NHL Playoff preview -- Western Conference

eSports columnist Conor McCreery previewed the Eastern Conference yesterday, now he turns his attentions to the West.

The West is crazy, every team that has qualified, with the possible exception of Edmonton, has to be considered a real threat to advance a round, maybe even two. Trying to figure out who will remain standing is a daunting task.

That's why they pay me the big bucks though...

Dallas Stars vs. Edmonton Oilers

If this is April then it must be time for the Stars to break Oiler's fans hearts.

Dallas has been a quiet juggernaut all season long. The longest winless skid for Dallas this season? Five games, from December 17th to 26th, where they went 0-3-2.

Apart from that blip the Stars have cast aside all opposition. They finished first in the ultra-competitive Western Conference and enter the playoffs as the number one defensive side in the West. Their goalie, Marty Turco, set a new modern era record for lowest GAA at 1.72, breaking Tony Esposito's mark.

Up front the Stars have six players who scored 20 goals, and are lead by Mike Modano, who, with Steve Yzerman now in his waning days, may be the best two-way playoff performer in the NHL. They also added some speed at the deadline in the always useful Stu Barnes.

The Stars do have some weaknesses, but none that the Oilers will be able to exploit.

Key Player: Sergi Zubov -- The Stars talented defender is a huge part of Dallas' attack. It is Zubov's crisp passing that allows Dallas to use their deadly transition offence. With the Oilers, a team that likes to use their speed to get in on the forecheck, Zubov will be under a lot of pressure to get to the puck quickly, and make that first pass accurately.

X-Factor: Bill Guerin -- The Stars rely on Guerin to be a big part of their attack. Combine his health issues with something of a checkered playoff past -- doubts loom about his ability to take a team to the next level, and Guerin could underachieve. If he does, that might allow the Oilers to win some of the tight games this series will inevitably have.

The poor Oilers, this is now the sixth year in seven that they have faced the Stars in the playoffs. Aside from one memorable victory, things have gone poorly for the men from the "City of Champions."

The Oilers finished strong after the trade deadline when many thought they might be reeled in by Nashville or Phoenix. Make no mistake though, Edmonton is a weaker team now than they were that day.

Brad Isbister and Radek Dvorak, the key pieces in the deals that day, might combine for three points in this series. Cory Cross has played well, but Janne Niinimaa he ain't, and the Oilers blue line offense is noticeably weaker now than before -- a killer in the post-season.

Edmonton will do what they always do. Skate like demons. Forecheck tenaciously. Keep the games close, send a few to overtime, ride the emotional wave of the incomparable Northlands Coliseum crowd, and, ultimately lose to a team that is just too good for them.

Key Player: Ryan Smyth -- The Oilers power forward can dominate a game -- when he's healthy. Smyth had a great season, verging on cementing his star status. If the Oil are to have any chance of upsetting Dallas, Smyth has to make this series his official coming out party.

X-Factor: Tommy Salo -- The Oilers goaltender had an up and down ride this season. The Oilers have been a streaky team for some time now, and they need to have Salo at top form. Salo will be solid, that's not the question. The question is whether Salo can outplay Turco consistently. It's a possibility, when he is on there are few better than the Swedish veteran.

Prediction: The Oilers dealt their playoff hopes a fatal blow at the trade deadline. This will be a tight series, but ultimately a short one. Stars in Five.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Anaheim Mighty Ducks

The playoff team, battles a young squad that has finally turned the corner. The Ducks can forge an upset, but against the Wings?

Ho-Hum, another year, another Red Wings team favored to win it all. The Wings may yet regret not securing top spot in the conference, but that won't haunt them here against an Anaheim team that is good, but will lack the guile needed to knock off Detroit.

The series should be interesting, Detroit has a habit of starting slowly in the playoffs and then building up momentum. This year is a little different, as Steve Yzerman does not look like he will be able to make the contributions that he has for the past decade. Still the Wings have plenty of firepower up front, and a defense that knows how to shut the door when it counts.

