Inside The Penalty Box 04.09.08: 2008 NHL Postseason – Conference Quarterfinals

Posted by Neil Borenstein on 04.09.2008

The playoffs are finally here and we’re set to drop the puck on the first round later on tonight. Naturally, this edition ofInside The Penalty Box is dedicated to taking a look at all the first round matchups and Neil Borenstein’s predictions. Does he have any upsets? Read on to find out!

2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs

he National Hockey League's 2007-08 regular season has reached its conclusions and we're all set for the start of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday, April 9. It may have come down to the wire for these series to be set, but this year's postseason offers a lot of exciting action. Too bad nobody is going to watch because they still can't find Versus. But I'm ready for the puck to drop.

This week's Inside The Penalty Box is naturally dedicated to previewing the playoffs ahead. I'll break down each series and predict a winner to move on to the Conference Semifinals. So, without any further adieu, lets get to it.

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

1. Montreal Canadiens vs. 8. Boston Bruins

	1. Montreal Canadiens	8. Boston Bruins
Regular Season Record (points)	47-25-10 (104 points)	41-29-12 (94 points)
Regular Season Series Wins	8	0
Goals For (NHL Rank)	257 (2nd)	206 (24th)
Goals Against (NHL Rank)	216 (12th)	215 (11th)
Power Play (NHL Rank)	24.2 percent (1st)	17.6 percent (16th)
Penalty Kill (NHL Rank)	82.5 percent (15th)	78.6 percent (28th)
Leading Scorer	Alexei Kovalev - 84 points	Marc Savard - 78 points
No. 1 Goaltender (Record/GAA/SV%/SO)	Carey Price (24-12-3/2.56/.920/3)	Tim Thomas (28-19-6/2.44/.921/3)
Home Record vs. Away Record	22-13-6 vs. 25-12-4	21-16-4 vs. 20-13-8

The Boston Bruins would have loved a different first round matchup than what they're getting with the top seeded Montreal Canadiens. And all the odds are certainly against them. But call me crazy, and I know you will, but I think the Bruins have more than a fighting chance at pulling off the first round upset.

Granted, the deck is stacked against them. They lost all eight games during the regular season to the Habs, and were outscored 38-16 in the process. Delve into the postseason history between these two teams, and you'll see that the Canadiens own a 23-7 lifetime record against the Bruins when they square off in the playoffs. Add to this the fact that the Canadiens have the league's second best offense, a hot rookie goaltender and one of the best power plays in the NHL, and you'd have to be insane to think the Bruins stand a shot at advancing.
But alas, I was never known too much for my sanity. And I think there are some key ingredients in the Bruins' fold that will have them moving on to the second round.

That first ingredient is Tim Thomas. I've said it before and I won't hesitate to say it again – Thomas is one of the most underrated goaltenders in the league. It took him years to get his NHL career off the ground. But he has definitely made his mark. And with 28 wins over 57 games played and a 2.44 goals against average and .921 save percentage to his repertoire this year, I think he has more than enough ability to be a game changer for Boston. And sometimes, all it takes is a hot goaltender to steal a series.

The Canadiens have some rich talent between their pipes, as well. Price has taken the starting role in Montreal and thrived with it. But playing well during the regular season and standing on your head during the playoffs are two entirely different monsters. While Thomas is for all intents and purposes a veteran of this game, Price is getting his first real taste of high-pressure NHL hockey at a young age (20). Those are some high expectations and he could very well fall flat on his face. It happened to Henrik Lundqvist in 2006. It happened to Marc-Andre Fleury last year – albeit he had no defense in front of him to begin with.

In a battle of Price vs. Thomas, I'm take the latter this year. Next year, it'll probably be a different story. But I'll take the man with the "B" on his chest this go around.

The Bruins also have one of their top playmakers potentially returning for this series. Patrice Bergeron was rocked silly by Philadelphia's Randy Jones on October 27. He only played 10 games during the regular season and is lucky to be returning to the ice after such a career-threatening incident. He's been cleared to go for the playoffs now, and even if he doesn't jump right in on Thursday, I see no reason why he'd be held out beyond one game.

With Marc Savard on the shelf, the addition of one of Boston's top playmakers really helps. It's not the same as having both centers in the lineup. But one is better than none and that's going to help the Bruins in the scoring department significantly. If Savard can return at some point in the series, which it seems he might be able to do, the Bruins become even more dangerous.

