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(1) Detroit Red Wings v. (8) Nashville Predators
Goal: Veteran Dominik Hasek is a question mark. He's now 43. In goalie years, that's ancient. Can he recapture his magic of 2002? He's always been very unorthodox but his body and reflexes are failing him now. Maybe he's good for one last kick at the can. At the other end, rookie Dan Ellis has seized the starter's role from incumbent Chris Mason who was handed the net when Tomas Vokoun was traded to Florida. It's the aging superstar taking on the unproven rookie. Edge: Even.
Defence: Detroit's superstar defenceman Nik Lidstrom will again play huge minutes. His core support will come from Bryan Rafalski, Niklas Kronwall and ageless wonder Chris Chelios, 46. Unlike Hasek, Father Time has little hold on Chelios. Brad Stuart is out with an injured hand. The Preds feature one of the youngest, brightest D corps in the league. Marek Zidlicky is the top point man. Shea Weber, Ryan Suter and Dan Hamhuis make a solid top four unit while veteran Greg De Vries will provide the leadership. Edge: Detroit.
Forward: The Wings feature two of the most dynamic players in the game - Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. The key to their success will lay on the shoulders of less flashy warriors Tomas Holmstrom, Mikael Samuelsson, Dan Cleary and Kris Draper. Nashville has some skill of their own. Alexander Radulov, Jason Arnott, Martin Erat and JP Dumont are all dangerous, offensive players. Edge: Detroit.
Intangibles: The Wings enter the playoffs as the President's Trophy winner, yet again. As coach Mike Babcock knows, winning the regular season title doesn't equate with playoff success. Nashville has never won a playoff round. GM David Poile is a franchise builder but hasn't translated that success into the post-season. He's won just seven of 17 series in GM gigs with Washington and Nashville. The Preds have had to endure a season of ownership and location uncertainty. After a monumental showing last year, Nashville had to squeeze into the last spot more due to Vancouver's collapse than a remarkable surge.
Prediction: Detroit in five.
San Jose (2) v. Calgary (7)
Goal: Evgeni Nabakov v. Miikka Kiprusoff. Talk about a goaltender's duel. Both are outstanding work horses who have the ability to steal wins for his team. Calgary's Kiprusoff has been a bit up and down this year while Nabakov can be suspect at times. These are two outstanding tenders. Edge: Even.
Defence: Brian Campbell has made a smooth transition to California from Buffalo. He's the go-to-guy. Youngsters Christian Erhoff, Marc Edouard Vlasic and Matt Carle complement vets Craig Rivet, Kyle McLaren and Doug Murray in a very efficient if unsung defence group. Murray will be looking to finish hard on Jarome Iginla whenever possible. Of course, Dion Phaneuf is the man in Alberta. He needs to be the Flames' dominant D guy or it'll be over quickly for Calgary. Edge: San Jose.
Forward: For the Sharks, Joe Thornton is the main man. The Flames counter with Iginla, with Alex Tanguay, Daymond Langkow and Kristian Huselius looked to for secondary scoring. San Jose will count on a revitalized Jonathan Cheechoo, Milan Michalek and Joey Pavelski. This is too close to call. Edge: Even.
Intangibles: If the Sharks hope to hoist the Cup, they need Extraordinary Joe on top of his game. Same for Calgary and Iginla. Both coaches (Mike Keenan and Ron Wilson) are tough and demand everything from their players. Calgary is a hockey-mad city representing Western Canada. The players respond to the pressure. Three years ago, they were within a win of the big prize. This team is hungry. This has the makings of an upset, but. . .
Prediction: San Jose in seven.
Minnesota Wild (3) v. Colorado Avalanche (7)
Goal: Colorado's Jose Theodore has found his game, again. Missing in action for long periods in Denver, the athletic southpaw has been on fire this year. With many key injuries, Theodore delivered huge saves that inspired his team. He's back. At the other end, Niklas Backstrom is a stable, efficient netminder. He can make the big save. Edge: Colorado.