There has been some feeling that Curtis Joseph is a weak link in Motown. That might be true later, but Joseph has always been a inconsistent regular season tender, and he has a long history of being on top of his game early in the playoffs.

Detroit got a good match-up in Anaheim. The Ducks lack the physical presence to knock the older Wings about, without that disrupting factor the Wings incredible puck control offense will be too much.

Key Player: Sergi Federov -- With Steve Yzerman now in the decline, Federov has to emerge as the undisputed engine of the Wings playoff machine. He will. Federov is an uncommon superstar; he is as talented as anyone in the NHL, yet completely happy to play within the Wings system, eschewing huge point totals for wins. Federov though has several extra gears - sorry Wing haters.

X-Factor: Pavel Datsyuk/Brett Hull -- Down the stretch, it seemed that every time you looked at a Detroit box score these two had combined for five or six points. Hull is still one of the best goal scorers in the NHL, and Datsyuk, after a slow start has exploded. If these two continue their chemistry the Ducks don't have a prayer.

Anaheim deserves a lot of credit, they finished 26 points better than the previous season, and suddenly there is reason to believe that this team has a long-term plan.

The Ducks are fast -- maybe the best skating team in the playoffs. That's important against a team like Detroit who move the puck so well. The Ducks also have one of those anonymous blue lines that won't be anonymous for long.

Combined, the Duck's blue liners do everything well. Nicolas Havelid moves the puck strongly; Keith Carney is a warrior, as is Vitali Vishnevsky. The big name, Sandis Ozolinsh, showed in Anaheim that treating him as an all-around defender, rather than only as an offensive threat can yield solid results.

The Ducks lack size up front though, and while Detroit is not an overly physical team this lack of size needs to be addressed. In the playoffs having a line that can cycle the puck shift after shift is key to tiring an opponent's defense. That lack of size hurt Anaheim in the regular season. When they couldn't generate offense off the rush they didn't score.

The Wings may very well outplay Detroit for the vast majority of this series. J.S. Giguere and the Ducks defense will likely frustrate the Wings time and again. The problem is Detroit only needs 10 good minutes in any given game and they can win it. That's too much to overcome.

Key Player: Sandis Ozolinsh -- Sandis was a revelation in Anaheim, he kept scoring, but was a +10 in his 31 games. He did everything that was asked of him defensively and used his size and speed very efficiently. If Sandis is for real the Wings are going to find the going in the Anaheim zone a little more frustrating. Ozolinsh has the on the puck skills to stop Detroit from getting into their forecheck which keys so many Detroit scoring opportunities.

X-Factor: Steve Thomas -- Thomas, the league's deadliest overtime threat, found a new lease on life when he came over to Anaheim in a late season trade. Thomas has speed and a sniper's eye. He's also performed very well in the playoffs throughout his career. If the Ducks can keep the games close Thomas will be one to watch as the clock ticks down.

Prediction: Veteran savvy is going to be too much for the Ducks youth and speed. This series looks like Dallas-Edmonton to me, it'll be hotly contested, but won't go for very long. Red Wings in five.

Colorado Avalanche vs. Minnesota Wild

The Av's are a perennial powerhouse, but the Wild are the most disciplined, well-coached team out there. Can system beat skill?

The Colorado Avalanche did it again. Despite lying in the weeds for most of the season they went out and grabbed the division crown for the 8th season in a row (ninth if you count the title they won as the Quebec Nordiques back in '94-'95).

But, did the Av's hurt themselves with the win? Consider this, the Av's undoubtedly have two of the top lines in the NHL, but for most of the season Colorado struggled badly for offense from the third line, let alone the fourth.

If Colorado had finished fourth they would have met St. Louis - a very good team, but a team that has questions in net, and come playoff time in general.

Instead the Av's have Minnesota, the number two defensive team in the conference and a team that has shown an amazing ability to handcuff even the most talented opposition.

Colorado though, will bring the best top end talent to the table. Minnesota can't match that. If the Av's are to handle the Wild as most people expect they cannot let the Wild use their speed and intelligent system to slow those top two lines.

