In the East, it was the Philadelphia Flyers who chased Carey Price from between the pipes and pulled off another upset as they knocked out the Montreal Canadiens in 5 games. It will be the battle of Pennsylvania in the eastern conference finals as the Flyers look to pull off a third straight upset and head to their first Stanley Cup finals appearance in the 21st century. Let's take a look at the match-ups starting this Thursday.
Pittsburgh Penguins (2) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (6)
Ah, the battle of Pennsylvania. The Flyers, who won five of eight matchups against Pittsburgh during the regular season, will try to establish a physical tone with the skilled Penguins, who have shown a surprising level of grit of their own. Both teams have displayed balanced scoring, superb defensive play and stellar goaltending.
How the Penguins got here: Marc-Andre Fleury backstopped the Penguins to another impressive series win as they knocked out the Rangers in five games, improving Fleury's record to 8-1 this post-season. Acquiring Marian Hossa proved dividends as Hossa erupted for 4 goals (including the OT winner in game five) and 20 shots in the series. Evgeni Malkin proved his candidacy for the Hart trophy with 7 points and 2 game winners, while the best of Sidney Crosby has yet to come.
How the Flyers got here: Eliminated the number one seed in 5 games, despite being outshot by hefty margins in the first four games. Playing a physical game against the Canadiens clearly knocked the Habs off their speed game, allowing the Flyers to punish the small Canadiens forwards.The Flyers also made Carey Price look human. Martin Biron was the X-factor (as predicted) for the Flyers as he easily outshone Price. R.J. Umberger erupted for 8 goals in the series and Daniel Briere led the Flyers attack. Despite taking 57 penalties in the post-season, the Flyers penalty kill has been strong and their strong defensive game held the top offensive team in the regular season to just under 3 goals per game.
Why the Penguins will win: The Penguins have shown tremendous consistency this post- season only losing one game. Pittsburgh's 'Big Three' featuring Crosby, Malkin and Hossa all average over a point per game and Marc-Andre Fleury has shown no signs of slowing down his superb play in the crease. Given all the media attention given to Pittsburgh's offense, one must not forget that the Penguins have given up only 1.89 goals/game during the playoffs (best in the league). Their explosive offense, sturdy defense and exceptional goaltending are three big reasons why the Penguins will win this series.
Why the Flyers will win: Proved that they have the offensive prowess to keep up with the best of them while maintaining strong, physical play. Philadelphia may not have a 'Big Three' like Pittsburgh, but they do have three big lines that can score. These three lines will give Pittsburgh's back end lots of trouble as the Flyers play a strong north to south game involving a a strong forecheck. Players like Briere, Richards, Carter, Umberger, Upshall, are just a few of the Flyers who can both hit and score.
The Flyers also showed the league that they can play a strong defensive game as well, disposing of the offensive-minded Canadiens in 5 games. Their physical play could very well wear down the Penguins who played two softer teams in the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers.
Penguins X-factor: Evgeni Malkin. The Flyers will have to focus on shutting down not one, but two of Pittsburgh's lines. If the Flyers can shut down Pittsburgh's number one line featuring Crosby, then Evgeni Malkin will need to lead Pittsburgh's offense.
Flyers X-factor: Martin Biron. Martin Biron elevated his play in the second round and will need to elevate even higher to withstand the Penguins attack. There are too many game-breakers who can single handedly keep the Penguins in the game; if Martin Biron isn't brilliant, the Flyers won't be going to the finals.
Bottom line: Pittsburgh's defensive game is often overlooked because of their offensive stars, so Philadelphia will be getting a wake-up call starting in game 1. However, the Flyers offensive game is often overlooked. Although the Flyers are known for their tough, physical, defensive game, they proved they can score against the Capitals and Canadiens. That being said, the Flyers have yet to encounter a physical blueline like Pittsburgh's, which sets up a physical series that will be decided by offensive execution. Given the Penguins' weapons, it's hard to bet against a team that's 8-1 with plenty of rest.
Penguins in 6.