Outside of goaltending, these teams match up pretty well defensively. The Bruins have given up only one fewer goal this season. The Canadiens might have some more depth on D, but Boston has Zdeno Chara, and he's been a key reason why the Bruins have even made the playoffs in the first place.

I know it's a bold pick, but somebody has to make it. Montreal's unexpected run comes to an end in the first round.

Winner: Boston Bruins in seven games

2. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 7. Ottawa Senators

	2. Pittsburgh Penguins	7. Ottawa Senators
Regular Season Record (points)	47-26-8 (102 points)	43-31-8 (94 points)
Regular Season Series Wins	1	3
Goals For (NHL Rank)	240 (7th)	258 (1st)
Goals Against (NHL Rank)	212 (10th)	242 (24th)
Power Play (NHL Rank)	20.8 percent (3rd)	18.3 (13th)
Penalty Kill (NHL Rank)	80.7 (t-23rd)	81.1 (22nd)
Leading Scorer	Evgeni Malkin - 106 points	Jason Spezza - 92 points
No. 1 Goaltender (Record/GAA/SV%/SO)	Marc-Andre Fleury (19-9-2/2.37/.920/4)	Martin Gerber (30-18-4/2.72/.910/2)
Home Record vs. Away Record	26-10-5 vs. 21-17-3	22-15-4 vs. 21-16-4

By falling into second place, the Pittsburgh Penguins have been rewarded with a first round opponent that disposed of them rather easily during the Conference Quarterfinals last season – the Ottawa Senators.

In five games last season, the Senators washed out the Penguins surprise run toward a playoff seed and exposed them for having little defense to speak of. That's a somewhat crucial element come playoff time.

It's one year later and the Penguins haven't vastly improved on the defensive side of the puck. But they have added some key pieces that will help. More importantly, they have improved goaltending that doesn't appear to be as wishy-washy as it was last year.

It does appear that the Penguins' chances for revenge are looking pretty sweet right now.

And it's not just because the Penguins offer a slightly better defense and have Marc-Andre Fleury playing consistent, top-notch goaltending. The Senators have been a mess since the New Year, winning only 18 of 44 games and only three of their final 10. That's a rather embarrassing stat, especially after beginning the 2007-08 season with a 15-2 record.

The Senators have a high-octane offense that ranked first in the league for the regular season. But Ottawa will suffer without its captain, Daniel Alfredsson, who is out for an unspecified amount of time with an upper-body injury. The Penguins have a lot of weapons that can go tit-for-tat with Ottawa even with Alfredsson in the lineup. Without him, the Penguins possess a much more imposing group of scorers.

Defensively, the Senators have not had a good campaign, and even rank lower than the Penguins this year. As stated previously, the Penguins haven't greatly improved, but the offseason addition of Darryl Sydor and trade deadline pickup of Hal Gill is going to help. Add a much better looking Fleury against the crap-tastic duo of Martin Gerber and Ray Emery, and I have to give the overall defensive edge to the Penguins, as well.

A lot of Ottawa's problems are internal. They had to fire their head coach mid-stream. And they could never really be cohesive in their goaltending decisions. And I think internal conflicts have really hurt the Senators during the second half. It's too late to pick it up now, as they face a much more challenging group of Pens than they faced last year. It's rare to get these opportunities, but Pittsburgh was handed a perfect change to avenge their elimination from last year.

Winner: Pittsburgh Penguins in five games

3. Washington Capitals vs. 6. Philadelphia Flyers

	3. Washington Capitals	6. Philadelphia Flyers
Regular Season Record (points)	43-31-8 (94 points)	42-29-11 (95 points)
Regular Season Series Wins	2	2
Goals For (NHL Rank)	238 (8th)	245 (6th)
Goals Against (NHL Rank)	227 (t-10th)	227 (t-10th)
Power Play (NHL Rank)	19 percent (7th)	21.8 (2nd)
Penalty Kill (NHL Rank)	80.5 (25th)	83.2 (t-10th)
Leading Scorer	Alexander Ovechkin - 112 points	Mike Richards - 75 points
No. 1 Goaltender (Record/GAA/SV%/SO)	Cristobal Huet (32-14-6/2.32/.920/4)	Martin Biron (30-20-9/2.59/.918/5)
Home Record vs. Away Record	23-15-3 vs. 20-16-5	21-14-6 vs. 21-15-5

Of all the first round opponents the Philadelphia Flyers could have drawn, they have to be happy they landed the Washington Capitals. That doesn't mean the Flyers are going to necessarily beat Washington. But, outside of Boston, Washington is probably the only team Philadelphia could put up a fight against since they actually match up pretty well.

