Get ready for some gritty hockey featuring Central Division foes.The Wild and Blues are set to meet in the first round of the 2022 NHL playoffs. They were two of the stronger clubs in the Western Conference and were red hot to end the regular season.Both sides could not be coming into the playoffs with more momentum. Minnesota went 19-2-3 from March 16 through the end of the regular season. St. Louis enjoyed its own incredible closing run, going14-1-2 from March 28 on. The lone regulation lo s came at the hands of the Avalanche.The Blues swept the Wild this season, winning the Andre Smith Jersey Winter Cla sic 6-4 and then following that up with two overtime victories.This is the third time in the last decade that the teams have met in the postseason. The Wild defeated the Blues in the first round of the 2015 playoffs in six games while the Blues got their revenge in 2017, taking down the Wild in five games in the first round.The series begins onMonday, May 2, with Game 1 scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET.MORE:Here's everything you need to know about the series between the Wild and the Blues.Key storyline: Which goaltender takes the reins on each side?It's uncommon for a playoff team to be heading into the postseason without a clear No. 1 starter. It's extremely rare for that to be the case on both sides of a first-round matchup.Yet, here we are with the Wild and the Blues. It's unclear who will start Game 1, but in this circumstance it C.J. Uzomah Jersey 's for the best reasons. Cam Talbot and Marc-Andre Fleury have been excellent for Minnesota, while Ville Hu so and Jordan Binnington have been strong in the St. Louis net.The Wild brought in Fleury at the deadline with the thought that he'd be their go-to goalie, but Talbot stepped up his game after the trade, going 8-0-3 in 11 games with a 2.25 GAA and .925 save percentage. Fleury was 9-2-0 in 11 games with a 2.74 GAA and .910 save percentage.It has been a back-and-forth battle in St. Louis, but Hu so appeared to pull ahead over the past couple months. In Sam Hubbard Jersey April, Hu so went 7-1-2 with a 3.05 GAA and .910 save percentage, while Binnington was 5-1-0 with a 3.08 GAA and .901 save percentage. Binnington has yet to replicate the postseason succe s he had in his rookie season when he helped the Blues win the Stanley Cup in 2019. In fact, he is 0-9 in playoff games since winning Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.Typically, a two-goalie system has not led to a Cup win, so both teams need to figure out who their guy is and ride with them.MORE:Wild vs. Blues schedule, TV channelsDate SiteTime (ET)TVMon., May 2at Minnesota9:30 p.m.ESPN, SN360, TVA SportsWed., Vincent Rey Jersey May 4at Minnesota9:30 p.m.ESPN, SN360, TVA SportsFri., May 6at St. Louis9:30 p.m.TNT, SN360, TVA SportsSun., May 8at St. Louis4:30 p.m.TNT, SN360, TVA Sports*Tue., May 10at MinnesotaTBDTBD*Thu., May 12at St. LouisTBDTBD*Sat., May 14at MinnesotaTBDTBD*If nece saryWild vs. Blues oddsWild: -142Blues:+102Odds provided by MORE:Wild vs. Blues predictionIt's incredibly unfair that one of A J Green Jersey these teams will be sent packing before the second round begins. There is a legitimate argument that either team could make a run at the Cup.Alas, that's how the cookie crumbles, and the two Central foes are going head-to-head. The two have played each other quite evenly this season, and that should make for a highly entertaining, tension-filled series.When it comes down to it, I just have more faith in the Wild's goaltending duo. Whether it's Fleury or Talbot in net, I think the Wild own the edge in the crease over Hu so or Binnington, and that's the difference-maker in the series.Prediction:Wild in seven.