Inside The Penalty Box 10.09.08: 2008-09 NHL Season Predictions – Western Conference

Posted by Neil Borenstein on 10.09.2008

Tonight, the 2008-09 NHL regular season opens in North America and it’s time for another long campaign in search of the next Stanley Cup Champion. In this edition of Inside The Penalty Box, Neil Borenstein closes out his season predictions by looking at the Western Conference and names the 2009 Stanley Cup Champion!

The puck dropped on the 2008-09 regular season for four teams last weekend in two overseas matchups. The New York Rangers took two victories and four points over the new-look Tampa Bay Lightning in Prague, Czech Republic. Meanwhile, in Stockholm, Sweden, the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins split their series with the Penguins taking the first game in overtime and Ottawa winning the second contest in regulation.

For the rest of the league opening their campaigns in North America, the first set of games is set to take place this evening. Four games are scheduled, including Toronto at Detroit, Boston at Colorado, Anaheim at San Jose and Calgary at Vancouver.

Last week, we started the Inside The Penalty Box 2008-09 NHL Season Predictions by taking a look at the Eastern Conference. In this edition, I wrap it up with the Western Conference side of things (Apologies for posting this a day later than I said in last week's column – a combination of work and computer problems prevented me from getting this up yesterday.) First, you'll get division-by-division analysis, followed by final standings and round-by-round playoff predictions. At the end, I'll put my Western Conference Champions up against the Montreal Canadiens, who I figure to come out in the East, and name a Stanley Cup Champion for 2009.

So, once again, sit back, relax and get ready to send in some hate mail because I left your team out of the playoffs in the Inside The Penalty Box 2008-09 NHL Season Predictions: Western Conference!

2008-09 National Hockey League Season Predictions:Western Conference



Central Division
1. Detroit Red Wings
2. Chicago Blackhawks
3. Nashville Predators
4. Columbus Blue Jackets
5. St. Louis Blues

1. Detroit Red Wings: The Central Division looks to be getting slightly better, but the Detroit Red Wings remain leaps and bounds ahead of everybody else. The organization is a constant contender, if not favorite, to win the Stanley Cup and just so happens to be coming off its fourth championship in 11 seasons. Over the offseason, the rich only got richer, as the Red Wings didn't suffer any significant losses but managed to add Marian Hossa and Ty Conklin through free agent acquisition. A team that already possessed incredible depth, Hossa allows Detroit to strive for even more balanced scoring by splitting up Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. Of course, I fully expect those three to play together on the power play with Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski playing the point on the most ridiculous man advantage unit in the league. Conklin replaced Dominik Hasek in the backup role behind Chris Osgood, who should probably see 60-65 games worth of starting action in 2008-09. Otherwise, this team will sport relatively the same lineup that helped lead Detroit to the Stanley Cup last year, which was dominant in all areas of the game. No matter how much better they appear to be getting, the other teams in the division have nothing on Detroit.

2. Chicago Blackhawks: The days of the Chicago Blackhawks being a disappointment both on and off the ice appear to be coming to an end. A team now ready to revolve around surging youngsters Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, the Blackhawks have become more active in trying to become more fan friendly and more competitive on the ice. Not only are they receiving the Winter Classic this year and finally returning to local television so their fans can actually watch the team play, but the number of moves and money spent this summer shows ownership and management is ready to let the organization build toward becoming a contender for the Stanley Cup. Chicago was one of the most active teams this offseason, adding Brian Campbell to a defensive core in need of a good puck-moving blue liner with power play quarterbacking skill and Cristobal Huet to replace the mostly disappointing Nikolai Khabibulin and Patrick Lalime as starter in net. Chicago's problem really lies in the ability of many players to remain healthy and meet their potential. While Toews and Kane should have incredibly successful sophomore campaigns and Patrick Sharp may very well be in line for another 30-goal campaign, the team's forward depth remains in question. Can Dustin Byfuglien improve upon a solid 19-goal, 36-point season? Will Martin Havlat continue to be an injury risk rather than provide the 25-30-goal potential he was able to offer in Ottawa? Is it in the cards for Andrew Ladd to develop into a top six forward as I'm sure the Carolina Hurricanes envisioned him to be when they drafted him fourth overall in 2004? Was it really a smart idea for Chicago to trade Robert Lang to Montreal and allow Jason Williams to walk and sign with Atlanta? The same types of questions are present on defense. While Campbell is going to help immensely in all areas of the game and Duncan Keith is developing into a strong defensive asset, can Cam Barker and Brent Seabrook continue to get better in support of them? In net, things are pretty solid for Chicago, as Huet will get the bulk of the starts, Khabibulin will back him up until he can be moved and Corey Crawford will then step in and be the No. 2. But the rest of the team cannot just rest on the play of their top talent. Young players need to provide support in all areas of the game. If they can, this Chicago team can be very dangerous. Otherwise, it could still come up very short. Since Chicago at least appears better than the rest of the teams in the Central outside of Detroit, the second spot is well within grasp.