This series really comes down to two things. Can the Flyers shut down Alexander Ovechkin? And can Martin Biron play consistently enough in net to at least match what Cristobal Huet is doing on the other end of the ice? If those two factors come to fruition, there is actually a chance the Flyers could end up in the second round.

Let's be honest. The Capitals go where Ovechkin goes. I know, I know. There are other gifted offensive players in Washington. Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin, Viktor Kozlov and Mike Green are just a few of them. But this team is in the playoffs because of Ovechkin and it's going to be his scoring that advances them wherever they go. If he's taken out of the game, the Capitals are not going to compensate for his absent offense. And the Flyers need to focus on limiting Ovechkin as best they can. Otherwise, Washington is going to rack up points left and right on Philadelphia.

These teams match up well defensively, both giving up 227 goals during the regular season. The one difference is between the pipes, where Huet has been an absolute stud for Washington since being acquired at the trade deadline. Meanwhile, Biron has his flashes of brilliance but is otherwise inconsistent for Philly. Some goalies are able to find strides out of nowhere in the playoffs. And while I'm confident Huet will have no problem playing top-notch hockey in net, Biron is going to need to get hot and stay there in order for the defensive battle to favor Philly or stay even.

If this series becomes a special teams battle, Philadelphia gets the advantage. The Flyers were second during the regular season on the man advantage and were 10th in penalty killing. The Capitals were pretty good on the power play, as well, but were not so hot a man short.

I have to admit, this series is a tough one to predict. It shouldn't be that hard because just seeing the name "Ovechkin" should automatically give the series to Washington. But I think the Flyers are going to be able to limit Ovechkin's chances of making too big an impact. And while I don't think Biron will play as well as Huet, I think he'll do a good enough job combining with the defense in front of him to give the Flyers a chance in every game. I'm not overly confident with this pick, but I like Philly in this one.

Winner: Philadelphia Flyers in six games

4. New Jersey Devils vs. 5. New York Rangers

	4. New Jersey Devils	5. New York Rangers
Regular Season Record (points)	46-29-7 (99 points)	42-27-13 (97 points)
Regular Season Series Wins	1	7
Goals For (NHL Rank)	198 (27th)	205 (25th)
Goals Against (NHL Rank)	193 (t-5th)	190 (t-4th)
Power Play (NHL Rank)	15.6 percent (25th)	16.5 (t-22nd)
Penalty Kill (NHL Rank)	82.8 (13th)	84.5 (6th)
Leading Scorer	Zach Parise - 65 points	Jaromir Jagr - 71 points
No. 1 Goaltender Record/GAA/SV%/SO)	Martin Brodeur (44-27-6/2.17/.920/4)	Henrik Lundqvist (37-24-10/2.23/.912/10)
Home Record vs. Away Record	25-14-2 vs. 21-15-5	25-13-3 vs. 17-14-10

The New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils series is going to be the most intriguing matchup of the first round. Not only do these teams have as intense a rivalry as the NHL has to offer. Not only do they have a playoff history that favors the Rangers in wins but has most recently gone to New Jersey. And not only do these teams have players that really hate each and always play some of the most intense games seen throughout the league. But this series, for all intents and purposes, began on Sunday afternoon.

In a matinee at the Prudential Center, the Rangers and Devils took the ice for their final games of the regular season. On the line was home-ice advantage in this series, as they knew by then that they would face each other in the first round. All the Devils needed to do was grab a point, which means they only had to take it to overtime. They did just that despite surrendering a two-goal lead, and then went on to beat the Rangers in a shootout to avoid a season series sweep. The game was like most Rangers vs. Devils games – tight and comes down to the wire, usually requiring overtime. Things got chippy and pretty physical, which will undoubtedly carry over into the playoffs. And, as usual, the goaltending battle was pretty insane, with both Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist making crucial, and somewhat ridiculous, saves to keep their teams in it. If that was the only game you saw between the two clubs all season, it's all you needed to comprehend just how crazy this series is going to be starting Wednesday night.