Detroit Red Wings (1) vs. Dallas Stars(5)
Going into the playoffs, there were many questions surrounding the Dallas Stars. Despite the addition of Brad Richards at the trade deadline, the Stars finished the regular season going 3-5-2 in their last 10 games. In addition to their struggles down the stretch, the Stars were without a healthy Sergei Zubov heading into the playoffs, and questions still hovered around goaltender Marty Turco. Two playoff rounds later, and the Dallas Stars have answered all questions and silenced their critics... and then some.
The Detroit Red Wings were a safe bet to pick coming out on top of the Western conference. However, with the Red Wings history of bowing out of the playoffs too early in recent years and not living up to their potential, the Red Wings had their own critics to deal with. Pavel Datsyuk had the reputation of being too soft in the playoffs, pundits questioned the aging Dominek Hasek, and despite finishing first in the league standings (yet again), the Detroit Red Wings simply were not given enough respect. But with the emergence of Johan Franzen and the exceptional play of Detroits forwards and blueline, the Red Wings find themselves in the Western Conference Final for a second straight year.How the Red Wings got here: Annihilated a worn down Avalanche team with a series sweep, featuring an 8-2 shellacking in the series clinching game. Johan Franzen continued his hot steak ammassing 26 goals in his last 26 games including two hat tricks against the Avalanche. Since replacing 'The Dominator' in game three of Detroit's first round match-up against the Predators, Chris Osgood has gone a perfect 6-0 with a 1.52 GAA and .932 SV %.
How the Stars got here: After eliminating the defending Stanley Cup champions in round 1, the Stars did it again in round 2 knocking off this year's Stanley Cup favorite in the San Jose Sharks. What has become the biggest surprise of the playoffs, yet conceivable at the same time, the Dallas Stars find themselves in the Western conference final for the first time since 2000. Brendan Morrow has scored goals in timely fashion, Mike Ribeiro has proven his worth as a playoff performer, and the deal that brought in Brad Richards has proven dividends. Marty Turco has been the best goaltender in the playoffs, while the return of Sergei Zubov has given the Dallas Stars a steady blue line heading into game 1.
Why the Red Wings will win: For the first time in years, this version of the Detroit Red Wings is for real. Detroit boats three of the best players in the post-season with Lidstrom, Datsyuk and Zetterberg, and 'The Mule', Johan Franzen is red hot. Chris Osgood has been steady all playoffs and Detroit's special teams have been excellent. The Red Wings play much more of a finesse game compared to what Dallas encountered with Calgary and San Jose, which could expose holes in Dallas' defensive game.
Why the Stars will win: Are perhaps the best well rounded
team remaining in the playoffs combining speed, physicality, special teams and goaltending. The Stars proved they could match the Ducks hit-for-hit in the first round, and proved to the Sharks that they were not about to be outdone offensively. Marty Turco has been exceptional in the crease, while Dallas is exceptionally strong down the middle compared to Detroit.This will be Detroit's first real challenge in these playoffs and it won't be an easy one. The Stars play a much more physical game then both Nashville and Colorado, and have three lines centered by three of the best players in the playoffs in Richards, Ribeiro, and Modano.
Red Wings X-factor: Pavel Datsyuk. Will need to maintain his stellar play against Dallas. Datsyuk is heavily relied upon by Detroit, especially by winger Henrik Zetterberg who scores most of his goals on account of Datsyuk's nifty playmaking.
Stars X-factor: Marty Turco. Turco has been brilliant all post-season and is relied on heavily by Dallas. Turco made 61 saves in his last outing (most at key points in the game) to eliminate the Sharks, and will encounter more snipers in Detroit. Not in Turco's favor is that he has not won in Detroit's arena...ever, going 0-7-2.
Bottom line: This is ultimately a 'pick-em' series, one that could go either way. However, Detroit will be in for a physical battle going against three scoring lines that also play well defensively. Knocking off the two favorites in the conference is no easy task, but Dallas certainly made it look that way. Their sound team defense will ultimately take away time and space from Detroit's crafty forwards, forcing the Red Wings into a 'Dallas-style' physical game which ultimately favors the Stars in a long series.
Stars in 6.
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