NHL Playoff preview -- Eastern Conference

The NHL has bestowed upon us one of the most interesting playoff tournaments in recent memory. I can't remember the last time that so many intriguing teams were grouped together. From the speed and playoff moxie of the Edmonton Oilers, to the "loaded up and ready for bear" Ottawa Senators, this year's Stanley Cup tournament features 16 teams that all deserve consideration.

So let's get to it shall we? First the...

Eastern Conference

Ottawa Senators vs. New York Islanders

The first of a pair of Eastern match-ups where the favorite meets the exact sort of team their fans are scared of most.

The Sens, despite bulking up noticeably during the stretch run, have yet to prove they can beat a gritty physical opponent (last years Flyers don't count). Ottawa is as fast and skilled as any team in the tournament. Of course, that's been true for three years now and has yet to pay dividends. Only Daniel Alfredsson has proven that he can take the regular season success and carry it over to the playoffs.

However, Ottawa is deep everywhere up front, have two very strong blue-line pairings, and have received top-notch goaltending from the unfairly maligned Patrick Lalime (whatever Ottawa's past post-season problems may have been Lalime has never cost them a series). The Sens have the ability to dominate the Islanders, and if they can ride out the rough stuff they will make a bold statement to the rest of the NHL.

Key Player: Zdeno Chara -- The Isles will try to be physical with the Senators and the massive Slovakian defenseman will have to take care of business. He will. Chara is a monster, maybe only Chris Pronger can better Chara's package of size, offensive savvy, and raw intimidation.

X-Factor: Marian Hossa -- Owner of just five playoff goals in 26 appearances Hossa simply has to be better. The most dangerous Senator off the rush, a good series by Hossa will bury the Isles.

The Islanders were involved in last years seven game battle royale with Toronto and definitely have the speed, size and nasty attitude to test the Senators. What the Isles don't have is goaltending, Garth Snow's "legal" pads notwithstanding.

The Isles are strong up the middle with Alexi Yashin, Mike Pecca, and Dave Scatchard. They also have arguably the best front four defensemen in the NHL with Roman Hamrlik, Adrian Aucoin, Kenny Jonsson, and Janne Niinimaa. If the Isles had finished on a roll I might be tempted to talk upset, but New York backed into the playoffs and seem to be in something of a state of disarray. I think they will get it going for the playoffs, but it won't be enough.

Key Player: Alexi Yashin -- The temptation here is to say Mike Pecca or Garth Snow, but Pecca doesn't have the one marquee guy to key on against Ottawa, and Snow simply isn't good enough to steal this series. So, the Isles must have Alexi Yashin at top form. Problem is Alexi has come off arguably his worst regular season (despite finishing hot) and has never been a post-season presence. Without him though the Isles can crash and bang all day, but it won't matter without goals from this former Sen.

X-Factor: Arron Asham -- Exactly the kind of guy Ottawa has had problem with in the past. He hits everything; wins battles along the boards, and this year Asham displayed a nose for the net with 15 goals. In the playoffs there is always one guy who completely overachieves. Asham could be that guy, and if he is, it opens up the questions about Ottawa's team toughness all over again.

Prediction: Ottawa is better in almost every facet, and probably a pick-em on the blue line overall - Sens in 6.

New Jersey Devils vs. Boston Bruins

The second match-up in the East where the top seed has drawn a squad that seems to possess the key to defeating them.

The Devils seem to either threaten to win it all, or flame out early, either missing the playoffs altogether (as they did after beating the Wings for the Cup in '95), or losing to an underdog in the first round, as they did last year vs. the Canes and in '98 against Ottawa. This year the Devils take their suffocating defense against the #2 scoring team in the conference. New Jersey is still a team of speed and size, and players like Colin White are happily revisiting the era of airtight Devils checking.

Up front though, problems loom. The Devils have only three twenty-goal scorers; the Bruins have three 30-goal scorers. New Jersey didn't have a single player score as many as 60 points -- even the Minnesota Wild pulled that off. Boston has two guys with over 90 points.

The Devils do have Martin Brodeur, who does tend to be less spectacular in the playoffs, but can get the job done quite nicely thank you, and an excellent system.

An interesting note is that Pat Burns, New Jersey's coach has excelled as an underdog - don't bet against Burns using the Devils lack of punch as a selling point. Burns can get New Jersey to buy into the idea that they are the ones with something to prove, and that makes a team dangerous.

Key Player: Patrick Elias -- When the Devils last won a Stanley Cup, Elias, playing alongside Jason Arnott and Petr Sykora dominated. Arnott and Sykora are both long gone, leaving an enormous amount of pressure on the Devils' only true game breaker. If Elias can't score the Devils will be in trouble.