3. Nashville Predators: I'm not sure how they do it, but the Nashville Predators manage to surpass expectations despite the numerous distractions and losses that their franchise suffers. A lot has been attributed to the terrific coaching of Barry Trotz, who will need to keep his team focused off outside interference once again considering the loss of Alexander Radulov, who is suspended by the team while his status on leaving for Russia remains up in the air. The loss of Radulov's goal scoring will surely be felt, and the Predators could afford to find some more production at the forward position alongside Jason Arnott, J.P. Dumont, Martin Erat and David Legwand, especially with Steve Sullivan's injuries. But the Predators seem to be developing an improved defensive squad with good protection on the third and fourth lines and a group of young defensemen led by Ryan Suter, Shea Weber and Greg Zannon that is physical, defensively smart and budding offensively. In net, Dan Ellis takes over the starting duties with Chris Mason dealt to St. Louis. He had a great season last year with 23 wins, a 2.34 goals against average, .924 save percentage and six shutouts in just 44 games played (37 started.) Pekka Rinne will back him up, and probably try to outshine Ellis in hopes of causing another change at the No. 1 goaltending position. It's too much change over the last few years that I think will probably cause Nashville to slip a bit this season, especially with Chicago improving over the summer. But the Preds could still be a darkhorse this season with some determination and guidance.

4. Columbus Blue Jackets: The Columbus Blue Jackets are a frustrating team. In their seven years of being an NHL franchise, the Blue Jackets remain the only team unable to make the playoffs. Obviously, general manager Scott Howson wants to get them there and made a hell of an effort to bring some bodies in to help achieve that goal (R.J. Umberger, Kristian Huselius, Raffi Torres, Fedor Tyutin, Christian Backman, Mike Commodore) while removing others that didn't seem to fit (Nikolai Zherdev, Gilbert Brule, Dan Fritche, Ron Hainsey, Dick Tarnstrom.) Defensively, this team looks a lot stronger. Pascal LeClaire is the mainstay in net now that he has a long-term deal and the likes of Tyutin, Backman and Commodore should really help the Blue Jackets in their own zone. I do, however, have offensive concerns for this team that ranked 29th in goals and 26th on the power play last year. Behind Rick Nash, scoring is far from a guarantee. Umberger needs to prove his postseason effectiveness last year with Philadelphia wasn't just a flash in the pan. Huselius needs to become more consistent. And Fredrik Modin, who is returning from playing just 23 games last year, needs to score more toward the 30-goal mark he achieved twice with Tampa Bay rather than the 20-goal area he's been around more often. If those players can step up and youngsters like Jakub Vocarek and Derick Brassard can offer enough depth scoring, then the Blue Jackets will be well off. But if Nash has to go this season with basically all the offensive pressure on his shoulders and Howson doesn't address this team's lack of a power play quarterback, an improved defense will only get the Blue Jackets so far.

5. St. Louis Blues: The St. Louis Blues are a work in progress. An organization in rebuilding mode, the Blues possess a bunch of young talent that will need another year or two to step up and become leaders in St. Louis. That process takes a major hit with defenseman Erik Johnson likely out for the full season thanks to a golf accident. But this should be a year where the likes of Patrick Berglund, David Perron and T.J. Oshie start making their presence known on offense, while Alex Petriangelo works on his defensive game under the guidance of Barrett Jackman, Eric Brewer and Jay McKee. Despite this waiting approach toward the Blues, some good things should come out of St. Louis. While I doubt Brad Boyes will have another 43-goal campaign, he along with Paul Kariya, Keith Tkachuk, Andy McDonald and Lee Stempniak will give St. Louis better overall scoring this year. Chris Mason's addition in net will also serve the Blues well, as he can more than provide adequate backup to Manny Legace, who no longer needs to get gassed from playing more games than he's accustomed to. So, that should provide some gratification for fans, who will just need to give John Davidson and Co. another year or two to really get this team back in contention.

