at 6 p.m., on both ESPN and ESPN2, the quest for the Lord Stanley's Cup slams into high gear. For 111 years, the magnitude of this event has been building steadily, and this year's NHL playoffs will be the most exciting ever. So, Madison, stock your mini-fridges with Molson Ice, get on the edge of your seats and ready yourself for some old time hockey-playoff style. Here's what you can expect...
While six of the last seven Cups have been won by a team from the Western Conference, this year's Eastern teams are stacked with potential. The President's Trophy, which goes to the team with the best overall record in the NHL, went to the Ottawa Senators, who quietly dominated the league from day one. Look for them to breeze past the Islanders of New York in the first round, before meeting serious competition from the other six teams in the East-No. 2 seed New Jersey, No. 3 Tampa Bay, No. 4 Philadelphia, No.5 Toronto, No. 6 Washington and No. 7 Boston.
The Western bracket is again highlighted by the league's perennial Goliaths-the Dallas Stars, the Detroit Red Wings (the current keepers of Lord Stanley's prize), and the Colorado Avalanche. All three have experienced major changes to their squads since last year, so don't be surprised if four of the other five teams from the West-No. 4 seed Vancouver, No. 5 St. Louis, No. 6 Minnesota and No. 7 Anaheim-provide seven games of excitement. Edmonton, the No. 8 seed, has unimpressively coasted into the postseason and should expect to be sent packing for the golf season in no time.
Now that you know the teams in contention, here are one scribe's five keys to playoff success. They are [listed in order of decreasing importance]: goaltending, heart/motivation, teamwork, experience and coaching.
So, the big question is: Who's got the best combination of these factors?
If for no other reason than the Islanders' weakness in all five categories, Ottawa should have no problem with the disorganized No. 8 seed. The Senators will quickly be worrying about their second-round opponent, who likely will be the high-flying Philadelphia Flyers. Look for the Philly-Toronto series to go seven games, with the motivation of all-stars and friends Jeremy Roenick and Tony Amonte to be the deciding factor against the injury-prone Maple Leafs.
New Jersey has the East's best goaltender in Marty Brodeur, and coupled with their stellar defensive corps led by captain Scott Stevens, the Devils will hold off Boston's goal-scorers Glen Murray and Joe Thornton in a long series. Washington has shown neither the heart nor the teamwork during the regular season that is needed to defeat the favored Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bolts have been solid all year, and have everything but experience working on their side.
In the West, Disney's Mighty Ducks don't have enough magic to make Hockey Town's Red Wings disappear. The Ducks do have a brick wall in goal named Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who will hold off the defending champions for a few games before the Wings' Hall of Fame lineup breaks through to the second round.
Vancouver has a goal-scoring tandem of Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi that will cause nightmares for the Blues' newly acquired netminder Chris Osgood. The Canucks have made the folks in British Columbia proud all year, while the Blues have shaken up their lineup too late in the season with defenseman Chris Pronger's return and Osgood's acquisition.
Finally, Colorado enters the playoffs behind goalie Patrick Roy and his four Cup championships, Peter Forsberg's 02-'03 Art Ross Trophy (to the player who leads the league in points), and Milan Hejduk's '02-'03 Maurice Richard Trophy (to the league's leading goal scorer). All that plus captain Joe Sakic and a slew of other all-stars make the Avs quite intimidating. The Minnesota Wild seem to have no chance in their first postseason, right? Look for the Wild to provide the biggest upset of the first round thanks to their outstanding goaltending (Roloson is 2nd in save percentage), unparalleled motivation, the league's most balanced roster and the best coach in Jacques Lemaire.
The Stanley Cup Finals will see New Jersey pitted against Minnesota. After a hard-fought seven-game series, the Wild will prevail, giving them the sole right to take Jell-O shots from the Stanley Cup. You think I'm crazy? You think I've already cracked open too many Molsons? Only time will tell. Tune in tonight, Madison, the playoffs are starting!
