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Playoff Preview... Sort of by Michael Dell, Editor-in-Chief EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS PREVIEW #1 NEW JERSEY DEVILS (47-24-11, 105 pts) VS. #8 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (38-30-14, 90 pts) 1998-99 REGULAR SEASON BREAKDOWN
NEW JERSEY PITTSBURGH
Overall : 47-24-11 -- 105 38-30-14 -- 90
Games 1-20: 12- 7- 1 -- 25 9- 6- 5 -- 23
Games 21-40: 10- 6- 4 -- 24 11- 7- 2 -- 24
Games 41-60: 10- 7- 3 -- 23 12- 7- 1 -- 25
Games 61-82: 15- 4- 3 -- 33 6-10- 6 -- 18
Home Record: 19-14- 8 -- 46 21-10-10 -- 52
Road Record: 28-10- 3 -- 59 17-20- 4 -- 38
Overtime : 3- 1-11 -- 17 7- 1-14 -- 28
Goals For/Against: 248/196 (+52) 242/225 (+17)
Power Play % : 19.7% (60/304) 17.9% (65/363)
Penalty Killing %: 85.5% (47/325) 81.5% (56/302)
Season Series: New Jersey 4-1-0 DATE SCORE OCT. 14 PITTSBURGH 3 AT NEW JERSEY 1 NOV. 13 PITTSBURGH 3 AT NEW JERSEY 4 MAR. 9 NEW JERSEY 3 AT PITTSBURGH 2 MAR. 25 PITTSBURGH 3 AT NEW JERSEY 5 APR. 3 NEW JERSEY 4 AT PITTSBURGH 2 Key Matchup: New Jersey coach Robbie Ftorek will do everything in his power to match up Scott Stevens against Jaromir Jagr. With the possible exception of Boston's Hal Gill, no one plays Jagr any better than Stevens. That said, Jagr still led all Penguin scorers during the season series with three goals and eight points in the five games. It will be interesting to see how Pittsburgh's Kevin Constantine tries to counter. Look for Jagr to possibly double-shift or even switch sides in an effort to get away from the New Jersey captain. Players to Watch: Pittsburgh could use a big effort from Alexei Kovalev. The enigmatic Russian has shown signs of coming to life lately and always seems to elevate his game for the playoffs. Kovalev's a game-breaker. The Penguins are going to need him to pace the second line and take some of the scoring burden off Jagr. And look for Matthew Barnaby to try and stir up trouble whenever possible. Barnaby always shows up in the postseason and has clocked 19 penalty minutes in four games against the Devils in '98-99. New Jersey will be counting on the line of Jason Arnott, Peter Sykora, and Patrik Elias to carry the offense. The line has been red hot down the stretch. Arnott and Sykora have also enjoyed considerable success in the five games against Pittsburgh this season, with Arnott collecting five goals and eight points and Sykora bagging two goals and five points. Deciding Factor: Pittsburgh loves to carry the puck and make plays through neutral ice. That just won't cut it against the Devils. If the Penguins aren't willing to dump the puck and work down low, they have absolutely no chance of winning this series. They must get the puck deep. Prediction: Pittsburgh is a struggling team. It's no coincidence that the Birds have been getting clubbed on a regular basis since Darius Kasparaitis went down with a knee injury on March 3, going 6-10-5 without the wacky Lithuanian and 2-8-2 in their last 12. The Penguins are simply not a competitive team without Kasparaitis. And they sure as hell aren't going to beat the Devils without him. Here are Pittsburgh's top six defensemen: Jiri Slegr (good), Kevin Hatcher (okay), Brad Werenka (good), Bobby Dollas (okay), Ian Moran (trouble), and Greg Andrusak (what?). Kaspar, get healthy soon. Even though the Devils won the season series 4-1-0, all the games were close. And the Pens were 1-1-0 in the two games Tom Barrasso played. But close doesn't cut it. Barrasso and Jagr just won't be enough. The Devils are too big, strong, and deep for the undersized Penguins. El Diablo will wear them down over a seven-game series. Take New Jersey in five.
