Focus is on the crease

Goaltending matchup highlights Blues-Wings series

This matchup is compelling on multiple levels: a legendary goaltender vs. a local boy; two Norris Trophy winners per side and a similar blend of talented scorers and honest workers up front for both. If you factor in potent special teams and regional appeal to the equation, you have the makings of NHL playoff hockey at its best.

In goal, veteran Dominik Hasek stumbled in the first round, righted himself, found his game and won four straight games. Everyone expects Hasek to be better in this series. How will the youthful Brent Johnson respond?

Johnson showed tremendous strength of character in the opening round by taking the blame for allowing a stoppable game-winning goal in Game 1, but then responded with three successive shutouts. Impressive, yes, but maybe more telling was his Game 5 reaction once his shutout streak had ended. Johnson gave up not just one goal, but three on five shots, yet found a way to regroup and turn in a sterling third period performance when it mattered most, with a chance to close out the series.

Adding to the intrigue, and possibly the pressure, in the second round is the fact that Johnson grew up in the suburbs of Detroit and is the grandson of legendary Red Wing Sid Abel. Further, his dad played in goal for Michigan State and played briefly with the Blues in the early 1970s. All are great storylines, but they are points of interest that will only intensify the glare of an already brightly burning spotlight on Johnson.

The Blues, however, protect their young netminder better than any team in the league, mainly due to the combined skill and tenacity of Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger on the blueline. One of the two is either on the ice or on the bench ready to resume his patrol after an occasional one-shift respite.

Only the Wings can counter the Blues' twin Norris combo with a duo of their own in Chris Chelios and the incumbent recipient Nicklas Lidstrom. The difference between the pairs is the inverted nature of the age-to-role ratio. Whereas Pronger is the younger, physical presence and the elder MacInnis is the puck-moving power-play quarterback, Chelios is the vigilante warrior for the Wings -- although he is the senior member -- while the younger Lidstrom is MacInnis' counterpart. The marquee one-on-one matchup figures to pit Chelios against power forward Keith Tkachuk. Chelios prepared for this test by staring down Vancouver's behemoth battering ram, Todd Bertuzzi.

Both team defenses have plenty to contend with in the offensive capabilities of the opposition. Augmenting the Wings' star-studded attack of Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, Brendan Shanahan, Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille is the still crafty and amazingly effective Igor Larionov, as well as proven grinders Kirk Maltby, Kris Draper, Darren McCarty and Tomas Holmstrom.

That is answered by a balanced Blues attack that likewise is capable of getting contributions from all four lines. The Tkachuk-Pavol Demitra-Scott Mellanby line followed by Corey Stillman-Doug Weight-Scott Young makes a nice one-two combination. But the Blues are better than earlier in the season because gutsy graybeard Ray Ferraro is having a production renaissance since his acquisition at the trade deadline. His arrival allowed coach Joel Quenneville to move the slick playmaking skills of Weight to the blueline on the power play, which was very effective against Chicago. Ferraro also was important to the power-play production -- he is still one of the best at keeping pucks alive down low in the zone -- allowing the Blues to prolong zone possession.

For their part, the Wings are lethal on the power play, hardly a revelation given the quality of their marksmen. They were the second-most efficient power play during the regular season and against the Canucks, they were better than that, scoring at least one power-play goal in each game. The Blues must be mindful of the Wings' proficiency with the man advantage because they historically take an inordinate amount of penalties, whistled as they were for the fifth-most penalties in the NHL this season.

Add it all up and this series should be a dandy.

Darren Eliot, a former NHL goaltender, is a hockey analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated and will provide Stanley Cup Playoffs commentary throughout the postseason for CNNSI.com.

 

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