Breaking down the Eastern second-round matchups

The Skinny: These teams ranked one-two on the power play, but only Philly's is clicking. The Habs, the NHL's top offense, were almost undone against Boston, due to a 3-33 performance with the extra man. Fortunately, Philly's 77 percent penalty kill may be the antidote. The Habs have a quick, deep, creative group of forwards led by the red hot Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn. They also should benefit from a rested Saku Koivu, who was about 75 percent after missing the first five games of the Boston series. The Flyers have hot hands in Daniel Briere (11 points) and Vinnie Prospal (nine), but an upset will be come on the backs of their blueliners. Look for impressive sophomore Braydon Coburn to be a force against undersized attackers.

The Spotlight Is On: Carey Price. The 20-year-old had his ups (two shutouts, including a 5-0 Game 7) and downs (10 goals-against in Games 5 and 6) against Boston. Those wild swings of fortune not only quieted the calls in Montreal for his early Hall of Fame induction, they reminded everyone that Price is still a rookie and under the intense pressure of the hockey-mad city's Cup aspirations. The Flyers will look to capitalize on lessons learned by Boston, using aggressive forwards to scavenge down low for tip-ins and rebounds. If Price maintains his composure, the Habs will have a major advantage.

X-Factor for Canadiens: Tomas Plekanec. Montreal's second leading scorer (29-40-69) in the regular season was his own harshest critic during the first round, telling reporters after Game 3 that he "played like a little girl." He only wishes he'd been that effective. Plekanec clearly struggled under the Bruins' heavy checking, and while he amped it up near the end of the series, he'll have to fight through an even more imposing group of defenders in this series if he hopes to keep linemates, the Kostitsyn brothers, rolling.

X-Factor for Flyers: Jeff Carter. Briere and two-way threat Mike Richards will draw much of the attention from checkers, freeing up space for Carter (29 regular-season goals; three in the first round). His size and strength give him a definite advantage over the smallish Habs centers, but he'll start without regular wingman Mike Knuble, who's sidelined indefinitely with a hamstring injury.

The Pick: Canadiens in six.

The Skinny: The Pens come in off a high after waxing Ottawa with balanced scoring. The lines centered by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each chipped in 15 points. The Pens' discipline also impressed: just 13 minor penalties and one power play goal allowed. Revived Ranger Jaromir Jagr had eight points vs. the Devils. Scott Gomez and Chris Drury delivered on their reputations. Superpest Sean Avery deserved as much attention for his three goals and vigorous play as he did for his crease-crashing ingenuity. The Rangers seem to have an edge in net with Vezina nominee Henrik Lundqvist, but Marc-Andre Fleury (105 saves on 112 shots by Ottawa) looks up to the challenge and capable of leading the Pens deep into the postseason.

The Spotlight Is On: Sidney Crosby. Who else? After losing 29 games to an ankle injury, The Kid looked at full strength against Ottawa (series-leading eight points in four games). He had success against the Rangers (eight points in seven games), but only one goal against Lundqvist. The looming presence of new winger Marian Hossa should make Crosby a more effective shooter.

X-Factors for Penguins: Sergei Gonchar, Hal Gill, long layoff. The Ringo Starr to Crosby and Malkin's Lennon-McCartney, Gonchar must set the offensive tone, especially on the PP (just 5-35 vs. the Rangers this season). Gill is a massive defender who Jagr once ranked as his most contentious opponent. And a little rest is a tonic for battle-weary bones, but too much leads to rust. The Pens had an eight-day layoff, the Rangers six. Whoever is sharpest out of the gate could enjoy a sizable advantage. The Pens better hope it's them. They lost all four games in New York this season, so dropping an early one at home could be lethal.

X-Factor for Rangers: Brandon Dubinsky. If you haven't watchrf the Rangers much, this rookie center likely was a revelation in the first round. Playing alongside Jagr, he averaged a point per game and continued the solid physical play that made him lead all rookies with 196 hits this season. Look for him to carry the puck into the zone, dish it off to Jagr, and steam to the crease with malice aforethought.

The Pick: Penguins in six.