On the other side, they have to be aware that the Wild are, contrary to popular belief, an attacking team. If the Av's get casual the Wild can score. Patrick Roy, of course, is a great equalizer.

Key Player: Peter Forsberg -- The best player in the league, end of story. He has the ability to win this series even if Minnesota does everything right. Forsberg will play well, hopefully though the Av's won't need him to take that next step this early in the playoffs.

X-Factor: Battes Battaglia/Riku Hahl -- The lack of scoring depth for Colorado has been noted. These two guys might be the ones to do something about it. Battaglia was very good last year for Carolina, and he has the size and speed to punish the smaller Wild defenders. Hahl has great speed, and showed a nose for the net in Finland. He's not going to dominate, but he could score three or four times, and that could be the difference in a seven game series.

Beware the Wild!

Forget what you think you know. This is not some team of pluggers and hackers playing a boring trap, and relying on their goalie, and their opponents frustration to bail them out -- ala the Florida Panthers. This is not some team "just happy to be here."

The Minnesota Wild are a legitimate threat.

The Wild do have their problems. They are too small up front and on the blue line to go deep in the playoffs, but that doesn't mean they can't win this series.

Minnesota is an exceptional skating team, and a very strong positional squad. They use these skills to bottle up an opponent's attack before it starts. It's not a trap; it's more of an intercept, forcing bad passes and then turning with speed in the neutral zone. Sound familiar, say like the 94-95 Devils? It should, Jacques Lemaire was behind the bench of that team as well.

Like those Devils, this Wild team has bought into a system that works. As long as you don't have a rooting interest in the team they are bottling up, it's an entertaining system at that.

The Wild also remind me of the '98-99 Buffalo Sabres. Not a lot of guys who make you worry, but suddenly when the opportunity is there you realize "Geez, everyone on this team can put it away given a good chance." The Wild, with that speed, get chances.

They also have, in Dwayne Roloson and Manny Fernandez, two goalies that have played as well as anyone this year.

Patrick Roy is still the best big game goalie in hockey, but I wonder if Roloson (the likely No. 1) might be able to steal a couple before "St. Patrick" puts his game face on?

This series will be a race to the first goal. If the Wild get it the Av's have to start double shifting their top lines, because they simply don't have the punch or skill needed on the others. If the Av's get it, the Wild will be subject to a more physical assault by Colorado, wearing them down, and forcing the Wild's one true star, Marian Gaborik, to heroics.

Key Player: Marian Gaborik -- Gaborik is the complete package, he's just a year or two from being able to do it night in and night out. I don't think Gaborik, as complete a 21 year old as you will ever find in the NHL, will be intimidated by the setting. I also think that if the Wild can win one early, prolonging the series, that Gaborik will figure out how to score against an opponent he sees night after night. If he does, the Av's are in trouble.

X-Factor: Filip Kuba -- The young Wild defender is their leader on the blue line. He's likely the best defenseman you've never heard of. He can change that though if he can play a big part in neutralizing the Sakic's, Hedjuk's Tanguay's and Forsberg's. Kuba might just be able to pull it off. He's not overly big, but he's very solid, he skates well, he handles the puck strongly, he's smart. He could be a major stumbling block for Colorado.

Prediction: One big tree always falls and the Av's have pulled a match-up that just does not work well for them. The Wild pull a San Jose and shock the world. Minnesota in 7.

Vancouver Canucks vs. St. Louis Blues

The hardest series to handicap features two teams that could beat anyone in the field -- no matter who wins, the rest of the Conference will breath a sigh of relief.

Vancouver sure had us fooled. Leading the division almost wire-to-wire, fighting for first overall, and then BANG they slip into arguably the toughest first round match-up in the NHL.

Still, Vancouver doesn't seem to be too worried, and why should they?

They have two of the top five scoring players in the NHL in Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi. They have a massive, mobile defense that is as adept at starting the Canuck's rush as it is at stopping the opponent's.