X-Factor: Pascal Rheaume -- Pat Burns has liked using this ex-Atlanta Thrasher as his main checking center, freeing up the more offensively talented John Madden from the role. If Rheaume can effectively limit the Boston first line then the Devils can use Madden to serve as a counter-puncher against the Bruins other lines. If Rheaume can't handle this assignment, the Devils lose offense and they can't afford that.

The Bruins want nothing more than to expunge the bitter taste of last season's upset to Montreal. The problem being they have done little to address the weaknesses that Montreal exploited, goaltending, and a slow defense.

Is Dan McGillis is a legitimate upgrade on Kyle McLaren? It's debatable. The fact that Ian Moran has seen solid ice time as a Bruin points to how thin this defense is. Nick Boynton quieted after a great start, and without him verve the Bruins again struggle with "O" from the "D." That can kill in the post-season when special teams are so important.

In net Jeff Hackett hasn't been the answer that was expected, and is hurt. Meanwhile, Steve Shields does not conjure up visions of parades around the old "Gah-den."

Still, Boston has excellent weapons, and probably has a better group of forwards for the playoffs than they did last season. Mike Knuble in particular could be a problem for the Devils with his two way game.

Key Player: Whoever plays net -- The Bruins will need top notch goaltending, because they are going to face it. Hackett or Shields simply can't allow the Bruins to hem the Devils in, get stoned by Brodeur and then let in a soft one on the ensuing rush.

X-Factor: Sergi Samsonov -- Arguably the most talented player in the series, Samsonov could give a New Jersey blue-line that has some mobility issues (White, Stevens) serious problems. Joe Thornton and Glenn Murray are givens; Samsonov though could score 11 points in 7 games or 2. It has to be the former because the Bruins will not win this series if the scores are 2-1, and 3-2.

Prediction: Devils in 7. New Jersey can't score enough to take advantage of a Bruins defense consistently, but they can to eke out a win.

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins

One of the East's better playoff performers of late takes on a team that has struggled mightily in the post-season. Are the Flyers ready to turn it around?

The talk about Philly has been their hot play coming into the playoffs, especially the newfound offense that saw the Flyers top 200 goals. That coupled with the #1 defense in the NHL (tied with New Jersey) seems to give Philly the total package - especially against a banged up Leafs squad.

Hold on, that Philly streak to end the season is a little misleading. Sure Philly was 9-5-2 in their last 16 and they did score an impressive 51 goals, but the reality is only four of those games were against .500 teams. In those four games the Flyers were 1-2-1. Philly scored 17 goals in four wins over Pittsburgh during that period, a franchise that would have problems winning the Calder Cup, let alone Lord Stanley's Mug.

Philly does have great size, but they also have a host of forwards with little post-season success. Sami Kapenen, Tony Amonte, even Simon Gagne has struggled to distinguish himself, as to a degree, has big Keith Primeau.

On the blue line the Flyers have solid veterans' but lack a PP quarterback, Eric Desjardins is no longer the automatic two way blue liner he once was, and the rest of thee defense, with the exception of Kim Johnsson is not superbly mobile. They aren't snails, but they can be beat to the outside.

Philly though, has a lot going for them, on paper they should score, and in practice they kept the puck out of the net better than anyone. Philly is also getting healthy and they could end up being the most dangerous team in the East.

Key Player: Roman Cechmanek -- Until he proves otherwise Cechmanek is considered the weak link in any run for the cup the Flyers may plan. Making matters worse Roman will have to outplay one of the NHL's best playoff goalies in Ed Belfour.

X-Factor: Michal Handzus -- The huge Flyers pivot is one of the best defensive forwards in the game. He also finished second in Philly in goals with 23. Handzus will be given the task of shutting down Mats Sundin. If Handzus can do this and still produce offensively the Leafs may not have a chance to win this series.

The Maple Leafs just hate doing it the easy way. This year the Leafs started off abysmally then roared back to have a shot at grabbing home ice advantage. Then injuries derailed that hope, and left the team scrambling to be back at full strength for the post-season.

You can say what you will about Toronto. Yes, they whine, yes they play dirty, yes they have shown a disturbing inability to protect leads. However, you also have to give this team credit for being perhaps the most resilient in the NHL. No matter what, the Leafs will not pull the chute. Facing an opponent accused of just that last year in the first round, the Leafs might have a mental edge.

The Leafs also have Ed Belfour, a goaltender who has won 10 games in the post-season four separate times. Toronto boasts an offense lead by two players, in Mats Sundin and Alexander Mogily, who, talent wise, are better than anything the Flyers can send out.