Northwest Division
1. Calgary Flames
2. Edmonton Oilers
3. Colorado Avalanche
4. Vancouver Canucks
5. Minnesota Wild

1. Calgary Flames: The Northwest Division is hard to call every year because it's typically close between all five teams. But this year, it appears to be a two-horse race for the top spot in the division, and I think the Calgary Flames will just narrowly come out on top over the Edmonton Oilers. Calgary may not have the depth Edmonton does, but it has a superior defense and more definitive goaltending. Offensively, the Flames could be deemed suspect. The top line of Jarome Iginla, trade acquisition Mike Camalleri and Daymond Langkow is sure to put up a bulk of the team's scoring. And beyond that top unit, a great deal of secondary scoring is not guaranteed from the likes of Matthew Lombardi, Craig Conroy, Todd Bertuzzi and Rene Bourque. So, to a degree, Calgary is considered by some to be a one line team. But, the Ottawa Senators were also considered a one line time last year, and still managed to lead the league in goals scored thanks to 45 percent of them coming from that top line. And while I'm not comparing an Iginla/Langkow/Cammalleri line to Alfredsson/Spezza/Heatley, I think Calgary has more depth on the second and perhaps third lines than Ottawa did last year. Bertuzzi, Lombardi and Bourque are all capable of scoring 20 or more goals if they remain healthy, while Conroy has 20-goal, 40-assist potential despite not having hit that mark since 2005-06 in Los Angeles. Besides, the Flames will rely more heavily on their defense and goaltending, which is not only significantly better than the Oilers but also generally impressive all around. Dion Phaneuf is as solid an all around defenseman as they come, able to add offensively while remaining sharp in the defensive zone and physical all over the ice. Giving Phaneuf some support offensively from the blue will be Adrian Aucoin and youngster Mark Giordano. Robyn Regehr is the defensive zone leader for the Flames, and he should get some good support from Cory Sarich and Jim Vandermeer in shutting down the opposition. And though he had a down year last season, Miikka Kirpusoff was better in the latter months than earlier on and is still a shoo-in to start over 70 games and win around 40 of them. So, the Flames may not appear to have incredible depth going into the season. But the second and third line forwards should put up respectable numbers while the top line carries the bulk of the offensive duties, and defense and goaltending lead the Flames atop the division standings.

2. Edmonton Oilers: Unlike the Calgary Flames, the first thing that automatically stands out as a strength for the Edmonton Oilers is their incredible depth at the forward position. Ales Hemsky led the team with 51 assists and 71 points last season. Shawn Horcoff missed 29 games but still put up 20 goals and 50 points. Dustin Penner led the Oilers with 23 goals, 13 of which came on the power play. And Erik Cole is coming into his first season with the Oilers scoring more than 20 goals in each of his last three seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes. Beyond them is an emerging "Kid Line" with Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano and Robert Nilsson, who all played a critical role for the Oilers last season and should enjoy further success if kept together for the long haul. While expected to be used more for their defensive prowess, a line of Kyle Brodziak, Fernando Pisani and Ethan Moreau are all capable of posting 10-20 goals. Gilbert Brule, acquired from Columbus in a trade that sent Raffi Torres to the Blue Jackets, was sent down to the minors by Edmonton, but could very well get the call up for fourth line duties later on in the season. There really aren't any superstars on this team – only a team that's capable of being dangerous no matter what unit is on the ice. The problem for Edmonton is on defense. While Sheldon Souray and Lubomir Visnovsky are great offensive commodities that should significantly improve Edmonton's power play, and Tom Gilbert comes in right behind them in that same capacity, the team leaves a lot to be desired in their own zone play. The Oilers ranked 25th in goals against last season, and that's because players they needed to step up defensively like Denis Grebeshkov, Steve Staios and Ladislav Smid didn't. In fact, Grebeshkov led the entire team with a plus-2 rating. I also question Mathieu Garon's ability to take his solid 47-appearance campaign last year and stretch it out over at least a 65-game workload. If he falters, Dwayne Roloson really doesn't have the skill anymore to keep the team afloat. If Edmonton can remain healthy, they certainly have the offensive skill from first line to fourth to keeping opposing teams on their toes all night. It's just going to take better defense and a full season of stellar play from Garon to give the Oilers the edge over Calgary, which I just don't imagine happening.

