s ta n l e y c u p playoffs

WESTERN CONFERENCE

The Bl ckh wks h ve enjoyed stupendous se son nd just

bout every p rt of their g me is strength. They were the highest scoring te m in the West nd the stingiest defensively. Their top pl yers, beginning with Jon th n Toews nd P trick K ne, performed to expect tion nd their underr ted go ltending t ndem of Corey Cr wford nd R y Emery exceeded ll expect - tions. The Wild will need extr ordin ry go ltending from Nikl s B ckstrom to void being tr mpled. Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun As impressive s An heim w s t home with 16 wins — including 13 in row — the Ducks were lso 14-5-5 on the ro d. Like Detroit, the Ducks ren’t overly powerful on offence, despite slew of big-n me pl yers known for go l scoring. Top-line forw rds Ry n Getzl f nd Corey Perry tied for the te m le d with 15 go ls e ch. Jimmy How rd will h ve to be the ultim te b ckstop now fter h ving fine regul r se son in which he won 21 g mes nd posted 2.13 GAA. Ira Podell, The Associated Press The C nucks h ve been pl ying well t home, finishing with eight victories in their l st nine g mes while holding their opponents to just 10 go ls. Go lie Cory Schneider, who missed the l st two g mes with n injury, h s won eight str ight t home with three shutouts. V ncouver will need its power pl y, which h s been thriving of l te (25% the l st 12 g mes), to continue to produce. The Sh rks will need to score first, since the C nucks h ven’t displ yed much comefrom-behind bility this se son. Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun St. Louis h s the size nd physic lity to m tch the relentless Kings nd Ken Hitchcock-co ched te ms r rely be t themselves. The Blues finished on n 11-2 se son-ending roll, with go lie Bri n Elliott llowing just 16 go ls during th t stretch. Los Angeles h s envi ble depth, nd the bility to tot lly shut g mes down. One point sep r ted them in the st ndings, difference of four go ls scored nd three llowed over the 48-g me schedule. Yes, it should be s close. George Johnson, Calgary Herald

EASTERN CONFERENCE

If Pittsburgh pl ys its g me, this series is sweep. The Penguins bo st the most potent offence in the NHL nd they h ve m n

ged to forge the best record in the E st despite the loss of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni M lkin, J mes Ne l nd defencem n Kris Let ng for signific nt periods of time. The Isl nders c n look to the Los Angeles Kings for inspir tion but it will t ke mir cle —

nd inspired pl y from top scorer John T v res nd go ltender Evgeni N bokov — to pull off n upset. Pat Hickey, The Gazette The return of Erik K rssson puts some pop in Ott w ’s offence but this will likely come down to go ltending b ttle between C rey Price nd Cr ig Anderson. Both te ms benefit from strong co ching. Michel Therrien h s the C n diens buying into his te m-first concept nd h s t ken l st-pl ce te m to the No. 2 spot in the E st. P ul M cLe n kept the Sen tors in the hunt despite injuries to Anderson, K rlsson nd le ding scorer J son Spezz . Pat Hickey, The Gazette Alex Ovechkin fuelled the C pit ls’ surge by le ding the NHL with 32 go ls s W shington went 17-4-2 in its fin l 23 g mes — including 11-1-1 in April. The R ngers secured their pl yoff spot by going 10-3-1 in April, nd by scoring n NHL-best 3.6 go ls per g me since April 3 nd go lie Henrik Lundqvist h s llowed two go ls or fewer in 16 of the p st 20 g mes. These te ms went seven g mes l st se son, with the fin l two being decided by 2-1 scores. Expect more of the s me. Ira Podell, The Associated Press All eyes will be on Toronto’s Phil Kessel, who h s just three go ls

nd nine points nd is minus-22 in 22 c reer g mes g inst his former te m. But the M ple Le fs’ success re lly hinges on the pl y of their inexperienced youngsters, p rticul rly 22-ye rold N zem K dri nd go ltender J mes Reimer, who h ve yet to pl y in the post-se son. For the Bruins, who lost seven of their l st nine g mes, it is simply bout finding their g me. Michael

Traikos, National Post