Kitchen reportedly didn't sit well with Joel Quenneville.

Kitchen's firing was not orchestrated by the head coach, who was upset by the move, multiple league sources told Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune.

The team didn't include a statement from Quenneville in the news release announcing Kitchen's dismissal.

Related: Blackhawks fire assistant coach Kitchen after playoff sweep

Kitchen's firing is expected to cause more conflict between Quenneville and general manager Stan Bowman, wrote Hine. The two Blackhawks staffers engaged in a power struggle over personnel back in 2012 that was alleviated by the pair of subsequent titles.

Bowman likely fired Kitchen to reassert authority over the organization's personnel and to send everyone, including Quenneville, a message, according to the report.

The GM said Saturday that changes were coming, but the head coach was not going to be let go at this juncture, following a first-round sweep at the hands of the Nashville Predators.

Kitchen was fired Monday after seven seasons with the Blackhawks that began when he was reunited with Quenneville in the summer of 2010.

The two men are "best friends," according to the report, and their time working together dates back to 1998-2003 with the St. Louis Blues.

They also played together with the Colorado Rockies and New Jersey Devils from 1979-83.

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Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson, Anaheim Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano, and Carolina Hurricanes forward Derek Ryan have been named the three finalists for the Bill Masterton Trophy, the Professional Hockey Writers Association announced on Monday.

The award is voted on by the PWHA and recognizes players who best exemplify perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game.

Anderson earned his nomination after the tough year he endured. Back in late October, his wife Nicholle was diagnosed with a rare form of throat cancer.

The diagnosis forced Anderson to miss various chunks of time with Senators during the regular season, but still turned in incredible performances. Ultimately, he concluded the year with a 25-11-4 record in 40 games with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage.

Cogliano got the nod for his unmatched durability. The 29-year-old is now in his 10th season in the league and has yet to miss a game since he stepped on the ice in his first season in 2007-08.

He is the current Ironman with 779 consecutive games played and has now played the second most games to begin a career in NHL history behind Doug Jarvis, who played 964 games.

Ryan rounds out the nominees, having made the NHL on a full-time basis this season after a rather unorthodox journey to the league. Ryan earned his first full-time gig with a team this season, playing 67 games with the Hurricanes and chipping in 11 goals and 29 points.

This comes after he went undrafted while playing in the Western Hockey League, the United Hockey League, for the University of Alberta, in Austria, in the Swedish Elite League, and the American Hockey League.

Ryan has certainly payed his dues and is finally living the dream.

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Los Angeles Kings forward Marian Gaborik underwent a procedure and won't be ready for the start of training camp, according to Helene Elliott of the LA Times. Newly named general manager Rob Blake also said the club won't buy out Gaborik, per Elliott.

Further details on Gaborik's procedure will be released Tuesday, according to a team spokesperson.

Whether Blake had plans to buy out Gaborik is irrelevant now, since the league prohibits teams from buying out injured players.

Gaborik comes with a cap hit of $4.875 million through the 2020-21 season. Given how much he has struggled the past two seasons, a buy out seemed like a legitimate possibility.

It appears Blake is willing to give the veteran forward the benefit of the doubt, though, as he said Gaborik played hurt and will have a clean slate next season.

Over the past two seasons, Gaborik has played in just 110 of a possible 164 games, recording 22 goals and 21 assists in that span. The 35-year-old has a long injury history, dating back to his younger days with the Minnesota Wild.

It's possible Blake could try to trade Gaborik this offseason, but it's hard to believe any team in the league - even the Vegas Golden Knights - would take on his contract.

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Another season has gone by, and defensive woes are still holding Alex Galchenyuk back from becoming a true No. 1 center.

In the Montreal Canadiens' end-of-season press conference on Monday, general manager Marc Bergevin said Galchenyuk's short-term future will be playing on the wing, according to Tony Marinaro of TSN 690 Montreal.

Galchenyuk spent the bulk of 2015-16 and 2016-17 playing down the middle under two different head coaches, but both Michel Therrien and Claude Julien have had a difficult time trusting him enough to stick on the club's top line. This season, he was often left in the dust to skate with grinders in the bottom six, leaving Phillip Danault and Tomas Plekanec to center the team's top two lines.

This comes in spite of the fact that Galchenyuk is by far their most talented center. A case could be made that he even has more pure talent than wingers Max Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov.

"Ideally, we'd love to have (Galchenyuk) play center," said Julien, who was hired as the head coach on February 14. "You have to be good at both ends of the ice and you have to be responsible."

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Galchenyuk has now spent five seasons in the NHL. He is still just 23 years old, but if he hasn't grasped the concept of defense by now, when will he?

He certainly has the size (6-foot-1, 210 pounds) and skating ability to be a true No. 1 center. All the tools are in place. He just needs to learn how to apply his offensive creativity to the defensive side of the puck. A move back to the wing will only delay his defensive potential further.

"Hopefully he took a step back this year to take two steps forward next year," said Bergevin, according to TSN's John Lu.

From a statistical perspective, Galchenyuk has steadily improved almost every season since coming into the league as an 18-year-old.

*Bold = season spent primarily as a center.

Yet, with Galchenyuk, it clearly isn't about just the offensive production. The move to wing to start next year would signify that Montreal's patience with his defensive game is wearing thin.

"At some point, players have to take ownership," said Bergevin. "Until young players realize there's an issue and they need to get better, they never will."

Galchenyuk admitted that he needs to work on all aspects of his game. He wants to be "a very complete player."

If Montreal fails to address the center position in the offseason, they could be looking at another early playoff exit. Teams comprised of Plekanec, Danault, and Torrey Mitchell down the middle usually don't make it too far. Galchenyuk is their X-factor. If he can improve his play without the puck and earn the trust of Julien, it'll go a long way for Montreal making a deep playoff run in 2018.

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Rob Blake knew he wanted John Stevens as his head coach when Darryl Sutter was fired.

"There was no search," the Los Angeles Kings general manager told reporters Monday. "We went to John as soon as the changes were made."

Stevens was named the Kings' new head coach Sunday, less than two weeks after the organizational shakeup by parent company AEG that left Sutter and former general manager Dean Lombardi unemployed, while Blake and new team president Luc Robitaille earned promotions.

Stevens, who had been the Kings' associate head coach since 2014 and a Los Angeles assistant since 2010, already has a plan to fix a team that failed to qualify for the postseason this spring.

The Kings were the NHL's best possession team this season, but they scored only 2.43 goals per game, which ranked sixth-worst in the league.

Stevens said Anze Kopitar will remain captain next season. The center had the worst non-lockout season of his NHL career from an offensive standpoint, managing only 12 goals and 52 points in 76 games.

Kopitar was named captain last June, about six months after signing an eight-year, $80-million extension.

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Carey Price will not be traded, end of story.

Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin spoke to the media Monday, and he discussed the curious case of Price and his pending contract situation - he's eligible for an extension July 1 - where he made it quite clear that Price won't be going anywhere, even breaking a personal rule in the process.

Instead, Bergevin expressed his intent to not only sign Price to an extension, but to preferably do so around July 1, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.

"We’ll find the means to get (an extension) done," Bergevin said. "Carey is a main piece to our team."

Earlier in the day, Price was adamant in his desire to remain in Montreal, feeling the team still has the pieces to win a Stanley Cup.

Price has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $6.5 million before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. New York Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist rakes in the most money by an NHL goaltender, with a cap hit of $8.5 million. One would expect Price's next contract could make him the NHL's highest-paid goalie.

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