3. Colorado Avalanche: While the Colorado Avalanche can rejoice in the fact that their captain is returning for his 20th season, they must take a step back and realize there's a reason or two many have them pegged to have a disappointing season. First, the Avalanche's overall health must come into question considering many of the team's most important players missed significant time last year. Joe Sakic, Ryan Smith, Paul Stastny, Marek Svatos, Brett Clark and Jordan Leopold all missed a good number of games last year and that really hindered Colorado's ability to perform as expected going into the season. This year, the team enters the season healthy. But can these players stay that way? Second, and more importantly, when it comes to questioning the Avalanche's ability to succeed this season is goaltending. Simply put, they don't really have any. Peter Budaj and Andrew Raycroft may have been starting netminders at a time. But Budaj is more realistically a backup goalie, while Raycroft is probably better off being sent back down to the minors after having failed to repeat his stellar production from his rookie campaign in Boston during the 2003-04 season. On a positive note, the Avalanche sport a very dangerous group of forwards when healthy and have a versatile defense that is offensively strong with John-Michael Liles and defensively strong led by Adam Foote and Scott Hannan. If the key players can avoid that injury bug, and somebody steps up in net, Colorado should enjoy a great season. Unfortunately, I think they'll encounter just enough hurdles throughout the year to remain in the middle of the pack of this division.

4. Vancouver Canucks: There is a lot of gloom and doom over the Vancouver Canucks this season. Yes, there was certainly a continuation of their offensive struggles last season when they ranked just 23rd in the league in goals scored. Yes, a lot of leadership has been lost with the free agent departures of Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison, in addition to the retirement of Trevor Linden. And yes, even I have stated before that the Canucks will have a rough 2008-09, and I haven't gone completely back on my word by placing them fourth in the division. But Vancouver is not the complete disaster many have pegged them to be. They should still be a low scoring team. But it's not as if Naslund, Morrison and Linden were putting up 50-goal seasons, and the Canucks had – and have added – a lot of good, young depth to their group of forwards this season. The Sedin twins are now the main attraction and should have banner seasons with the motivation of new contracts on the horizon. Offseason addition Pavol Demitra should also figure in heavily to the offense with 15-20-goal and 60-70 point potential still left in the tank. But behind this primary cast of characters are good, young players that won't exactly breakout as monumental scoring threats, but should give the Canucks at least three lines capable of creating chances. Kyle Wellwood, Michel Ouellet, Steve Bernier, Ryan Kelser, Alex Burrows, Mason Raymond and Taylor Pyatt all come with scoring ability. Defensively, the Canucks managed to come out ranked seventh in goals scored despite an injured core of blue liners. Alexander Edler could develop into the top offensive defenseman the Canucks need at the point, especially on the power play. And Shane O'Brien now joins Kevin Bieska and Willie Mitchell in the physical protection of their own zone. Of course, the man in net is the most important for Vancouver. And with "captain" Roberto Luongo in between the pipes, the Canucks can afford a little imperfection, as well. So, while the probability of remaining a low scoring team is high and defense comes off looking just a tad bit thin, the Canucks shouldn't be as bad as many, including myself, have previously made them out to be. On further analysis, while I still seem it low in the standings, I think this team has the tools to be better than it was last year.

5. Minnesota Wild: Defensively, the Minnesota Wild are one of the most sound organizations in the NHL. They ranked within the top ten in goals against and were fourth on the penalty kill. That kind of success shouldn't change very much this season with Brent Burns and Nick Schultz leading the defensive charge and Nicklas Backstrom coming off a very strong campaign in which he won 33 of 57 games played, posted a 2.31 goals against average, .920 save percentage and four shutouts. That's just the nature of the beast with head coach Jacques Lemaire. It's all about defense. But that's also where a problem exists, because the Wild are sorely lacking in the goal scoring department. They lost three of their top four goal scorers over the summer in Brian Rolston, Pavol Demitra and Mark Parrish. That leaves quite a bit of pressure on the shoulders of Marian Gaborik, who is playing for a new contract but is also quite injury prone. He's going to get some support from new linemates Mikko Koivu and Pierre-Marc Bouchard, as well as the returning Andrew Brunnette and Owen Nolan, another free agent addition. But I don't think those players can adequately replace the production lost by the three departing forwards, and that's going to make it difficult for even a great defensive team to keep up in this division.

