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NHL quarterfinal scouting report and predictions

Submitted by SHNS on Thu, 04/24/2008 - 14:41

Scouting reports and predictions for the NHL's quarterfinal round (excluding New York Rangers-Pittsburgh Penguins, which the writer will cover).THE EASTMONTREAL CANADIENS vs. BOSTON BRUINS-- Season series: Montreal, 4-0.-- Players to watch: Montreal's Kostitsyn brothers, Sergei and Andrei, combined for five goals in the first round, but all-star defenseman Andrei Markov is going to have to rebound from a sub-par performance. Philadelphia center Daniel Briere rang up six goals against Washington in the opening round, and getting versatile right winger Mike Knuble back from a hamstring injury that forced him to miss the final two-plus games of the Capitals series would be a huge plus for the Flyers.-- In the net: Canadiens rookie Carey Price was awful in the third period of Games 5 and 6 vs. Boston before bouncing back with a shutout in Game 7. Martin Biron's first playoff experience had a few rough spots, but they didn't prevent him from helping the Flyers get past Washington.-- How Canadiens can win: Withstand the physical challenges they're sure to face, especially after Boston had success with that approach. Revive the power play that led the league in the regular season but scored on just 9.1 percent of its chances in the first round.-- How Flyers can win: Test the Canadiens' physical and mental toughness by hitting them, hard and often. Get more offensive production from skilled forwards such as Joffrey Lupul, whose overtime winner in Game 7 was his only goal against Washington, and R.J. Umberger.-- Who will win: Montreal in six. The series could tilt in Philadelphia's favor, though, if it can batter some of the Canadiens' forwards into submission.THE WESTDETROIT RED WINGS vs. COLORADO AVALANCHE-- Season series: Detroit, 4-0.-- Players to watch: Defenseman Nicklas Kronvall slipped out of the shadow of celebrated teammate Nicklas Lidstrom in the first round, putting up a team-high five assists, but right winger Mikael Saumelsson will have to rebound from a one-assist effort against Nashville. Joe Sakic was a point-per-game man in the first round, and Detroit's top forwards can expect to get their fill of rugged Avalanche defensemen Adam Foote and Kurt Sauer.-- In the net: Chris Osgood replaced Dominik Hasek in Game 4 of the opening round against the Predators and stopped 53 of 54 shots the rest of the series. Jose Theodore took another step toward rehabilitating a tarnished reputation with his play against Minnesota (1.88 GAA, .940 save percentage) in the first round.-- How Red Wings can win: Exploit the superior talent and depth that generated so much secondary scoring vs. Nashville. Force Colorado to play from behind, something it rarely had to do in the first round.How Avalanche can win: If gifted forwards such as Sakic, Peter Forsberg and Milan Hejduk start scoring, anything is possible. Getting a bigger offensive contribution from center Paul Stastny wouldn't hurt.Who will win: Red Wings in six. It's too much to expect this series to measure up to some of the Detroit-Colorado classics played in the past.SAN JOSE SHARKS vs. DALLAS STARS-- Season series: Dallas, 4-2-2.-- Players to watch: Center Joe Thornton shed a bit of his reputation for playoff non-performance in the Calgary series, but Sharks winger Milan Michalek, a 55-point man in the regular season who was shut out, might want to think about coming out of retirement now. Dallas center Mike Ribiero piled up eight points against the Ducks, while Penguins alum Stu Barnes had two goals, both winners.-- In the net: Although Evgeni Nabokov was good enough to get San Jose past the Flames, his personal stats (2.45 goals-against average, .895 save percentage) were nothing special. Marty Turco of Dallas, yet another guy criticized for past playoff showings, out-dueled Anaheim's highly regarded Jean-Sebastien Giguere.-- How Sharks can win: Get key players such as Thornton and defenseman Brian Campbell to consistently produce to their potential. Capitalize on the home-ice advantage that comes with playing in one of the NHL's loudest buildings.-- How Stars can win: Continue to be productive on the power play, where they scored on 26.3 percent of their chances against the Ducks. Keep playing the stingy team defense that helped them to hold the Ducks to an average of 23 shots per game.-- Who will win: Stars in six. It would, for sure, be an upset, and things could get ugly if Dallas slips out of sync, but San Jose simply hasn't proved it can be as good as it looks on paper.(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)