Earning a top seed is usually a good thing heading into the NHL playoffs, but there are a few top teams in 2012 that won't make it out of the first round.
Despite grinding out fantastic regular seasons, these three teams are primed for destruction.
St. Louis Blues (2) Will Lose to the San Jose Sharks (7)
The Blues finished the season in second place, but a closer look at their last 10 games shows a clear picture of a team going the wrong way.
During that stretch, the Blues have been one of the worst teams in the league and have posted a record of 4-4-3. They scored three more goals than they gave up, but the Blues have been extremely sporadic on both ends, going long stretches without scoring and getting shut out three times.
In the games that they lost, the goalkeepers gave up an average of more than three goals per game. This is the opposite of what you hope for leading into the playoffs.
The best way to win in the postseason is to have a hot goalie, and they don't have one at the moment.
The Sharks are going to rip the Blues to shreds. They have been on a tear lately, winning seven out of their last 10 games.
During that stretch, Antti Niemi has been on fire. He has stymied opposing offenses, posting three shutouts and keeping the Sharks in every game.
The Blues are in for a massive upset.
Florida Panthers (3) Will Lose to the New Jersey Devils (6)
The Panthers won the Southeast Division despite the fact that they finished the season having given up more goals than they scored (minus-24 on the year).
That spells trouble in the playoffs, where they face a Devils team that finished the season with an inferior record but a better scoring differential, at plus-19 on the year.
Further damning their chances is the fact that the Panthers had the worst finish in the league, posting a record of 2-3-5 in their last 10 games.
On the other hand, the Devils are on a roll, having won seven out of 10 and six straight to finish the season as one of the hottest teams in the league.
If further proof is needed, the Panthers are not a strong team in terms of penalty killing, finishing the season 25th overall in that department. Conversely, the Devils are first in the league in the same category, killing opponents' power-play situations a whopping 89.6 percent of the time.
The Panthers are doomed.
Nashville Predators (4) Will Lose to the Detroit Red Wings (5)
This pick goes against conventional wisdom due to the fact that the Predators did just overtake the Red Wings to take the No. 4 seed from them, winning six out of their last eight games.
Don't count out the Red Wings, though.
After all, they finally have their full roster back, and this is still the same team that won an NHL-record 23 straight home games earlier this year. They simply haven't found their sweet spot since Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk and Jimmy Howard returned from their extended absences.
Both teams are in the top 10 in goals for and goals against and this matchup has the potential to go the full seven games.
In the end, the Red Wings will come through with the upset victory.
Thank you for making Bleacher Report your source for all your NHL news, reaction and analysis. Stay tuned throughout the playoffs.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1137229-nhl-playoffs-2012-top-contenders-primed-for-huge-upsets
Javier Lopez Alex Hinshaw Ramon Ramirez Sergio Romo Brian Wilson Eli Whiteside
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