fipril 9, 2003 Sports the other press Jordan Cripps Sports Editor Well, now that the NHL regular season is almost (I’m writing this on Saturday) finished, it seems like this would be a good time to look at some of the first round series. The Eastern Conference has settled out and the playoff match-ups are all decided. This isn’t quite true for the Western Conference as Vancouver and Colorado are still duelling for home ice during the first round. Eastern Conference: Ottawa (1) vs. New York Islanders (8) This series shouldn't be close. The Senators are too strong offensively, defensively, and in goal. One interesting aspect to this is that Alexei Yashin will be back in the nation’s capital for the first time in a really meaningful game. How will the fans react? Given his previous play- off performances, the taunting from the Senators’ fans will continue to grow as he struggles against the tight- checking only seen in playoff games. The only chance that the Islanders have is if their defense corps are able to shut down Marian Hossa, Martin Havlat, Daniel Alfredsson, Todd White, Radek Bonk, Jason Spezza etc. Given this depth, there isn’t much chance of all these players being held off the score sheet. Prediction: Senators in four. DD New Jersey (2) vs. Boston (7) I hope they don’t show this series on TV. I’m hoping Boston pulls off the upset so that there is the possibility of some of the later series being exciting. Unfortunately, this probably won't happen. New Jersey will lull the Bruins (and anyone unfortunate enough to be watching the game) into a state of unconsciousness, and then cap- italize on this opportunity. On paper, the Bruins should be able to outscore the Devils. The Bruins leading scorer, Joe Thornton (101), had nearly double the points of New Jersey's leading scorer, Patrick Elias (56). If Elias played for the Bruins, he would only rank fifth in scoring. Unfortunately, offense alone doesn’t win championships. Defensively, the Bruins leave a lot to be desired, as they're working a few young players into the line-up alongside their veterans. Goaltending will be the Bruin’s downfall, though. Jeff Hackett and Steve Shields won't match Martin Brodeur and this will cost the Bruins. Prediction: New Jersey in five. Tampa Bay (3) vs. Washington (6) The only reason that Tampa Bay is the third-ranked team in the East is because they're in the weakest division in the entire NHL, the Southeast (I really mist the Smythe, Norris, Adams, and Patrick Divisions). Washington also happens to be in this division. So, I guess when it comes right down to it, Tampa Bay is better than Washington and should take the series. On paper, that is. As you might be able to tell, I don’t much care which team wins this series since neither team will be around past the sec- ond round. Tampa Bay does have some good young tal- ent in Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. They've also got Nikolai Khabibulin, who is capable of winning games by himself. Washington does, of course, have Jaromir Jagr and Peter Bondra to contribute offensively, while Olaf Kolzig is a good goalie in his own right. Neither team has demonstrated an ability to dominate over a number of games so this series could go on for a while. Washington does have that intangible of having http://otherpress.douglas.bc.ca NHL Playoff Predictions been to the Finals a few years ago and Jagr won a few Cups in Pittsburgh. Prediction: Washington in seven. cd Philadelphia (4) vs. Toronto (5) This is, in my opinion, going to be the most intense series of the first round. These teams don't like each other. Remember Tie Domi flailing away at a drunken fan that unexpectedly joined him in the penalty box? Toronto really built up their reputation this year in terms of toughness and outright goonery. Domi, Tucker, Belak, McCabe, Nolan, Roberts, Corson, Antropov... The list of Toronto Maple Leafs players that have an edge goes on and on. In the This could be what gets Toronto into the Stanley Cup Finals, or it could be what sees the Leafs hit- ting the golf course after the first round. The anemic Philadelphia offense has been rejuvenated since the acquisition of Tony Amonte from Phoenix. They've also got a number of players that play a physical game. When it comes right down to it, the only thing that really sepa- rates these two teams is the playoff experience of their goaltenders. Ed Belfour established a new Maple Leafs record for wins in a season while Roman Cechmanek had a 1.83 GAA. Belfour has won a Stanley Cup with Dallas, while Cechmanek has struggled in his post-season expe- riences. Prediction: Toronto in six. Western Conference: Because the Western Conference is, as I write this, not completely decided, I would like to approach these pre- dictions