Pacific Division
1. Dallas Stars
2. San Jose Sharks
3. Anaheim Ducks
4. Phoenix Coyotes
5. Los Angeles Kings

1. Dallas Stars: The Pacific Division seems to be the biggest crapshoot in the league when it comes to selecting the top dog. The Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks are always in the running for it and picking a winner is almost futile. But, I'll do it, because that's the name of the game here. And I think the Stars will land the top spot by season's end. This team has all the potential in the world to be extremely well rounded with plenty of depth. On offense, there are two very dangerous top lines consisting of Brendan Morrow, Mike Riberio and Jere Lehtinen on the top unit and Mike Modano, Brad Richards and Sean Avery on the second. Joel Lundqvist, Steve Ott and Fabian Brunnstrom should factor into third and fourth line duties. On defense, the team has a good blend of players and will get better once Sergei Zubov and Phillippe Boucher are both back in the lineup, which should happen this month. And then there's the man in net, Marty Turco, who is becoming renowned these days for his postseason heroics. The Stars won't be the best at anything, but should rank top 10 in everything this coming season. They have a lot of depth, a good mix of experience and youth, solid leadership and an overall well-rounded roster that can score, defend and agitate with the best of them.

2. San Jose Sharks: The only thing that can hold the San Jose Sharks back this season is the San Jose Sharks. They have all the tools necessary to be one of the most dangerous teams in the entire league. But staying healthy and playing to their ability is an absolute necessity for the Sharks if they hope to contend for the top spot in the Pacific and get over their postseason hump. The Sharks have a deep, well rounded team geared toward its first season under new head coach, and former Detroit assistant, Todd McLellan, who should bring more focus to the team. But it's the players that need to keep themselves going. Joe Thornton has been their catalyst for success since coming to San Jose, but he can't do it alone. The team's other top stars in Jonathan Cheechoo, Patrick Marleau and Milan Michalek must rebound off their disappointing campaigns last season and all play like top line talent. Ryan Clowe, Devin Setoguchi and Joe Pavelski must also continue to improve, as they had fantastic campaigns last year and are well on their way to developing into legitimate top six forwards. The Sharks could also use another clutch campaign from Jeremy Roenick, who will play another year after coming off one that saw 10 of his 14 goals count as game winner. On defense, the Sharks are very versatile. They are led on the offensive side of the blue line by Dan Boyle and Rob Blake, who were both acquired over the summer. Christian Erhoff and Marc-Edouard Vlasic will also add some points, while Brad Lukowich and Douglas Murray will lead the way in front of Evgeni Nabokov in net. Speaking of Nabokov, he should be in line for another 70-plus game, 40-win campaign after the stellar, Vezina-worthy performance he put up last season. This team could very well take the division if they can remain focused and disciplined under McLellan and receive production from those expected to lead the charge.

3. Anaheim Ducks: Defense and goaltending doesn't get much better than what the Anaheim Ducks bring to the table. With Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger leading a blue line that's still extremely deep even despite trading Mathieu Schneider, a great group of checking forwards and Jean-Sebastien Giguere manning the net in what should be another sensational season, the Ducks shouldn't have much of a problem ranking as one of the very best defensive squads in the NHL. Offense is where they're expected to struggle this season, especially after ranking 28th in the league in goals scored last year with 197. After ranking as the top three point scorers on Anaheim last season, it's time for Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Chris Kunitz to officially take over as this team's top scoring threats and lead the charge offensively. Having Teemu Selanne for a full season should help, while Bobby Ryan is expected to finally make his presence felt in the Anaheim lineup after being seasoned for the past three years. I question Brendan Morrison's ability to rekindle his old offensive prowess. But on a line with Selanne, he'll be helped in his hunt to get there. If the youngsters grow up and realize their role is much bigger this upcoming season and Selanne can help them along the way with another 40-goal campaign, the defensive skill and goaltending is already in place for a team more than capable of competing for the No. 1 position in the Pacific Division.

