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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With the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals series now in the bag, all second-round matchups are set.

The Capitals will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Ottawa Senators will tangle with the New York Rangers, the Edmonton Oilers will face the Anaheim Ducks, and the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators will go to battle.

Here are the schedules for those series:

Eastern Conference

Capitals vs. Penguins

Senators vs. Rangers

Western Conference

Ducks vs. Oilers

Blues vs. Predators

* = If Necessary. All game times ET

Let the games begin.

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Erik Karlsson was a marvel in the first round of the playoffs, and yet he wasn't even playing at full health.

Following the Ottawa Senators' dramatic Game 6 overtime win over the Boston Bruins on Sunday - to send them to the second round - Karlsson admitted he played the series with two hairline fractures in his left heel, according to ESPN.com's Joe McDonald.

Karlsson explained that the injury occurred when he blocked a shot in a March 28 game against the Philadelphia Flyers. That ailment forced Karlsson to miss five games.

Fortunately for the Senators, it doesn't appear as though the injury should impact Karlsson much longer.

"I've been playing on shots (injections) and by Thursday it should be back to normal," Karlsson said.

Despite the ailment, Karlsson has been his usual offensive self, leading all defensemen in the playoffs with six points (all assists).

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Another year, another early exit from a Bruce Boudreau-led club.

Magnus Paajarvi broke the hearts of the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, ending the team's comeback hopes in Game 5 and beyond with a beautiful wrist shot for his first career playoff goal.

Related - Watch: Paajarvi's OT snipe sends Blues to 2nd round

The win was huge for the Blues, who entered the series as underdogs against the second-ranked team in the Western Conference.

For the Blues, the win is a great achievement, but for Boudreau, it marks an all-too-familiar trend of his teams making early exits from the playoffs.

For the second straight year, Boudreau has watched his team be sent packing in the first round after his Anaheim Ducks were ousted by the Nashville Predators in seven games a year ago.

However, this year was slightly different as it was the first time in Boudreau's nine trips to the playoffs that his team wasn't the division winner. Still, with 106 regular-season points, the Wild were no slouch and were expected to have a better fate.

Nevertheless, the Wild are just the latest in Boudreau's failed attempts at Stanley Cup glory.

What makes his early exits all the more surprising is that his teams have generally posted incredible regular-season records.

In fact, Boudreau's career points percentage of .658 is the highest in NHL history of any coach with more than 210 games coached.

All this considered, it's hard to knock Boudreau for his team's effort in the series. The Wild averaged the second most shots per game at 36.4, while giving up a playoff low 26.8.

Call it bad luck, call it a curse, call it what have you, but once again a Boudreau-coached team's season has come to an end much earlier than expected.

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The 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs are off and running.

We're 20 games deep and already fans have experienced both jubilation and heartbreak. Of those games, eight have gone to overtime and four have seen multi-goal comebacks.

The playoffs bring out the best of the best and create lasting memories for die-hard fans. So far, 2017 doesn't appear to be an exception.

Here are the top five storylines of the playoffs so far:

Cam Talbot

After a questionable first game that saw the Edmonton Oilers netminder concede a rather soft overtime winner to the San Jose Sharks, Cam Talbot has rebounded in a big way.

In fact, he's been perfect since, posting two shutouts, helping the Oilers claim a 2-1 series lead.

Talbot has now turned away 80 of the 83 shots he's faced in the first round and aided his club in reclaiming home-ice advantage.

Zack Kassian and company have also stepped up their game, as the Oilers have allowed just 39 shots over the past two games. Nevertheless, Talbot has been perfect and the young Oilers appear to be back in the driver's seat.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Washington Capitals learned pretty quickly that the Toronto Maple Leafs are not going down without a fight.

In both games, the Maple Leafs took early leads and forced comebacks from the Capitals. Washington was able to take Game 1 thanks to Tom Wilson's overtime winner, but was unsuccessful on Saturday after Kasperi Kapanen ended it in double OT.

Saturday night's win has now given the Maple Leafs home-ice advantage and has already proven those expecting a sweep by the Capitals wrong. The series is far from over, but after two games Mike Babcock's young club is quickly putting doubts in the minds of the Capitals.

Western giants struggling

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

OK, the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild haven't officially been eliminated, but the top two clubs in the Western Conference are certainly not looking good.

The Blackhawks have been shutout in their first two games - both on home ice for that matter - while the Wild are now just one loss away from being swept by the St. Louis Blues.

It's surprising, considering the Blackhawks and Wild entered the postseason with the best and third-best odds, respectively, of winning the Stanley Cup.

Of course, anything could still happen, but both teams have their backs against the wall, which is not a spot most expected these clubs to be in.

Penguins' high octane offense

The Pittsburgh Penguins can score goals.

Rookie Jake Guentzel has certainly stolen the show with a hat trick in Game 3, giving him a total of four goals and five points in three games, but the fact is he isn't a lone wolf tallying points for the Penguins.

So far, only three players on the Penguins' roster have yet to find the scoresheet against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Evgeni Malkin leads the pack with six points, Sidney Crosby has matched Guentzel with five, and Phil Kessel has averaged a point per game with three.

The Penguins as a team are averaging four goals per game and just two against. That's a winning recipe right there.

Alexander Radulov

The Montreal Canadiens can thank both general manager Marc Bergevin and Alexander Radulov for their 2-1 series lead over the New York Rangers.

The Canadiens' offseason signee appears to be worth every penny, as the veteran forward scored the Game 2 overtime winner on Friday night to cap off a three-point evening and followed that up with another two points in Sunday's 3-1 win, including a ridiculous breakaway goal in the third period.

