In order of preference:
1. Wild: Flames owned them this year and they've been struggling lately. We seem to match up well with them in terms of speed, size, and depth. It would be a tough series for sure, but I think the Flames would take it. I think this is our best chance at getting into round 2.
2. Sharks: Flames have always matched up really well against the Sharks. We've also played strong in their barn and have even won a few games there. Plus they're older and slower. I like our chances against this team.
3. Oilers: Shutting down McDoofus is not an easy task, and to give them credit, their PP is deadly. With the amount of ridiculous phantom calls that seem to go in his favor, this is the one thing that would worry me and could potentially be a deciding factor in a 7 game series. Considering the Flames are one of the most penalized teams in the league (not to mention the Wideman Effect), it wouldn't take much for the refs to call every chincy little thing on the Flames anytime they so much as glanced in McDavid's direction.
All that being said, I do think the Flames have much better depth overall and better D. I'd also argue that Elliott is just as good, if not better than Talbot when he's on his game. If you can limit McDingleberry and stay out of the box as much as possible, you'll probably win.
4. Ducks: Honda Center curse. Also Perry and Getzlaf are Flame killers. We never seem to have an answer for those guys, especially on the road. They've gotten older and a bit slower, but that team still frightens me.
5. Hawks: These guys scare me more than any other team in the West. I doubt anybody wants to face them in round 1.
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