Both clubs rank pretty low on offensive, but the Rangers have a lot more weapons. Two years ago, the Devils were able to sweep the Rangers because they took Jaromir Jagr out of the series. But this year's Rangers are not like the 2006 version. You can take Jagr out of the game. But you're not going to find the same success with Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, Brendan Shanahan, Sean Avery, Brandon Dubinsky, Martin Straka, Ryan Callahan and Nigel Dawes. There are too many dangerous scorers to look out for, which includes players capable of leading and coming up in the clutch.

New Jersey isn't without its talent, as Zach Parise, Patrick Elias, Brian Gionta and John Madden are some pretty dangerous scorers. But the overall offense just isn't as imposing as the Rangers'. New Jersey needs to worry about every single player stepping onto the ice for New York. The Rangers, while they can't completely sleep on anybody, can relax a bit when those four players, and perhaps Jamie Langenbrunner, aren't on the ice.

Defensively, the two teams are actually really even. The Rangers have allowed three fewer goals during the regular season, but they both rank within the top five of the league. A lot of that has to do with goaltending, in which both netminders find great success against the respective opposition. If we're strictly talking about defense, the Devils will get the edge.

But if you want to tag on goaltending, I'm going to take Henrik Lundqvist over Martin Brodeur. While Brodeur has found great success against the Rangers in his own stats this season, Lundqvist has been even better against the Devils. And if you watch the games, Lundqvist comes up with more game-changing saves than Brodeur does. It might be because he's forced to, which is a testament to the Devils playing better D. But even in the final game of the season, Lundqvist made some pretty spectacular saves, specifically against Parise. In eight games, Lundqvist allowed only nine goals (1.09 GAA) and made 196 saves off 205 shots (.956 SV%). He also added two shutouts for good measure.

Yes, this is the playoffs. And Brodeur has been through this game much more than Lundqvist has. But Lundqvist has grown quite a bit since the rookie season in which he played poorly down the stretch and got wrecked by New Jersey in the playoffs. He's in the elite and is playing like it, all the way to the last game. Brodeur will play a crucial role for New Jersey, as he always does. But with more offensive weapons, an at least comparable defense and goaltending that knows how to beat the Devils, I've got to take New York in this one.

Winner: New York Rangers in six games

Western Conference Quarterfinals

1. Detroit Red Wings vs. 8. Nashville Predators

	1. Detroit Red Wings	8. Nashville Predators
Regular Season Record (points)	54-21-7 (115 points)	41-32-9 (91 points)
Regular Season Series Wins	5	3
Goals For (NHL Rank)	252 (3rd)	227 (12th)
Goals Against (NHL Rank)	179 (1st)	224 (t-15th)
Power Play (NHL Rank)	20.7 percent (3rd)	14.8 percent (27th)
Penalty Kill (NHL Rank)	84.0 percent (8th)	85.4 percent (3rd)
Leading Scorer	Pavel Datsyuk - 97 points	Jason Arnott - 72 points
No. 1 Goaltender (Record/GAA/SV%/SO)	Dominik Hasek (27-10-3/2.14/.902/5)	Dan Ellis (23-10-3/2.34/.924/6)
Home Record vs. Away Record	29-9-3 vs. 25-12-4	23-14-4 vs. 18-18-5

The best team in the entire NHL, at least based on points, faces a team that shouldn't have even made the playoffs based on their offseason fire sale. The Detroit Red Wings take their President's Trophy and history for bowing of the playoffs in the first round and put it up against another team susceptible of early playoff exits – the Nashville Predators.

The Red Wings have one thing working against them. Based on their playoff history since 2000, they are right on par to suffer another upset loss in the first round. Here how this decade has worked out for the Red Wings:

Year [seed] – result team [seed] (series)
2000 [4] – advanced past Los Angeles [5] (4-0)
2001 [2] – eliminated by Los Angeles [7] (4-2)
2002 [1] – advanced past Vancouver [8] (4-2)
2003 [2] – eliminated by Anaheim [7] (4-0)
2004 [1] – advanced past Nashville [8] (4-2)
2006 [1] – eliminated by Edmonton Oilers [8] (4-2)
2007 [1] – advanced past Calgary Flames [8] (4-2)

I tend to hate looks at stats and trends like this. But you have to admit, it does leave open the possibility the Red Wings might just flake out again.