1998-99 REGULAR SEASON BREAKDOWN
OTTAWA BUFFALO
Overall : 44-23-15 -- 103 37-28-17 -- 91
Games 1-20: 10- 7- 3 -- 23 11- 5- 4 -- 26
Games 21-40: 11- 6- 3 -- 25 11- 6- 3 -- 25
Games 41-60: 13- 5- 2 -- 28 6- 9- 5 -- 17
Games 61-82: 10- 5- 7 -- 27 9- 8- 5 -- 23
Home Record: 22-11- 8 -- 52 23-12- 6 -- 52
Road Record: 22-12- 7 -- 51 14-16-11 -- 39
Overtime : 1- 2-15 -- 17 3- 3-17 -- 23
Goals For/Against: 239/179 (+60) 207/175 (+32)
Power Play % : 14.9% (59/397) 13.5% (49/363)
Penalty Killing %: 86.1% (44/317) 86.2% (55/399)
Season Series: Ottawa 1-0-4 DATE SCORE NOV. 10 OTTAWA 2 AT BUFFALO 2 FEB. 9 BUFFALO 1 AT OTTAWA 1 JAN. 16 BUFFALO 1 AT OTTAWA 1 DEC. 30 OTTAWA 3 AT BUFFALO 2 APR. 10 BUFFALO 1 AT OTTAWA 1 Key Matchup: Goaltending will be the theme. You know Dominik Hasek is going to be incredible, but can the tandem of Ron Tugnutt and Damian Rhodes keep up? Um, well, maybe. Rhodes started four games of the season series, going 1-0-3, and is expected to get the call in Game One. But coach Jacques Martin has promised to use both netminders. Players to Watch: Alexei Yashin has been the man all year. He even enjoyed success against Hasek and the Sabres, posting two goals and six points in the five games. But if you're looking for a game-breaker, turn your gaze in the direction of Daniel Alfredsson. Sure, he had a brutal season as far as scoring goes, but he always cranks it up this time of year. Alfredsson has 12 goals in 18 career playoff games. Buffalo needs to get something, anything, out of Stu Barnes and Geoff Sanderson. Barnes is still looking for his first goal as a Sabre, while Sanderson is still looking for the goal-scoring touch he apparently misplaced somewhere in Hartford. These guys have to score for Buffalo to have a chance. Deciding Factor: Miroslav Satan, as cool as he is, cannot do it alone for the Sabres. Buffalo needs to get scoring from its second and third lines. If not, this will be over in a hurry. Prediction: These clubs played five games this season, all five went to overtime with four ending in ties. All told, only 15 goals were scored in the five contests. So expect this series to a low-scoring affair. That suits Buffalo fine, because they can't score to save their lives. Every game will be tight. But when it comes crunch time, Yashin and Alfredsson will provide the heroics, Dominator or no Dominator. Ottawa in six.
1998-99 REGULAR SEASON BREAKDOWN
CAROLINA BOSTON
Overall : 34-30-18 -- 86 39-30-13 -- 91
Games 1-20: 8- 9- 3 -- 19 8- 7- 5 -- 21
Games 21-40: 10- 6- 4 -- 24 11- 8- 1 -- 23
Games 41-60: 9- 7- 4 -- 22 7- 9- 4 -- 18
Games 61-82: 7- 8- 7 -- 21 13- 6- 3 -- 29
Home Record: 20-12- 9 -- 49 22-10- 9 -- 53
Road Record: 14-18- 9 -- 37 17-20- 4 -- 38
Overtime : 1- 5-18 -- 20 2- 2-13 -- 17
Goals For/Against: 210/202 (+8) 214/181 (+33)
Power Play % : 11.0% (42/382) 17.7% (65/368)
Penalty Killing %: 85.3% (51/346) 89.2% (33/305)
Season Series: Split 2-2-1 DATE SCORE OCT. 31 CAROLINA 2 AT BOSTON 0 NOV. 8 BOSTON 5 AT CAROLINA 2 DEC. 10 BOSTON 3 AT CAROLINA 2 JAN. 31 CAROLINA 0 AT BOSTON 0 MAR. 3 BOSTON 1 AT CAROLINA 2 PREDICTION: Yeah, that's right, I'm skipping right to the prediction. Why? Because I can. Everyone is writing off the Hurricanes because they qualified with the fewest points. Don't believe the hype. Sure, the Bruins are playing some great hockey of late, but I'm goin' with Carolina. The Hurricanes are the hardest hitting team in the league. They'll punish the Bruins physically. Playing seven games against Gary Roberts and Keith Primeau will not be fun. And don't forget about the leadership of Ronnie Francis. Carolina in seven.
