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Eastern Conference Breakdown Click here for more on this story Posted: Thursday May 06, 1999 01:11 PM We've enlisted the help of SI's Kostya Kennedy to break down the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. His thoughts and predictions follow. To take a look at his preview for the second round in the Western Conference, click here. Toronto Maple Leafs (4) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (8)   Inside Edge Goaltending: Defensemen: Forwards: Physical play: EVEN Depth: EVEN Intangibles: Prediction Penguins in seven games These are two of the best-coached teams in the league, and one of the more intruiging parts of this series will be watching how Toronto's Pat Quinn and Pittsburgh's Kevin Constantine adjust to one another as the games progress. Both teams have offensive fire-power and both are susceptible defensively, so we could see some relatively high-scoring playoff games. The Penguins upset top-seeded New Jersey amid fear that the bankrupt franchise will be moved or dissolved -- they should win the Cup, and see what that will do to investor interest. As the Pens proved against the Devils, the Penguins can score even without league MVP Jaromir Jagr . Alexei Kovalev is playing very well, as is Martin Straka and now that Jagr is over his groin injury he gives Pittsburgh unparalleled game-breaking potential. Of course in the Philadelphia series the Leafs showed they can be outplayed and still win, in part because they have offensive minded players -- both forwards and defensemen -- who are excellent at capitalizing on small defensive mistakes. They also have star goalie Curtis Joseph , who thrives most when he's tested. Pittsburgh will test him plenty. The Maple Leafs will win if: CuJo bars the door ... Jagr gets another groin injury ... their young players don't get unnerved as the pressure mounts ... Tie Domi makes some Penguins feel afraid. The Penguins will win if: They keep getting scoring from so many sources and Jagr comes through in the clutch ... goalie Tom Barrasso is solid ... rookie Jan Hrdina keeps playing like a veteran. Boston Bruins (6) vs. Buffalo Sabres (7)   Inside Edge Goaltending: Defensemen: Forwards: Physical play: Depth: Intangibles: EVEN Prediction Sabres in six games The real Bruins were the ones who controlled the last two games against the Hurricanes, not the ones who struggled earlier in the series. Ray Bourque remains the most commanding presence on the ice and Boston has good speed in the offensive end. The Bruins will look to exploit the Sabres' thin defense with forwards like Jason Allison , Anson Carter and Dimitri Khristich . The maturation of Joe Thornton is being sped up in this postseason, and he has played well. The Sabres made such easy work out of Ottawa in part because they have so many gritty, two-way forwards ( Michael Peca , Vaclav Varada , Dixon Ward ). They also have Dominik Hasek , who needs only a Stanley Cup ring to lay a claim to the title Greatest Goalie Ever. The Bruins will win if: Underrated goalie Byron Dafoe has a couple of great games ... they get a four-goal output against Hasek early in the series, and thus gain confidence against him ... Sergei Samsonov handles the puck a lot. The Sabres will win if: They don't make many defensive gaffes ... Miroslav Satan has a devil of a series ... they split or better in the first two games in Boston.   Related information Multimedia Click here for the latest audio and video Search our site Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call 1-888-53-CNNSI.

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