Aside from this one point, though, it seems highly unlikely the Predators are going to get past the first round. They, too, aren't a very good first round team. In fact, the only three years they've seen postseason action, they've had their runs end in the Conference Quarterfinals. In 2004, the lost to the Red Wings (4-2). In 2006 and 2007, the San Jose Sharks called an end to Nashville's playoff run (4-1 both years).

With an 0-3 record in playoff series, and a matchup against the President's Trophy winners set to begin on Thursday, I doubt this is Nashville's year to break through.

A big reason for that is goaltending. There's little doubt that Dan Ellis is Nashville's goaltender of the future, at least on an immediate basis. Chris Mason has basically flopped in the No. 1 role while Ellis has thrived. But he only played in 44 regular season games this year and isn't nearly ready enough to play a team like the Red Wings in the high-pressure playoffs.

Ellis will not be able to go save for save with the likes of either Chris Osgood or Dominik Hasek. Apparently, Hasek is starting the series in between the pipes for Detroit. It's a move I really don't get because Osgood played the better season. But either netminder is capable of outshining Ellis. Even if head coach Barry Trotz switches his goalies and plays Mason, Hasek or Osgood can outplay him, as well. So either way Detroit goes, they're going to have better goaltending.

Added with the league top ranked defense, they should have very little trouble stopping the Predator's offense.

For the Predators, Ellis mixed with a mid-ranked regular season defense leaves them very susceptible to being dominated by the league third best offense in Detroit. Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk alone are going to give Nashville a ton of trouble.

This might be the year the Red Wings are supposed to drop out of the playoffs early. But this is the year they're going to break this decade's trend and take out a team they should have very little problem moving past.

Winner: Detroit Red Wings in four games

2. San Jose Sharks vs. 7. Calgary Flames

	2. San Jose Sharks	7. Calgary Flames
Regular Season Record (points)	49-23-10 (108 points)	42-30-10 (94 points)
Regular Season Series Wins	1	3
Goals For (NHL Rank)	216 (19th)	224 (t-13th)
Goals Against (NHL Rank)	187 (3rd)	224 (t-15th)
Power Play (NHL Rank)	18.8 percent (t-8th)	16.8 percent (19th)
Penalty Kill (NHL Rank)	85.8 percent (1st)	81.4 percent (t-10th)
Leading Scorer	Joe Thornton - 96 points	Jarome Iginla - 98 points
No. 1 Goaltender (Record/GAA/SV%/SO)	Evgeni Nabokov (46-21-8/2.14/.910/6)	Miikka Kiprusoff(39-26-10/2.69/.906/2)
Home Record vs. Away Record	22-13-6 vs. 27-10-4	21-11-9 vs. 21-19-1

The San Jose Sharks vs. Calgary Flames series appears to be one of the more intriguing series in the Western Conference. Either team can realistically win. What it comes down to is two things – will Miikka Kiprusoff and San Jose's scorers erase the regular season and show up for the playoffs, and will we see a lot of special teams play?

Evgeni Nabokov had a Vezina-type season with a league-leading 46 wins in 77 games played. Kiprusoff, on the other hand, had a down year based on his standards. For the first time since becoming a full-time starter in 2005-06, the Kipper failed to reach 40 wins (39). He also didn't post his first of only two shutouts since late February. If the two netminders continue to play as they have in the regular season, Nabokov will outshine the former-Shark. But if Kiprusoff can pick up his play in the postseason, I think he has more big game ability than Nabokov.

Now, the X-Factor to this equation comes in the form of Curtis Joseph. This probably won't happen. But if Kiprusoff stumbles in the first few games of the series and seems to be off his game, the Flames could always toss Joseph in between the pipes. Joseph has plenty of playoff experience, and clutch experience at that.

The other part of that first question mark is the Sharks' offense, which has struggled greatly this year. Namely, Jonathan Cheechoo and Patrick Marleau turned out to be big disappointments this year. Cheechoo only scored 23 goals and Marleau was about 30 points off what he should be with 48. Joe Thornton didn't even reach 100 points (96) and Milan Michalek had 11 fewer points this year than he did in 2006-07. Jeremy Roenick was a decent surprise with 33 points. But he's about the only player that exceeded expectations. Nobody else really met theirs. And unless the postseason smacks these guys in the face and forces them to play as they should, the Sharks will struggle with putting pucks in the net.