1998-99 REGULAR SEASON BREAKDOWN
TORONTO PHILADELPHIA
Overall : 45-30- 7 -- 97 37-26-19 -- 93
Games 1-20: 10- 8- 2 -- 22 9- 7- 4 -- 22
Games 21-40: 13- 7- 0 -- 26 12- 2- 6 -- 30
Games 41-60: 11- 6- 3 -- 25 9- 8- 3 -- 21
Games 61-82: 11- 9- 2 -- 24 7- 9- 6 -- 20
Home Record: 23-13- 5 -- 51 21- 9-11 -- 53
Road Record: 22-17- 2 -- 46 16-17- 8 -- 40
Overtime : 6- 1- 7 -- 19 2- 3-19 -- 23
Goals For/Against: 268/231 (+37) 231/196 (+35)
Power Play % : 14.4% (53/367) 16.8% (65/386)
Penalty Killing %: 80.3% (64/325) 84.1% (53/333)
Season Series: Philadelphia 3-1-0 DATE SCORE NOV. 27 TORONTO 3 AT PHILADELPHIA 4 DEC. 12 PHILADELPHIA 3 AT TORONTO 0 JAN. 16 TORONTO 4 AT PHILADELPHIA 3 MAR. 22 PHILADELPHIA 3 AT TORONTO 1 PREDICTION: The Flyers will be without Eric Lindros, but that actually might be a good thing. The rest of the boys will probably pull together and pick up the pace. And it's not like Philly is left with scrap, the orange and black still boasts John LeClair, Rod Brind'Amour, Mark Recchi, and Eric Desjardins. Plus, John Vanbiesbrouck is going to be a mission man, wanting to prove that GM Bobby Clarke made the right decision in signing him over Curtis Joseph. I'm still not sold on the Leafs. Outside of CuJo, there isn't a lot of playoff experience over there. And it would make sense that the Flyers win when Lindros isn't around. They'll wait for him to come back before collapsing. Philadelphia in six.
#1 DALLAS STARS (51-19-12, 114 pts) VS. #8 EDMONTON OILERS (33-37-12, 78 pts) 1998-99 REGULAR SEASON BREAKDOWN
DALLAS EDMONTON
Overall : 51-19-12 -- 114 33-37-12 -- 78
Games 1-20: 13- 4- 3 -- 29 11- 8- 1 -- 23
Games 21-40: 13- 3- 4 -- 30 5-11- 4 -- 14
Games 41-60: 13- 4- 3 -- 29 7- 9- 4 -- 18
Games 61-82: 12- 8- 2 -- 26 10- 9- 3 -- 23
Home Record: 29- 8- 4 -- 62 17-19- 5 -- 39
Road Record: 22-11- 8 -- 52 16-18- 7 -- 39
Overtime : 3- 1-12 -- 18 3- 5-12 -- 18
Goals For/Against: 236/168 (+68) 230/226 (+4)
Power Play % : 18.8% (74/393) 14.4% (63/438)
Penalty Killing %: 86.5% (43/319) 82.1% (67/374)
Season Series: Dallas 3-0-1 DATE SCORE DEC. 6 DALLAS 6 AT EDMONTON 2 JAN. 12 DALLAS 2 AT EDMONTON 2 FEB. 15 EDMONTON 1 AT DALLAS 4 MAR. 10 EDMONTON 4 AT DALLAS 7 PREDICTION: The Oilers have made a habit of pulling off first-round upsets. Last year it was Colorado, the year before that these same Dallas Stars were the victim. Can the Black Gold do it again? Hell no. The Stars will be without captain Derian Hatcher, who will miss the first five games as a result of laying the smack down on Jeremy Roenick with the People's Elbow, but the Oilers will be missing Billy Guerin, who's nursing a knee injury. Although the player the Bubbling Crude will really miss is Curtis Joseph. No CuJo, no upset. Dallas in four.
