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 Western Conference final preview
Posted: Wednesday May 19, 1999 12:39 PM We've enlisted the help of SI's Kostya Kennedy to break down the NHL's Conference finals. His thoughts, as well as a prediction on who will represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup, follow. To take a look at his preview for the Eastern Conference, click here. Dallas Stars (1) vs. Colorado Avalanche (2)
Colorado is all the more intimidating these days because of the continued great play of its rookies Milan Hejduk and Chris Drury , who are not only contributing offense but also playing a gritty and intelligent style. This means that even after you get past the superstars ( Peter Forsberg , Joe Sakic , Theo Fleury ) and the standout veterans ( Claude Lemieux , Valeri Kamensky , Adam Deadmarsh ) you still don't get a rest. The Avalanche's depth has buoyed them thus far and will enable them to match up well against the Stars, the deepest team in hockey. Dallas has won this year, and particularly this playoff season, by being a little bit better than the opposition night after night. The Stars don't blow people away and the intensity of their games has a manifold effect: They get a little weary, but they also build confidence and feel very comfortable in tight games, which they usually win. Both teams desperately want this series and the winner will be the heavy favorite to win the Cup. The Stars will win if: Goalie Ed Belfour out-performs Colorado keeper Patrick Roy in at least two games ... none of their key players get injured ... they can put up three goals or more with consistency. The Avalanche will win if: Peter Forsberg , the series best all-around player, maintains the will that drove him in Game 6 against Detroit ... Roy keeps stopping puck after puck after puck ... they get ahead by more than a goal in three games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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