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The West’s second round is set

Jaroslav Halak, Jarret Stoll

St. Louis Blues’ goalie Jaroslav Halak (41), of Slovakia, blocks a shot by Los Angeles Kings’ Jarret Stoll (28) in the second period of an NHL hockey game on Friday, Feb. 3, 2012, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Bill Boyce)

AP

If you love goals, you might want to put the Penguins-Flyers series on “save until delete” status on your DVR. The Western Conference’s semifinals bracket is chock-full of tight-checking teams, with these two intriguing matchups coming down the pike:

2. St. Louis Blues vs. 8. Los Angeles Kings

3. Phoenix Coyotes vs. 4. Nashville Predators

It’s strange that three of the top four seeds advanced to the second round yet that foursome seems to defy conventional wisdom. Balmy weather could very well be a factor for three “non-traditional” ice surfaces. The Blues haven’t smelled the first round since 2002. The Coyotes haven’t been to the semifinals since 1987 (when they were the Winnipeg Jets) while the Predators are on their second-ever trip to round two.

In other words, expect a lot of new faces but probably not a ton of goals.

Actually, that brings me to a fun question to get things started: if you could roll with any of the goalies on those four teams, which one would you choose? It’s almost as tough to make that call as it is to score on these squads.