NHL: Western Conference first round preview

Over the course of the past six seasons, three teams have represented the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup finals: Colorado, Dallas, and Detroit. Right now, all three teams are hot and they'll be tough to beat. However, upstart teams like St. Louis, San Jose, and Edmonton are looking to dethrone them all in the playoffs.

Ding, ding: round two.

Colorado v. Vancouver. The Avalanche have run roughshod over the rest of the league during the course of the season. Joe Sakic is the overall leader of the team. He's the scoring leader, the captain, the pacesetter, the go-to guy on the power play. But he's not alone in the Avs attack. The Avs had the pleasure of having Peter Forsberg for a full season and his presence showed. He tied for second on the team to Sakic in power play goals with Milan Hejduk (12) and tied for third with Chris Drury with five game winning goals. And then there's Patrick Roy, one of the top clutch playoff goaltenders in NHL history.

The Canucks have run on some hard times lately. Their leading scorer, Markus Naslund, was lost for the rest of the regular season with a broken leg. Sad to think of it considering that he was the captain and sparkplug of the young Canucks. That doesn't mean that they shouldn't have to have their heads down. They've played pretty good in the face of adversity and injury. Their big question mark is goaltending. They traded away the comeback player of the year (Felix Potvin), but have a solid goalie in Bob Essensa, who has been on and off for the season.

Prediction: Although this match looks like a runaway for the Avalanche on paper, the Avs won three of the five games in the regular season. But this is the playoffs, and the Avs are loaded on playoff veterans and the Canucks, with the exception of a small few, are not. Vancouver can take in the comfort that this will give them experience for next season. Avalanche in five.

Detroit v. Los Angeles The Red Wings come into the playoffs with a nineteen-game unbeaten streak at home and only four losses in the past two months. They have a bevy of veterans over the age of 30, but it doesn't look like any of them are showing signs of slowing down right now. In particular, Brendan Shanahan, who is quietly having another solid season as the Red Wings' sniper. His fifthteen power play goals lead the team. Chris Osgood is having another solid season between the pipes. If he goes down, Manny Legace is a good backup, but has a lack of previous playoff experience.

The Kings have had an up and down regular season: up in the beginning, down in the middle, and back up again. Since he was traded to Los Angeles on February 17, Felix Potvin has regained the form that made him one of the top goaltenders in the early 1990's. Four days later, the Kings traded Rob Blake to Colorado. From that point on, the Kings played every night for their playoff lives. Their hard work paid off and now they're in the playoffs for the third time in four seasons. If Ziggy Palffy gets into the open ice, watch out.

Prediction: The Red Wings might be hot, but the Kings are just as hot. Don't let the seeding fool you; the Kings and their young legs are going to tire out the Red Wings’ old legs. If Felix Potvin plays as good as he has during the course of the past two months, he'll be tough to beat. But the Red Wings experience and the Kings' lack thereof sticks out as the most distinguishing factor in my mind. Red Wings in seven.

Dallas v. Edmonton The Stars come into the playoffs as the hottest team in the NHL with an eleven game unbeaten streak. Brett Hull is back to his old tricks again as he’s scored 39 goals, eleven of them on the power play, and eight are game-winning. Meanwhile, it’s Ed Belfour’s time to shine. He’s been the quintessential playoff goaltender since the 1997-98 season, when the Stars were one series away from going to the Stanley Cup final. He’s been there the past two seasons, winning one in 1999. It’s the right time for Dallas to peak, and this is the time that the Stars begin to turn on the pressure.

The Oilers have two deadly elements to give any playoff opponents fits: team speed and grit. Ryan Smyth has clearly returned to the form he had back in 1996-97 when he scored 39 goals (he scored 31 this season). When the Oilers upset the Stars in the first round of the 1996-97 playoffs, they had a great goaltender between the pipes in Curtis Joseph. This season, they don’t have Joseph, but Tommy Salo has quietly become The Man in Edmonton. He was one of the league leaders in shutouts with eight and posted a 2.46 GAA.

Prediction: Familiarity definitely breeds contempt. This is the fourth time in five seasons that these two teams have met each other in the playoffs. Since the first round upset back in 1997, Dallas has lost only twice in their last three playoff meetings. But this time is going to be very different. Both teams are quick and physical and will kill each other before losing to each other. I have a gut feeling an upset is in the works, and there will be one. Oilers in seven.

St. Louis v. San Jose The Blues were well on their way to another Central conference title, but a few snags got in the way: inconsistent goaltending and injuries (long as well as season-ending). The trade for Keith Tkachuk at the deadline has been good almost immediately. His six goals in twelve games and his toughness have helped the Blues along in their journey. Like a lot of playoff teams, their run depends on goaltending. Roman Turek has been genius one moment, choke artist the next. And he’ll face the same team that haunted him last post-season.

The Sharks found a diamond in the rough in Evgeni Nabokov. When Steve Shields held out the beginning of the season, the Sharks were down to a pair of rookies in the pipes. Nabokov beat out Miikka Kiprusoff for the job and it’s been a good year for the youngster from Kazakhstan. He became the true starter when the Sharks traded Shields to Anaheim. For Shields, they obtained Teemu Selanne, and he’s had an almost immediate impact with thirteen points in twelve games. This includes a hat trick against his ex-teammates Anaheim.

Prediction: It’s Blues-Sharks part II, and the Blues are seeking retribution for last season’s first round debacle. These teams will go to war. Both teams can get scoring from all over the ice and from unexpected sources. But it’ll all come down to goaltending: Nabokov is solid, but inexperienced. Turek got his first taste of shell shock last season. If Selanne can’t score, and Nabokov doesn’t come through, it’ll be the Blues’ series. Blues in seven.