St. Louis Blues vs. San Jose Sharks
Opener: Wed., 5:30 p.m. TV: ESPN2(1) St. Louis Blues
(8) San Jose Sharks
Records: (1) St. Louis (51-20-11), (8) San Jose (35-37-10)
1999-2000 Series Record: St. Louis 4-0-1.
Outlook: The Blues won the Presidents' Trophy with the league's best record despite several injuries. LW Geoff Courtnall retired due to post-concussion syndrome after playing only six games; leading scorer Pavol Demitra (28 goals, 75 points) is sidelined with a concussion; and D Al MacInnis (broken foot) and C Pierre Turgeon (thumb injury) also missed significant time. D Chris Pronger (62 points) led the team with 48 assists. Roman Turek (42-14-9, 1.94 GAA, seven shutouts), the backup to Ed Belfour in Dallas last season, is the leading candidate for the Vezina Trophy. Pronger -- a candidate for the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman -- and MacInnis -- last season's Norris winner -- form a strong front for Turek. St. Louis allowed a league-low 165 goals and was second in penalty-killing (88.1 percent). San Jose faltered after beginning the season 7-2. A loss to Vancouver in the finale left the Sharks in eighth place; a victory or tie would have moved them into seventh and a matchup with Dallas, who they beat four of six times. Owen Nolan was tied for sixth in scoring (84 points) and was second in goals (44) -- including a league-best 18 on the power play. Vincent Damphouse (70 points) and Jeff Friesen (61 points) complemented Nolan on a strong top line, which scored 90 of the team's 225 goals. Nolan (shoulder injury) was held pointless in his return Sunday after missing four games. Steve Shields (27-30-8, 2.53 GAA) had a strong start, leading to the Sharks trading Mike Vernon to Florida. St. Louis' defense is simply too strong for San Jose. Best guess: Blues in 4.
Dallas Stars vs. Edmonton Oilers
(2) Dallas Stars
(8) Edmonton Oilers
Opener: Wednesday, 5 p.m. TV: ESPN
Records: (2) Dallas (43-29-10), (7) Edmonton (32-34-16)
1999-2000 Series Record: Dallas 3-0-1.
Outlook: Dallas, the defending Stanley Cup champions won the Pacific Division despite losing 395 man-games to injuries. Jere Lehtinen, captain Derian Hatcher, playoff MVP Joe Nieuwendyk missed significant time. D Sergei Zubov (knee injury) missed the final five games and is questionable for the series. Stars went 0-3-2 in his absence. Dallas' 211 goals are the fewest among playoff teams, and the Stars won only three of 19 overtime games (3-6-10). Mike Modano led the team with 38 goals and 43 assists. Brett Hull had 59 points, and Jamie Langenbrunner had 39 points in 65 games. Ed Belfour was 32-21-7 with a 2.10 GAA. C Brian Skrudland (chest contusion) and C Shawn Chambers (knee injury) will miss the series. Edmonton finished the season 7-9-1, closing with two victories. Doug Weight led the Oilers in scoring with 51 assists and 72 points. Ryan Smith (54 points) had a team-high 28 goals, and Alexander Selivanov (47 points) had 27. Bill Guerin (24 goals, 46 points) had only two goals in his last 19 games. RW Mike Grier (triceps injury) will miss at least the first two games of the first round. Tommy Salo (27-28-13, 2.33 GAA) has been inconsistent. Modano and Weight will pair off in the series' key matchup, but Edmonton doesn't have much beyond that. The Oilers were 4-24-3 when trailing after two periods. The Stars swept the Oilers in the first round last year. The playoff and this season's victories were each by one goal. Best guess: Stars in 5.
Colorado Avalanche vs. Phoenix Coyotes
Opener: Thursday, 8 p.m. TV: ESPN2
(3) Colorado Avalanche
(6) Phoenix Coyotes
Records: (3) Colorado (42-29-11), (6) Phoenix (39-35-8)
1999-2000 Series Record: Tied 2-2.
Outlook: Avalanche won their fifth consecutive Northwest Division title, closing with a 14-2-1 mark. Colorado won its last eight, allowing just 13 goals during the stretch. Peter Forsberg (51 points) missed the first 23 games due to a separated left shoulder, and is out for this series with a separation in his right shoulder. Joe Sakic led the team with 53 assists and 81 points in 60 games. Milan Hejduk (36 goals, 72 points) and Chris Drury (67 points) had strong second seasons. D Ray Bourque had eight goals, seven assists in 13 games after being acquired from Boston near the trade deadline. Patrick Roy (32-21-8, 2.28 GAA) and the improved defense allowed a franchise-low 201 goals. Roy has 444 victories -- three short of Terry Sawchuk's NHL record. The Coyotes have not advanced to the second round since 1987 -- when the franchise was in Winnipeg -- with eight first-round exits. Jeremy Roenick had team-highs with 34 goals (12 game-winners) and 44 assists. LW Keith Tkachuk (ankle injury) has been in and out of the lineup and finished with 43 points in 50 games. He missed the season finale, but is expected to play in the series. Defensemen Teppo Numminen (34 assists) and Jyrki Lumme (32 assists) also help out on the offensive end. Phoenix outscored Colorado 15-9 in the season series, mostly due to a 7-0 victory on Nov. 26. The Coyotes had trouble scoring lately, with only 41 goals in the final 19 games -- with 10 coming in consecutive 5-0 victories over the Islanders and Canucks in early March. Phoenix missed all-star goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who held out all season and played for Long Beach of the IHL. Best guess: Avalanche in 5.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Los Angeles Kings
Opener: Thurs., 5:30 p.m TV: ESPN
(4) Detroit Red Wings
(5) Los Angeles Kings
Records: (4) Detroit (48-24-10), (5) Los Angeles (39-31-12)
1999-2000 Series Record: Detroit 3-1-1.
Outlook: The Red Wings, with the second-best record in the NHL, are the fourth seed in the conference because of a second-place finish to St. Louis in the Central Division. Detroit led the league in scoring with 278 goals. The Red Wings were led by three 70-point scorers -- Steve Yzerman (35 goals, 44 assists), Brendan Shanahan (41 goals, 37 points) and Nicklas Lidstrom (20 goals, 53 assists). Lidstrom led the league in scoring by a defenseman, and is a candidate for the Norris Trophy. Sergei Fedorov (35 assists, 62 points), Pat Verbeek (48 points), Igor Larionov (47 points), Martin Lapointe (41 points), Steve Duchesne (31 assists, 41 points), and Larry Murphy (40 points) are part of the Red Wings' four strong lines. Detroit was second in the NHL on the power play, converting 20.4 percent of its chances. Chris Osgood (30-14-8, 2.40 GAA) was inconsistent at times, but was 5-1-1 down the stretch. Los Angeles responded to first-year coach Andy Murray's disciplined and defensive style, improving 25 points from last season under Larry Robinson. The Kings reached the postseason for only the second time since 1993 -- when they lost to Montreal in the Stanley Cup finals. Offseason acquisitions Ziggy Palffy (39 assists, 66 points) and Bryan Smolinski (56 points) helped. Luc Robitaille had team-highs with 36 goals and 74 points and Glen Murray had 62 points. Best guess: Red Wings in 5.