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NHL Legend Mark Messier Predicts Stanley Cup Champion

Originally posted on The Spun | By Hunter Hodies | Last updated Apr 19, 2025 1:58 PM ET

The NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs begin Saturday evening with two Western Conference first-round games.

The Winnipeg Whiteout returns at 6 p.m. ET for Game 1 between the Winnipeg Jets and the St. Louis Blues. The Jets were the best team in the NHL during the regular season and won the Presidents' Trophy, giving them home ice for the entire playoffs.

The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars will cap off the doubleheader at 8:30 p.m. ET in Dallas. The Stars will be without star forward Jason Robertson and defenseman Miro Heiskanen in Game 1 since they are both banged up.

Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday will feature the 12 other teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, who played each other in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers won that series in seven outstanding games and will go for a repeat this year.

ESPN's Mark Messier played for the Oilers during his playing career and is picking them to win the Stanley Cup this year.

They will face a tough test in the first round when they take on the Los Angeles Kings in the first round for a fourth consecutive season. The Oilers have won the previous three series but this will be the toughest one yet since the Kings have been outstanding at home this season and have gotten some great goaltending from Darcy Kuemper.

The Kings finished the regular season with a 31-6-4 home record and Kuemper had a save percentage of .922.

It will be a great series and it will get underway on Monday at 10 p.m. ET. The winner of that series will play the Vegas Golden Knights or the Minnesota Wild in the second round.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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