1998-99 REGULAR SEASON BREAKDOWN
COLORADO SAN JOSE
Overall : 44-28-10 -- 98 31-33-18 -- 80
Games 1-20: 8-10- 2 -- 18 5-10- 5 -- 15
Games 21-40: 9- 9- 2 -- 20 8- 7- 5 -- 21
Games 41-60: 13- 3- 4 -- 30 7- 9- 4 -- 18
Games 61-82: 14- 6- 2 -- 30 11- 7- 4 -- 26
Home Record: 21-14- 6 -- 48 17-15- 9 -- 43
Road Record: 23-14- 4 -- 50 14-18- 9 -- 37
Overtime : 2- 0-10 -- 14 1- 2-18 -- 20
Goals For/Against: 239/205 (+34) 196/191 (+5)
Power Play % : 18.9% (71/375) 13.3% (53/399)
Penalty Killing %: 83.7% (63/386) 85.0% (61/407)
Season Series: Colorado 3-1-0 DATE SCORE OCT. 29 SAN JOSE 2 AT COLORADO 4 DEC. 19 COLORADO 1 AT SAN JOSE 2 JAN. 30 SAN JOSE 0 AT COLORADO 5 MAR. 31 COLORADO 3 AT SAN JOSE 2 PREDICTION: San Jose will likely try and mix it up physically with Colorado. That's probably a bad idea. It'll just wake the Avalanche up. The Avs' worst enemy is personal indifference. When they have their heads in the game, they're the best team in hockey. And no one tortures the Sharks like Theo Fleury. He'll get the fans at the Shark Tank in a frenzy and then leave 'em broken hearted. It should be a tough, grueling series, but Colorado will prevail. Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Fleury, Sandis Ozolinsh, Adam Foote, Patrick Roy... it doesn't get any better than that. Unless, you know, you add in Adam Deadmarsh, who should be back from his eye injury, Claude Lemieux, and rookie phenoms Chris Drury and Milan Hejduk. Colorado is stacked. The Avalanche in six.
1998-99 REGULAR SEASON BREAKDOWN
DETROIT ANAHEIM
Overall : 43-32- 7 -- 93 35-34-13 -- 83
Games 1-20: 12- 8- 0 -- 24 8- 8- 4 -- 20
Games 21-40: 8-10- 2 -- 18 8- 8- 4 -- 20
Games 41-60: 11- 6- 3 -- 25 10- 9- 1 -- 21
Games 61-82: 12- 8- 2 -- 26 9- 9- 4 -- 22
Home Record: 27-12- 2 -- 56 21-14- 6 -- 48
Road Record: 16-20- 5 -- 37 14-20- 7 -- 35
Overtime : 2- 1- 7 -- 11 1- 3-13 -- 15
Goals For/Against: 245/202 (+43) 215/206 (+9)
Power Play % : 16.1% (67/415) 22.0% (83/378)
Penalty Killing %: 87.3% (45/355) 84.5% (60/387)
Season Series: Detroit 3-1-0 DATE SCORE NOV. 8 DETROIT 3 AT ANAHEIM 2 NOV. 25 ANAHEIM 2 AT DETROIT 5 MAR. 7 DETROIT 1 AT ANAHEIM 3 APR. 5 ANAHEIM 2 AT DETROIT 3 PREDICTION: It'll take more than two players to beat Detroit. Teemu Selanne, Paul Kariya, and the potent Duck power play might be enough to steal one game, but Detroit is simply too much for the Water Fowl to handle. Detroit in four.
1998-99 REGULAR SEASON BREAKDOWN
PHOENIX ST LOUIS
Overall : 39-31-12 -- 90 37-32-13 -- 87
Games 1-20: 15- 3- 2 -- 32 9- 6- 5 -- 23
Games 21-40: 8- 8- 4 -- 20 7- 9- 4 -- 18
Games 41-60: 7- 9- 4 -- 18 10- 9- 1 -- 21
Games 61-82: 9-11- 2 -- 20 11- 8- 3 -- 25
Home Record: 23-13- 5 -- 51 18-17- 6 -- 42
Road Record: 16-18- 7 -- 39 19-15- 7 -- 45
Overtime : 2- 1-12 -- 16 1- 1-13 -- 15
Goals For/Against: 205/197 (+8) 237/209 (+28)
Power Play % : 12.0% (41/342) 20.3% (61/301)
Penalty Killing %: 87.1% (45/348) 87.9% (47/387)
Season Series: St. Louis 2-1-1 DATE SCORE DEC. 17 PHOENIX 2 AT ST LOUIS 3 JAN. 19 ST LOUIS 2 AT PHOENIX 4 MAR. 18 PHOENIX 2 AT ST LOUIS 2 APR. 15 ST LOUIS 6 AT PHOENIX 4 PREDICTION: Outside of a remarkable start that saw them go 15-3-2 in their first 20 games, the Phoenix Coyotes haven't done a whole lot. The Dogs limped to the finish line and now they don't even have the services of Jeremy Roenick. Meanwhile, the Blues are starting to play their best hockey of the season. Grant Fuhr and Geoff Courtnall are healthy, Pierre Turgeon and Pavol Demitra are scoring like chimps, and Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger remain the best one-two punch in hockey along the blue line. This one should be a lock. St. Louis in five.
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