Tim Wharnsby
From Thursday's Globe and Mail Published on Wednesday, Apr. 23, 2008 10:47PM EDT Last updated on Monday, Mar. 30, 2009 3:32PM EDT
Four key storylines from the second round of the NHL playoffs:
No. 1 Montreal Canadiens v. No. 6 Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers forward Daniel Brière will be jeered, heckled and taunted at the Bell Centre in Montreal. The native of Gatineau, Que., won't be treated well because he turned down the Canadiens' free-agent offer last summer and instead signed with Flyers. He checked in with only two assists in four losses against the Canadiens in the regular season, far below his nine goals and 16 points in his first 25 games against Montreal.
No. 2 Pittsburgh Penguins v. No. 5 New York Rangers
The sexy storyline is Jaromir Jagr going up against his old club, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the playoffs for the first time. But there also is the intriguing scenario of brothers Marc and Jordan Staal renewing their rivalry from the family's backyard rink in Thunder Bay. Marc, of the Rangers, has been brilliant defensively on the blueline, and Jordan, of the Penguins, could see plenty of ice time checking Jagr.
No. 1 Detroit Red Wings v. No. 6 Colorado Avalanche
The historic rivals meet for the first time since the 2002 Western Conference final, when the Red Wings prevailed. Both teams possess the best crease crashers — Ryan Smyth for the Avalanche and Tomas Holmstrom for the Wings. The team that deals better with a crasher will move on. Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood and his Colorado counterpart, Jose Theodore, also will be in the spotlight. Theodore never has advanced past the second round, and it's been a decade for Osgood since he's won two postseason series.
No. 2 San Jose Sharks v. No. 5 Dallas Stars
All eyes will be trained on Joe Thornton. The Sharks' centre has been around for 10 NHL seasons and the pressure is on him to produce in the playoffs. He has never been past the second round, and little was done to ease the concern that the talented forward is not a big-game performer after the Sharks had a difficult time against the Calgary Flames in the opening round. Thornton has celebrated only four series wins in eight NHL postseasons.
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