While the back end of the Leafs defense is currently a question mark with injuries to Glen Wesley and a recovering Phil Housley, the top three defenders match up favorably with top three's across the NHL.

There will be no quit in Toronto, and you have to wonder if the Flyers can match that.

Key Player: Ed Belfour -- Because Toronto plays an up-temp style they need Belfour to be at his best, allowing them to take chances in the opponents zone. If Belfour can't keep a revitalized Flyers offense contained Toronto simply can't win.

X-Factor: Nik Antropov -- The giant (6'5, 222lb) Leaf center has magical hands. When paired with Alexander Mogilny, Antropov has shown the ability to torch defenses. The fourth year pro also has a nasty edge as his 124 PM's would attest to. Antropov could be a major thorn for the Flyers on the forecheck as he uses exceptional positioning, combined with seemingly endless arms to knock down clearing attempts, harass puck carriers, and pounce on loose pucks. If Antropov gets going, the Flyers may not have the guns to return fire.

Prediction: Leafs in 6. Cechmanek plus an opportunistic Leafs' offence equals another year of playoff frustration in Pennsylvania.

Tampa Bay Lightening vs. Washington Capitals

The Lightning is making only their second appearance in the post-season in franchise history. Will the Lightning suffer a let down?

Tampa Bay is one of the more intriguing teams in the playoffs. They have exceptional youth leading the charge in Vincent LaCavalier, Brad Richards, Martin St. Louis, Vaclav Prospal, and Fredrik Modin.

The Lightning can pose problems for anyone because of exceptional team speed, a solid forecheck, and the re-emergence of Nikolai Khabibulin. The "Bulin Wall" struggled during the mid portion of the season, but then got hot and went undefeated until the second last game of the season. Khabibulin plays best when he faces plenty of shots and the Caps have to fear his ability.

The Lightning's strong finish came when many pundits had felt that they were going to fade out of contention for a playoff spot. So Tampa went on and won the division largely due to better team defensive play. Pavel Kubina, who at one point was considered a soon to be Norris contender, turned around a year and a half long slide and started to control the Tampa zone again.

Tampa's weaknesses are a thin blue-line core past the top two, a lack of experience, and a team that might struggle to score if LaCavalier is contained. Otherwise there is a lot to like about this very young team.

Key Player: Vincent LaCavalier -- LaCavalier seemed to definitively answer the question of whether he was going to become the next Alexandre Daigle with a resounding "no", posting career highs across the board. He can be, with a blend of speed and size, all but unstoppable. He'll need to adjust to the spotlight of the playoffs quickly or else the Lightning may find their visit to the post-season a short one.

X-Factor: Brad Lukowich -- Tampa's unsung hero on defense, Lukowich will likely be given the task to shut down Jaromir Jagr. He won't do it, but if he can slow Jagr enough so that the "disinterested one" doesn't run away with the series the Lightning's chances markedly improve.

The Washington Capitals are a hard team to like. They have a great deal of talent, but of all the squads to make the playoffs, the Caps are the only that seem to simply not care half the time.

If the Caps play to their potential they could win the East, but they won't. A team doesn't just "turn on the tap" in April. The Caps are going to find that, that extra gear just doesn't appear because you decide it should be.

Skill wise Washington can throw Jaromir Jagr, Petr Bondra, Sergi Gonchar, Robert Lang and Michael Nylander at an opponent and flummox them. However, it is telling when adding Sergi Berezin improves your team toughness (not a knock on Berezin, an under-appreciated forward).

The Caps blue line is nothing special. Gonchar is a stud, but Calle Johansson has aged poorly, and the remaining blue liners fill needs, but not overly impressively.

In net though the Caps have a wild card. Olaf Kolzig can beat any team when he wants to. The problem is, like the rest of "team Prozac", Kolzig is prone to moods that cause his play to drop off perceptibly.

Key Player: Jaromir Jagr -- If he wants to, he can win this series. But, will he want too? I doubt it.

X-Factor: Sergi Berezin -- The much maligned winger came over to Washington and averaged a point a game. Even more impressively, Berezin was a +10 in his nine games in D.C. Berezin is an underrated physical player, solid and compact he is very hard to knock off the puck. When properly motivated he can use his outstanding speed, not just to attack, but also to take away opponent's chances. If Washington coach Bruce Cassidy can use Berezin correctly he could hurt the Tampa Bay attack, which typically relies on the speed game.

Prediction: Lightning in six. I can't back any team that needs to be motivated to bring their "A" game to the playoffs.