Contrarily, the Flames' depth on offense is actually producing. Jarome Iginla posted a 50-goal season, and he's been receiving great backup from Kristian Huselius, Daymond Langkow, Alex Tanguay and even defenseman Dion Phaneuf. Hell, for as much as Roenick has added some good compliment scoring, veteran Owen Nolan's 32 points and 16 goals hasn't been too shabby.

Defensively, both teams have their strengths. I think the Sharks have more depth, with Brian Campbell leading the charge. Craig Rivet and Kyle McLaren are solid defensemen behind him. Both those latter two players need to be healthy and completely on their game to be effective. Otherwise, the Phaneuf and Robyn Regehr-led Calgary defense is going to have the advantage.

If this series sees a lot of special teams play, the Sharks will have a shot at evening things up here. So far, I'm really favoring Calgary. But the league best penalty kill and eighth ranked power play resides in San Jose. The Flames are not nearly as good in either situation.

In the end, I think we have a lot of underachievement in this series from the regular season that will need to step up and react to the new postseason session of hockey. I'm much more confident that Kiprusoff will be able to play well in the playoffs than the Sharks being able to get all of their scorers on track. If the Flames can avoid the box and not waste all of their man advantage opportunities, this series will head in Calgary's direction.

Winner: Calgary Flames in six games

3. Minnesota Wild vs. 6. Colorado Avalanche

	3. Minnesota Wild	6. Colorado Avalanche
Regular Season Record (points)	44-28-10 (98 points)	44-31-7 (95 points)
Regular Season Series Wins	5	3
Goals For (NHL Rank)	220 (t-18th)	224 (15th)
Goals Against (NHL Rank)	210 (t-8th)	216 (t-12th)
Power Play (NHL Rank)	18.9 percent (7th)	14.5 percent (28th)
Penalty Kill (NHL Rank)	85.2 percent (4th)	81.4 percent (t-20th)
Leading Scorer	Marian Gaborik - 83 points	Paul Stastny - 71 points
No. 1 Goaltender (Record/GAA/SV%/SO)	Niklas Backstrom (33-13-8/2.31/.920/4)	Jose Theodore (28-21-13/2.44/.910/3)
Home Record vs. Away Record	25-11-5 vs. 19-17-5	27-12-2 vs. 17-19-5

The Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche battle in a series between Northeast Division rivals. The Avalanche moved to sixth place in the final day of the regular season, locking up this matchup that should be really entertaining to watch.

This is hard to predict because the teams are really close in everything other than special teams play. The Avalanche have scored four more goals than the Wild. The Wild have allowed six fewer goals than the Avalanche. There's a lot of depth on offense for both teams. There's a lot of defensive depth for both teams, as well. The Avs have a resurging netminder that's playing for a contract and has an adequate backup behind him. The Wild have a No. 1 starter who's played slightly better and also has an adequate backup behind him. Again, the only area of the game that Minnesota outshines Colorado is on the power play, where the Wild rank seventh in the NHL, and on the penalty kill, where the Wild are fourth.

The Avalanche are very rich in talent. And what's important is that they're getting healthy. Several key players had to miss time due to injury. And only Marek Svatos is a significant goal scoring loss for the postseason. With guys like Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Milan Hejduk, Paul Stastny, Andrew Brunette and Ryan Smyth leading the way on offense, that's a pretty rough group to handle. Not only are these supreme scoring machines, but they are also great leaders. And some of them are even highly proficient in a two-way style of play.

Minnesota has some great scorers in its own right. Marian Gaborik is a machine who's got the backup of players like Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Brian Rolston, Pavol Demitra, Brent Burns and Mikko Koivu. But I think on the whole, the Avs are more experienced and versatile in the forwards offered.

Prior to the trade deadline, I would have said that the Wild had an obnoxiously better defense than the Avalanche. But the additions of Adam Foote and Ruslan Salei help a lot to somewhat level the playing field against the defensive-oriented system that coach Jacques Lemaire teaches his Wild players. On the whole, the Wild will still present a better defensive showing. But the Avs really don't follow too far behind with the players they brought in at the deadline.