a bit differently. ea Detroit or Dallas (1) vs. Edmonton (8) Regardless of who finishes first, Edmonton is in trouble. If Edmonton had their pick, I’m betting they'd rather face Detroit. The only chance they have to get past the first round is to use their speed to get past the older Detroit players. Dallas is faster than Detroit, younger, and has the best young goalie in the NHL in Marty Turco. Neither match-up is in the Oilers’ favour. In the past, Edmonton has shown an ability to use their grit to get past the Stars. I just don’t see that happening this year. In either series to give the Oilers any chance, Tommy Salo needs to be nearly perfect. If Detroit is Edmonton's first round opponent, Curtis Joseph will take part in a playoff game in Edmonton for the first team since he decided to move to Toronto. It will be interesting to hear the reception from the fans. Predictions: (Detroit vs. Edmonton) Detroit in 5. (Dallas vs. Edmonton) Dallas in four. Detroit or Dallas (2) vs. Minnesota _ or Anaheim (7) This series, regardless of who's in it, will pit a perennial league favourite against a team that is making their first playoff appearance in a long while or, in the case of the Minnesota Wild, the first time in franchise history. Give the Wild a lot of credit for making the playoffs in their third season. Unfortunately, all this earns them is an opportunity to face a Stanley Cup favourite. Realistically, they don’t have much chance against either team. The only thing that the Wild can hope to do is trap the other teams into submission. Given that Marian Gaborik has been in a major slump for the past two months, their offense has pretty much dried up. Prediction (Detroit vs. Minnesota) Detroit in 6. (Dallas vs. Minnesota) Dallas in five. Anaheim also deserves a lot of credit for the vast improve- ment they've made this season. Now, if only theyd change their name and uniforms. They've actually got some depth up front and, with the way Steve Thomas has been playing, could frighten the older Red Wings. Dallas would not be as good a pairing for the Mighty Ducks since they're deeper offensively and better defensively. Prediction (Detroit/Dallas vs. Anaheim) Detroit/Dallas in five. a y Vancouver or Colorado (3) vs. Anaheim » or Minnesota (6) Facing Anaheim or Minnesota is not what Vancouver needs in the first round. Anaheim has had their number recently and Minnesota plays a defensive style of game that has troubled Vancouver on occasion. Vancouver is definitely capable of winning a series against either of these teams and should be considered the favourite but, at the same time, facing Anaheim or Minnesota in a tough first round series could cause them problems later in the playoffs. Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi could make the series a lot easier for the Canucks if they're able to dominate a few games. Prediction (Vancouver vs. Minnesota) Vancouver in 6. (Vancouver vs. Anaheim) Vancouver in five. Colorado matches up against Anaheim and Minnesota better than Vancouver does, simply because they're more experienced in the playoffs. They've learned what it takes to battle through a tough first round series and won't be quite as desperate as Vancouver in the way they approach the series. Minnesota is the one team in these playoffs that I can see surprising a team, whether it’s Vancouver, Colorado, Detroit or Dallas. They've been taught to play such strong defense that they could be considered a real- life example of the adage “defense wins championships.” This doesn’t mean that I’m picking them to win, though. I just recognize that it’s a possibility. Prediction (Colorado vs. Minnesota) Colorado in 5 (Colorado vs. Anaheim) Colorado in four. Colorado/Vancouver (4) vs. St. Louis (5). A few weeks ago I would have said that Vancouver should allow Colorado to move ahead of them in the standings and let them take care of Anaheim or Minnesota. When St. Louis acquired Chris Osgood, though, this changed in a hurry. Osgood hasn't lost to the Canucks in about a decade. This doesn’t bode well for the Canucks. However, during the earlier meetings this season, the Canucks showed that they were definitely able to play with the Blues and even took the season series. There is an inter- esting match up within this series as Chris Pronger has recently returned from injury and is, possibly, the only player in the league that is capable of manhandling Todd Bertuzzi. Prediction: Vancouver in seven. I'd really like to see Colorado face the Blues in the first round. I think the series would be extremely entertaining and it would be one of the best pairings in the entire playoff tree. This series would be a saw-off and would leave the victorious team with very little left in their tank. © page 24