Western Conference predictions: Can the Golden Knights repeat?

In the race to rule the West in the NHL the only constant has been change.

No team has won the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, the trophy given to the Western Conference champion, two years in a row since the Detroit Red Wings did so in 2008-09. So the Golden Knights are facing a daunting task this season, made tougher by the fact that it’s rare for a Stanley Cup runner-up to win it all the following year.

No team has done it since the Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the Red Wings in 2008 before getting their revenge in 2009. Even then the Penguins needed a tremendous last-second save from their goaltender, a young French Canadian named Marc-Andre Fleury, to secure the Cup.

At least it won’t be hard for the Golden Knights to copy that model.

Do they have enough to reach the Final again though? Here’s one reporter’s Western Conference playoff predictions entering the season, with a Stanley Cup projection to boot:

First round

(1) San Jose 4, (WC2) Anaheim 0

The Sharks swept the Ducks last season after finishing third in the Pacific Division. They’ll do so again as division champs.

(2) Vegas 4, (3) Kings 2

The Kings put up more of a first-round fight a year after being swept by the Knights but their offense ultimately lets them down.

(1) Nashville 4, (WC1) Minnesota 1

The Wild again show that they’re a strong regular-season team that falls flat in the playoffs.

(2) Winnipeg 4, (3) St. Louis 3

The Jets’ continuity gives them a slight edge against the made-over Blues in this close series.

Second round

(1) San Jose 4, (2) Vegas 2

The Sharks win in a reverse of their series with the Knights’ last year. San Jose’s edge on the blue line and on the power play proves to be the difference as Vegas struggles to slow down Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson. With the Knights out the Clarence S. Campbell is destined for a new home yet again.

(1) Nashville 4, (2) Winnipeg 3

These two teams also met in the second round last year in a series that went to seven games. This time Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne keeps it together and doesn’t get pulled in the first period of Game 7, allowing his team to advance.

Conference Final

(1) San Jose 4, (1) Nashville 2

The Predators have a hard time finding their footing in Game 1 after their fight with the Jets and the Sharks take control of the series early. Nashville, which is sound up the middle, has trouble handling San Jose’s strong shooting from the point and Rinne lets a few bad goals into the net. The Sharks reach the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in four years.

Stanley Cup Final

(1) Tampa Bay 4, (1) San Jose 3

For the fourth straight year an Eastern Conference team wins the Cup. The Lightning are absolutely loaded after losing in Game 7 of the conference finals last year, with one of the best wings (Nikita Kucherov), defensemen (Victor Hedman) and goaltenders (Andrei Vasilevskiy) in the NHL. That’s enough for them to win their second championship.

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Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz @reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.