Who will win the battle for Florida or the battle for Alberta? If the opinions are divided among our experts, they are unanimous in claiming that the Colorado Avalanche will successfully cross the second round of the playoffs which begin tonight in the NHL.

• Read also: Blues against Avalanche: rematch

• To read also: Oilers against Flames: a war of trenches

• To read also: Lightning against Panthers: the battle of Florida

• Read also: Rangers against Hurricanes: an unborn rivalry

Our 15 participants are indeed convinced that the training led by Jared Bednar will eliminate the Blues of St. Louis. Three of them, Michel Bergeron, Louis Butcher and Jean-Charles Lajoie, also predict that this confrontation will end in five games.

Also in the Western Conference, the Calgary Flames are clearly favored in this intense duel which will pit them against their great rivals and neighbors in Edmonton. Only two of our respondents, Bergeron and Luc Grenier, give the Oilers the win.

In the East, they are 10 to predict that the Florida Panthers will advance to the conference final following the series which will oppose them to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Overall, however, they expect a long duel whose winner, for seven of them, will not be known until after the seventh and decisive match.

Will play, won't play?

For one, Bergeron awards the Panthers the win, especially since losing Brayden Point could prove costly for Tampa.

"Without this important player, to indicate the former coach of the Nordiques and New York Rangers, I do not see how the Lightning could win. »

Due to a leg injury, Point is a doubt for the first meeting tonight at Sunrise. The forward fell in action in Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs when he lost his footing and fell.

We saw him writhing in pain before heading to the locker room. Point, one of the architects of the Lightning's two recent Stanley Cup titles, had two goals and four points in seven playoff games.

In addition, Bergeron wonders why the Panthers did not use Quebecer Anthony Duclair in the last game when he was available to play.

“How can this team do without a 30-goal scorer in the regular season?” he wonders, not without reason.