Radulov now has five points in three games, and after the threat of losing both games on home ice, the Canadiens can breathe a little easier. Radulov is just shy of a point per game in the playoffs, with 19 points in 21 career postseason games.

One must think he's now in line for a nice little raise when he signs his next contract.

(Photos courtesy: USA Today Sports)

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The Anaheim Ducks could receive a boost to their lineup sooner rather than later.

Head coach Randy Carlyle spoke to reporters after Friday's practice and noted that injured defenseman Cam Fowler is improving "rapidly," based on a Thursday assessment. The team is hopeful that Fowler will begin skating within a week.

Fowler missed the final two games of the regular season and Thursday's playoff opener after a knee-on-knee hit from Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano on April 4. His timeline was expected to be anywhere between two and six weeks.

The 25-year-old Fowler led all Ducks defenders with 11 goals and 39 points in 80 games this season, his highest points output since his rookie campaign back in 2011.

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We might have another Jimmy Vesey situation on our hands.

Colorado Avalanche draft pick Will Butcher - who is coming off a Hobey Baker win as the best player in NCAA hockey and a Frozen Four victory with the Denver Pioneers - is in no rush to sign his entry-level contract, he told Mike Chambers of the Denver Post.

"I told him (Joe Sakic) I didn’t want an offer yet," Butcher, who met with Sakic on Tuesday, said. "I wanted to sit with him, talk with him about my year, what they’re thinking, what their philosophy is going to be. My parents are coming in this weekend for the banquet, and I want to talk to my parents before they offer me anything."

The news comes after Sakic told the Denver Post that he wanted to present Butcher with a contract after the Frozen Four tournament wrapped up.

Butcher is hoping to keep his options open and for now just wants to gather information from the Avalanche.

"He (Sakic) came in and gave me his whole spiel about changes in the program, going younger and everything like that. I told him I’d get back in touch with him," Butcher said. "I’m weighing all my options right now. I want to take my time. I don’t have anything to rush into right now. I’m not going to play anywhere right now. So I might as well take my time."

Last season, Predators draft pick Vesey elected to not sign in Nashville and instead become a free agent. He ultimately agreed to a deal with the New York Rangers - also upon winning the Hobey Baker Award.

The Avalanche have until Aug. 15 to sign Butcher to a contract before he hits free agency.

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The Los Angeles Kings made a somewhat surprising move this week, announcing the club was going in a different direction with the firings of head coach Darryl Sutter and general manager Dean Lombardi.

Firing Sutter means that one of the most successful head coaches of the past decade is now available for hire - just what the Vegas Golden Knights were hoping for, right?

The expansion franchise has been mum on its pending hire, after it was reported back in January that Vegas was accelerating its search with an aim toward finding a coach before the regular season concluded.

However, here we are, which is no closer to knowing who will be leading the team's inaugural roster.

It could be a case of mulling over a few options, but the more likely reason for this is that George McPhee and company expected exactly what's transpired over the past week - more big names becoming available.

Related - Report: Stars to hire Hitchcock as head coach

The Dallas Stars made it known that Lindy Ruff isn't coming back, Willie Desjardins was canned by the Vancouver Canucks, and Jack Capuano and Gerard Gallant both remain available after being shown the door earlier in the season.

It gives the team a pick of a pretty fine litter.

All that considered, let's get back to Sutter, who as it stands looks to be the best option for the Golden Knights.

Even before a roster is assembled, it's safe to project that the team will have a hard time competing with the elite franchises of the league. With that in mind, it's clear Vegas is going to need a coach who can get the best out of very little.

Related: Vegas Golden Knights' expansion mock roster

Sutter would be perfect for this. The straight shooter of a coach has become renowned for deploying a smothering defensive system that can win championships, as we saw in 2012 and 2014

He also - for the mathematicians out there - still had his Kings lead the league in Corsi-for this season, a notable achievement for a club that finished eight points out of the final wild-card spot in the West and 25th in goals scored. In fact, Los Angeles' 55.71 percent mark since the 2011-12 season also leads the league.

This year didn't work out for Sutter for a few reasons: First, Jonathan Quick was injured most of the year; second, Jeff Carter was the only player who could score; third, that Dean Lombardi gave Sutter very little to work with. Despite that, he remains a top-notch coach.

Sutter's odd, quirky sense of humor and the fact that Vegas is just a four hour drive from Los Angeles should also provide Golden Knights fans with a coach they're familiar with - something that matters more for an expansion franchise.

McPhee appears to have played the market perfectly, and even before he makes his decision he deserves a tip of the cap for that. The Golden Knights are doing everything in their power to make sure the club is set for success in the future.

The next step in that plan is to hire Sutter.

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Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Nikita Zaitsev will not play in Game 1 against the Washington Capitals on Thursday, head coach Mike Babcock confirmed, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.

The 25-year-old was forced from Toronto's final regular-season game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, and has not participated in practice over the past two days.

It's tough news for the Maple Leafs, as Zaitsev finished second on the team behind Jake Gardiner in points by a defenseman with 36 in 82 games.

Zaitsev's absence means Martin Marincin will fill in on the Maple Leafs' blue line, reports TSN's Mark Masters.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets will have their prized rookie back in the lineup for Game 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.

Zach Werenski - who had missed the team's final four games of the regular season with an upper-body injury - will play in Game 1, head coach John Tortorella announced, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen.

Werenski had an outstanding rookie campaign, leading all Blue Jackets defenseman and rookie blue-liners with 47 points in 78 games.

Of course, this is all to say that Wednesday will be Werenski's first NHL playoff game of his career.

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