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2003 NHL Playoffs Series Capsules Posted: Friday May 09, 2003 7:16 PM
Eastern Conference
2002-03 series record: Senators 3-1 How They Got Here: Ottawa beat No. 8 New York Islanders 4-1, and No. 4 Philadelphia 4-2; New Jersey beat No. 7 Boston 4-1, and No. 3 Tampa Bay 4-1.
The key for the Senators is simple: just get at least one puck in the net. Ottawa is 8-0 when it doesn't get shut out in the playoffs. The Islanders blanked the Senators for their only win in the first round, and Philadelphia did it twice in the conference semis. Marian Hossa is leading the way, just as he did in the regular season, with five goals and 12 points. He will certainly face the defensive pressure of John Madden in this round. If Hossa is slowed, the Senators will look to captain Daniel Alfredsson and Martin Havlat, who each have four playoff goals, to pick up the slack. Both scored in the Game 6 victory over Philadelphia that ended the second-round series. Patrick Lalime yielded only 10 goals to the Flyers, who were outscored 10-3 in the final two games after the teams split the first four contests. Lalime hasn't allowed more than two goals since the Senators' playoff-opening 3-0 loss to the Islanders. The Senators have 10 power-play goals and have killed 44 of 47 penalties -- 21 of 22 on the road. Ottawa held Philadelphia to 0-for-17 on the power play and scored two short-handed goals.
Madden leads the Devils, who always think defense first. Madden shut down Joe Thornton in the first round against Boston, then made young Lightning forward Vincent Lecavalier disappear in the second round. Jamie Langenbrunner picked up where he left off against Boston and scored the game-winning goals in each of the first two games vs. the Lightning. But the Devils have been getting goals from all over as they roll four lines. Grant Marshall scored the series-winning goal in the third overtime of Game 5. He had one goal in each of the final three games against the Lightning after scoring just nine in the regular season. All talk about the Devils in the playoffs goes back to their core players -- defensemen Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer, and goalie Martin Brodeur, who is a finalist to be the league's MVP and top goalie. Niedermayer has eight playoff points, third most on the club, and Stevens is a plus-10. He came back after missing most of Game 3 when he was struck in the ear by a puck and scored in Game 4. Brodeur is 8-2 with a 1.51 goals-against average and three shutouts in 10 games. Outlook: The Senators haven't seen defense like this yet. The Associated Press' prediction: Devils in seven games.
Western Conference
2002-03 series record: Tied 2-2 How They Got Here: Minnesota beat Colorado 4-3, and Vancouver 4-3; Anaheim beat No. 2 Detroit 4-0, and No. 1 Dallas 4-2.
The Wild will certainly be tired when the series opens at home Saturday afternoon. Not only did they have to come back from 3-1 deficits in each of their first two series -- the first team to do that -- they were forced to play Games 6 and 7 on consecutive days in both. The Wild won Game 6 in Minnesota on Wednesday, then took the seventh game Thursday in Vancouver. Dwayne Roloson gave up two quick goals in the second period of Game 7, before allowing the Wild to escape with a 4-2 victory. A groin injury forced him out of some playoff games already and he was nearly injured further when he was knocked over in the crease late in the third period of Game 7. If he can't go, Manny Fernandez will provide able coverage in goal. Fernandez is 3-2 in the playoffs with a 2.22 goals-against average and .923 save percentage. The defensive-minded Wild showed offensive force in their final three wins over the Canucks, outscoring them 16-5. Marian Gaborik leads the NHL with 17 playoff points, including nine goals.
The Mighty Ducks' road gets easier, at least as far as seeding. They already beat the No. 1 Stars and No. 2 Red Wings, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere has been why. He's stopped 354 of 373 shots and won eight of 10 games with one shutout. Anaheim has lost just twice despite only having a 24-20 scoring edge in the playoffs. You won't find any Anaheim players in the scoring leaders, as Paul Kariya, Steve Thomas and Mike Leclerc pace the club with just six points each. The Ducks -- 8-1 in one-goal playoff games -- have gotten just enough scoring. Outlook: The Mighty Ducks hold off this Minnesota comeback to win Wild matchup. The Associated Press' prediction: Anaheim in six.
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