We know what we know -- Round 2
Posted: Thursday May 13, 1999 05:15 PM
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Kostya Kennedy's
Playoff Previews |
| As the second round of NHL playoff continues, take a look at what SI's Kostya Kennedy had to say about the matchups. Find out why he likes the Maple Leafs and Sabres in the Eastern Conference and the Stars and the Red Wings in the Western Conference. You can also send your thoughts on the playoffs to Kostya's NHL Mailbag. | |
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By Jamie MacDonald, CNN/SI
Watching playoff hockey on television is great and all, but aren't you just
a little tired of George Carlin's voice reminding you that, "There's a lot
more to love"?
On to the Glance, where there's also a lot more (of What we know and What we
don't know) to
love.
What we know ... The Colorado-Detroit series could be much
better.
What we don't know ... When we should start checking milk cartons for
Claude Lemieux
.
What we know ... The Stars power play, which was scoring at an .070 clip through four games, is killing
them.
What we don't know ... How many more comebacks the Blues have in them.
Though we do know they are a difficult matchup for the
Stars.
What we know ... Steve Yzerman should be in the running, not
just for the Conn Smythe, but for the Hart Trophy based entirely on his playoff
performance.
What we don't know ... Who can stop the Red
Wings.
What we know ... When Mats Sundin scores, Toronto wins.
What we don't know ... If the rest of the Leafs' offense is hiding with
Claude Lemieux
somewhere.
What we know ... There's more to the Sabres than the guy with a Slinky
for a
spine.
What we don't know ... If Buffalo even needs Miroslav Satan to
beat the
Bruins.
| Storylines We're Following
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Hockeytown's goaltending
Even with Chris Osgood tending goal, life is an adventure in the Red
Wings' crease. Bill Ranford is a game-preserving goaltender (we enter
his Conn Smythe Trophy, Cup rings and Games 1 and 2 in 1999 as evidence), but
his Game 3 performance stood out like a Bob Ross painting hung cockeyed in the
Louvre. Whether or not Ranford goes Swiss in his substitute role is less of a
concern than the fact that he is capable of doing
so.
The Willis Reed script
Jaromir Jagr is the best example, but the Avalanche won in Valeri
Kamensky 's return. Kamensky, who has scored some of the best highlight
goals in recent years, allows Colorado to play with some desperately needed
depth against Detroit. He's also very familiar with usual linemates Lemieux and
Peter Forsberg . Maybe Kamensky can pull Lemieux into the warmth of the
playoff spotlight to which he's accustomed and ease the seemingly restless
Forsberg, who set the tone by abandoning discipline in Games 1 and
2.
There's also the anticipated return of Satan (Forgive me father, for I have
sinned). When or if he returns, Satan would be the most accomplished sniper in
the Buffalo-Boston series. He's on the shelf with an ankle injury, sustained
when he got in the way of teammate Alexei Zhitnik 's slap shot against the Senators.
World Championships
As is tradition, while the playoffs roll on, the World Championships take a back
seat on the sports pages of North America. But we're following along. In case
you're interested, the Czech Republic will face the winner of Finland-Sweden in
the final. In case you're really interested, Yaroslav Spacek (no
relation to the Carrie star) beat Ron Tugnutt in a shootout
to punch the Czech Republic's ticket past Canada and into the tournament
final.
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| NHL's Three Stars
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| Each week throughout the playoffs, we'll take a look back at a few of
the individuals who made a significant impact on team success.
1. Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh -- He should be all three stars this week,
but that would be taking the easy way
out.
2. Pierre Turgeon, St. Louis -- Leads team in playoff scoring and his
OT winner evened the Dallas-St. Louis series at
2-2.
3. Yzerman, Detroit -- Stevie Y is playing the best hockey on the best
team in the
playoffs.
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| Bandwagon
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| Brendan Shanahan
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Stitch-job of the week |
| Patrick Roy | |
Spectacular in Game 3 |
| Ranford
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Puck seemed smaller in Game 3 |
| Scott Young
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As he goes, so go the Blues -- seriously |
| Lonny Bohonus
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Getting another shot |
| Sergei Samsonov
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Scratched in Game 3 |
| Michael Peca
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As important as Hasek in playoffs |
| Avalanche
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More disciplined play a necessity |
| Byron Dafoe
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Can outplay the Dominator |
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| Not your average prediction
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With AOL honcho Ted Leonsis and possibly Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen (who may or may not be the mysterious bidder for the Penguins) in the NHL, here's a thought ... we might soon be seeing the first Internet-only broadcast of a National Hockey League game between the Capitals and Pens.
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