Week at a Glance:
We know what we know
Posted: Friday May 28, 1999 04:47 PM
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| SI's Kostya Kennedy
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| As
Dallas, Colorado, Toronto and Buffalo headed into the second weekend of
Conference final action, Kostya Kennedy passed along his thoughts on the
rest of the series. Take a look, it's A good
Reid. You can also send your thoughts on the playoffs to Kostya's NHL
Mailbag. |
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What we know ... Buffalo's Cup chances are tied to the groin of
Dominik Hasek ,
which has shown more tenderness lately than a Lifetime movie
marathon.
What we don't know ... If the Dominator's able stable of speedy,
gritty and opportunistic forwards can get back to playing their game --
which carried Buffalo to a Hasek-less 5-4 win in Game 1.
What we know ... Dwayne Roloson , who wasn't allowed
to mention to his family that he'd be starting Game 1, wishes he hadn't
told them about Game 2, either.
What we don't know ... If Sergei Berezin has met
a shot he didn't like. He makes Allen Iverson look picky.
What we know ... The ice surfaces in the conference finals have
been far from perfect.
What we don't know ... Why in the world the NHL can't provide
their Final Four with a dry and glass-like sheet of ice at this time of
year.
What we know ... The Red Wings are still scratching their heads.
What we don't know ... Where the Avalanche team that beat
Detroit went.
What we know ... It's time for Colorado's Aaron Miller to throw
together another pep-talk like the one that helped the Avalanche roll
through the Motor City.
What we don't know ... Where in the world is Theo Fleury ? Or Joe Sakic ?
What we know ... Joe Nieuwendyk 's name
has been mentioned a lot, and he's still underrated.
What we don't know ... If he's anyone else's clubhouse leader in
the Conn Smythe race.
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Storylines We're Following | |
Goaltending matchups
Before heading into the
weekend of conference finals action, Curtis Joseph had not
looked like his game-saving self. It may have had something to do with not
matching up against Hasek. It's a long way from goal line to goal line, but
by looking across the ice at "the world's best goaltender," Cujo
should be a little more determined to keep the Leafs from falling.
In the west, Ed
Belfour is looking as efficient and methodical as his teammates.
Belfour may not have the Q-rating to trump Patrick Roy , Hasek or
Cujo, but right now he looks closer to the Cup than the rest of them. Roy
has looked more like Clark Kent than Superman against Dallas, but that has
had a lot to do with his defensemen leaving people alone in front.
More Cups (Calder, Turner and Memorial)
In the
American League's Calder Cup playoffs, the Providence Bruins, who recently
set an AHL record with 65 wins in a season, are the favorites to represent
the Eastern Conference after jumping out to a 3-1 series lead over
Fredericton. After three games in the Western Conference finals,
Philadelphia led Rochester 2-1.
The Turner Cup final is underway, with Houston and Orlando playing for the
IHL's championship. After two games, the Aeros and Solar Bears were tied at
one game apiece.
And in other news ... The Ottawa 67's did for Canada's capital what the
Senators could not. They brought a championship to Ottawa. In the Memorial
Cup -- major junior hockey's top prize -- the Ottawa 67's beat the Calgary
Hitmen 7-6 in overtime. Matt Zultek , a 6-foot-4 unsigned Los
Angeles King prospect, scored the game-winner and defenseman Nick
Boynton , a Washington
Capitals prospect, was named the series MVP.
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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. Joe Nieuwendyk, Dallas -- Five game-winners in the playoffs
(two against Colorado) and indispensible faceoff guy.
2. Mats Sundin,
Toronto -- When the Big Swede plays well, the Leafs win. He's been
playing well.
3. Geoff Sanderson,
Buffalo -- His highlight-worthy goal (one-handed chip shot at full
speed with Sylvain
Cote in his shirt) in Game 1 against Toronto is worth a star
here.
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| Not your
average prediction |
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If Fleury continues to keep penalty box operators busier than the goal
judge, Colorado is in trouble no matter who starts scoring.
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