4. Phoenix Coyotes: The Phoenix Coyotes are on the verge of getting into the thick of things in the Western Conference. But they're still a ways off and that's not going to play out well for them this season, especially in the ridiculously competitive Pacific Division. With Dallas, San Jose and Anaheim dominating this division, the Coyotes simply don't have what it takes to stack up. But, they are getting better. And that has a lot to do with general manager Don Maloney's approach in building this team through youth, yet not shying away from bringing in necessary pieces through other means. Built around youth, a lot is expected of players like Peter Mueller, Martin Hanzal and Kyle Turris. But while these players continue to develop, they will have better direction playing with Shane Doan and Olli Jokinen, in addition to plenty of protection from Brian McGrattan, Todd Fedoruk and Daniel Carcillo. Defensively, this team lost two important pieces to their roster in the deal for Jokinen – Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton. But, Ed Jovanovski, Derek Morris and Zybnek Michalek should lead a decent group of defenseman that contains new faces David Hale and Kurt Sauer. The Coyotes could afford to get a little deeper in that department, though. I think what Phoenix is most looking forward to is the play of their No. 1 netminder, Ilya Bryzgalov. Acquired as a waiver pickup last year, Bryzgalov kept them in range of playoff positioning last year and should continue to provide consistency in net not seen in Phoenix for quite some time. Phoenix isn't anywhere near being ready to compete with the top dogs in the Pacific. But they're continuing on with rebuilding and doing a good job of it.

5. Los Angeles Kings: The Los Angeles Kings are another team going through changes. And unfortunately, the roster they're sporting this season isn't going to be enough to keep them out of the basement. The first thing that stands out is goaltending. Entering the season with Jason LaBarbera as the starting netminder isn't going to work out very well, and Jonathan Bernier is apparently not yet ready to take on the reigns as the Kings' No. 1 option. On offense, Michael Cammalleri was lost in an offseason trade. Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Alexander Frolov should provide some solid scoring on the top unit. But depth needs to improve. Patrick O'Sullivan has to continue getting better after re-signing with the club and Jarret Stoll must rebound off a poor season in Edmonton. Veterans like Michael Handzus and Kyle Calder must also step up their game and remain healthy. On defense, the Kings are going to be spectacular in a few years. But right now, the losses of Lubomir Visnovsky and Rob Blake will have an immediate negative impact. Tom Preissing, Denis Gauthier and Sean O'Donnell have experience, but aren't game changers by any stretch of the imagination. Instead, this group of blue liners won't be strong until Jack Johnson, Drew Doughty, Matt Greene, Thomas Hickey, Peter Harrold and Colten Teubert develop at the NHL level over the next few years. The key for this entire team is time and patience. Unfortunately, that won't help them this season.

Final Standings
1. Detroit Red Wings
2. Dallas Stars
3. Calgary Flames
4. San Jose Sharks
5. Anaheim Ducks
6. Edmonton Oilers
7. Chicago Blackhawks
8. Colorado Avalanche
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9. Nashville Predators
10. Vancouver Canucks
11. Minnesota Wild
12. Phoenix Coyotes
13. Columbus Blue Jackets
14. St. Louis Blues
15. Los Angeles Kings

Western Conference Playoffs

Conference Quarterfinals

1. Detroit Red Wings vs. 8. Colorado Avalanche (Red Wings in six)
2. Dallas Stars vs. 7. Chicago Blackhawks (Stars in five)
3. Calgary Flames vs. 6. Edmonton Oilers (Flames in seven)
4. San Jose Sharks vs. 5. Anaheim Ducks (Sharks in six)

Conference Semifinals

1. Detroit Red Wings vs. 4. San Jose Sharks (Red Wings in five)
2. Dallas Stars vs. 3. Calgary Flames (Stars in seven)

Conference Finals

1. Detroit Red Wings vs. 2. Dallas Stars (Stars in six)

Eastern Conference Champions
Dallas Stars


Stanley Cup Finals
1. Montreal Canadiens vs. 2. Dallas Stars

2009 Stanley Cup Champions
Dallas Stars in six

Conn Smythe Trophy Winner – Marty Turco

Photo Credits: Lidstrom/Iginla/Nabokov - www.daylife.org; Team Logos courtesy of Yahoo! Sports

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

~ Neil Borenstein