That brings us to the last line of defense, Jose Theodore vs. Niklas Backstrom. This one is tough, because I don't think it's a guarantee Theodore won't flake out, and I don't think Peter Budaj is having a good enough year to fill in. Granted, Backstrom doesn't have a great deal of experience. But I think his system will alleviate a lot more pressure than the Avs will on Theodore.

If special teams play becomes an issue, it's going to work in favor of the Wild. They have a top-five penalty kill and top-10 power play. The Avalanche need to stay out of the box and really capitalize on their 5-on-5 opportunities.

This should be a close battle and I'm a little reluctant to go with this pick because of goaltending. But, the Avalanche finished with only two fewer points, have a more versatile offense and comparable defense with their deadline additions. They're moving on.

Winner: Colorado Avalanche in seven games

4. Anaheim Ducks vs. 5. Dallas Stars

	4. Anaheim Ducks	5. Dallas Stars
Regular Season Record (points)	47-27-8 (102 points)	45-30-7 (97 points)
Regular Season Series Wins	3	5
Goals For (NHL Rank)	197 (28th)	237 (9th)
Goals Against (NHL Rank)	184 (2nd)	204 (6th)
Power Play (NHL Rank)	16.6 percent (t-20th)	18.1 percent (13th)
Penalty Kill (NHL Rank)	83.1 percent (12th)	85.5 percent (2nd)
Leading Scorer	Ryan Getzlaf - 82 points	Mike Ribeiro - 83 points
No. 1 Goaltender (Record/GAA/SV%/SO)	Jean-Sebastien Giguere (35-17-6/2.12/.922/4)	Marty Turco (32-21-6/2.32/.909/3)
Home Record vs. Away Record	28-9-4 vs. 19-18-4	23-16-2 vs. 22-14-5

The Anaheim Ducks look to defend their 2007 Stanley Cup Championship, and they're going to start against the Dallas Stars. A strong divisional battle out of the Pacific, look for Dallas to provide tough competition for the Ducks.

The biggest factor to look out for in this series is goaltending. Marty Turco never really solidified himself as a playoff-capable netminder until last year, where he tremendous against the Vancouver Canucks. Can Turco keep is going this year against the defending champs?

What will help Turco is the fact that the Ducks scored the third lowest amount of goals during the regular season (197). I'm not sure a lot should be read into that, because you have to consider the fact that Teemu Selanne signed onto this team very late into the year, and Andy McDonald was dealt to St. Louis for a Doug Weight that wasn't going to put up the same amount of points. Regardless, Turco has played very well against the Ducks this season, posting four wins with a .922 SV% and 1.85 GAA. He also recorded a shutout. And that's in seven games of play.

On the other end of the ice is Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Giguere is a warrior in the playoffs and he's always a guy to watch out for. He had his troubles last year, but inevitably re-gained the job and backstopped the Ducks to a Cup. He faced the ninth best offense in he NHL, and it's going to be tough to stop players like Mike Ribeiro, Brad Richards, Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen. But, Giguere has been to this dance many times and should be able to go toe-to-toe with Turco.

The guys in front of Giguere are a bit more imposing, as well. Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer, Mathieu Schneider, Francois Beauchemin, Kent Huskins and Sean O'Donnell form one of the best all-around defensive combinations in the NHL. You get you defensive zone awareness, physicality and offensive upside all in one position. They're very dangerous and very beneficial for the man in net.

Dallas' defenders aren't as thrilling, especially since Sergei Zubov is expected to miss at least a few games of the first round, if not the whole thing, due to injury. But Dallas' defense was sixth in the league during the regular season and Philippe Boucher is back in the fold. They're really going to need to pressure the Ducks' forwards in every single game.

A big reason for that is because I'm not sure Turco is going to be able to bring it like he did last year. And to compensate, his defenders are going to need to help a lot. Considering the versatility of the Ducks' game, I'm not sure how well this team is going to fare against them. In the end, I think the Ducks really have too much for Dallas to handle in this series.

Winner: Anaheim Ducks in five games

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There we have it folks – the Conference Quarterfinals right before they begin later tonight. Ejoy the preview and picks, and I'm sure I'll be hearing from many of you about how much of an idiot I am.

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Until next week, you have just been Inside The Penalty Box!

~ Neil Borenstein