They also have a pretty good goaltender. Despite all the doubts over Dan Cloutier's performance the Canucks gave up just five more goals then the Detroit Red Wings this season.

Vancouver's game is about driving the net, using their very good size, and solid speed to soften up their opponents, creating holes as the game rolls on. The Canucks also draw penalties, and when they do, their deadly PP unit can run away with the game.

Vancouver is somewhat vulnerable in their own end -- partially because they are so committed to getting out on the attack. Good teams though, know how to tighten up in the post-season, and the Canucks learned a valuable lesson in last year's playoffs.

Arguably the Canucks also are vulnerable against a team that can shut their top line down. Thing is, nobody has been able to do that consistently.

In addition Vancouver has the sort of role players, like Matt Cooke, who seem to be able to chip in with a big goal when it's needed. Still, it's a concern.

Key Player: Dan Cloutier -- Similarly to Roman Cechmanek, Cloutier is going to be branded with the "weak link" tag, until he starts winning in the playoffs. Unlike Cechmanek, Cloutier hasn't blown a series his team should have won. Cloutier will be tested by a very deep St. Louis team. He has to be up to the challenge.

X-Factor: Mattias Ohlund -- The enigmatic Swedish defender always seems to be on the cusp of greatness. Then an injury or inconsistency sets in. Ohlund is again coming off an injury, but the Canucks need his size and speed on the blue line to help take the load off of Ed Jovanoski. Not just in helping key Vancouver's attack, but to handle Blues power forwards Keith Tkachuk and Scott Mellanby.

Ahhh, St. Louis, always a bridesmaid, never a bride. The Blues, for whatever reason (cough, cough, goaltending, cough, cough, can't beat Detroit, cough, cough) have never been able to translate the past five years worth of excellent teams into even one Conference Final appearance.

So, can they change that now? The smart money says no.

Chris Osgood is a step up on Brent Johnson. Say what you will about the Pete Peters mask, but Osgood has been there, he might not have won the Wings the Cup, but he certainly didn't cost them it. Still, with the quality of the top four, Osgood might have to win a series; I don't know if he can.

The Blue's also have Chris Pronger back, which is great, but Pronger won't be at a 100%. Again, that's good enough to make some noise, but to survive this Western Conference gauntlet? I don't think so.

The Blues have very nice depth up front, and a host of strong role-players. Pavol Demitra has been unconscious at times this season, a wizard with the puck.

My real problem with St. Lou, is between the ears. This is a team that seems to have very little confidence. The Wings flinch and the Blues jump into a tree. This year when St. Louis had a shot to grab the division title, they played some of their most frustrating hockey.

I know St. Louis isn't playing Detroit, but the Canucks are a team that has played with a swagger all season. I don't think the Blues, deep down, really believe in themselves.

However, St. Louis is miles better on the blue line now then ever before, and that may be a factor I am not giving enough credence to. Still, I'd care more if Pronger had played a complete season. When your best player isn't 100% it's tough to win.

Key Player: Chris Osgood -- The Canucks can score, the Canucks power play is insane, Todd Bertuzzi frequently eats goalies for breakfast, while Naslund chews on the bones. Osgood is tough as nails, and I think he'll answer a lot of the questions about him, but is he flat out talented enough to be the difference? I just don't think so.

X-Factor: Scott Mellanby -- Three years after all signs pointed to his career being over Mellanby went out and posted the best season he'd had in nearly a decade. In the playoffs one power forward who can score is a boon, two can be the key to the Cup. If Mellanby's legs don't slow down and he can battle the youthful Canucks, he could be the man scoring the big goals in this series.

Prediction: This will be a barnburner, expect to see a lot of late leads blown, either through poor defense, or spectacular playmaking. Also, expect each goalie to be both a bum and a hero at least once. When all is said and done this is as close to a pick-em as you can get.

I'll go with the team that has the two biggest, healthiest horses -- Vancouver in seven.

That concludes my first round previews. Check back as I frantically try to distance myself from this column during the Colorado-Edmonton, St. Louis-Anaheim round two match-ups.