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Another round Expect Stars to shine in the NHL conference semisPosted: Wednesday April 23, 2003 1:56 PM
Somewhere between late last week and Wednesday morning, the NHL playoff road took a number of turns. SI.com spoke to Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Farber about the fallout and what it means for Round 2. SI.com: What were your impressions of Tuesday night's Game 7s? Farber: In Toronto's case, as we mentioned midway through the series, the Maple Leafs were playing the part of the unfortunate knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, whose every injury was "merely a flesh wound." But you take enough flesh wounds and even the bravest of knights is going to wear down. They battled valiantly for six games and waved the white flag in the seventh. Toronto had too many injuries to overcome against a physical Flyers team. The Maple Leafs capitulated, which was entirely unlike them, but the Flyers proved they had the stomach for the playoffs. And the credit here goes two places. First, to Ken Hitchcock, the magnificent scold, who provided the structure. And, second, to Keith Primeau. He wasn't a huge offensive force, but he was very difficult to handle and was a giant on the ice. Primeau played with lots of fortitude, something we've expected of him since he became a prime player in 1995. The Wild beating the Avalanche, to me, is a bigger upset than the Ducks beating the Red Wings. In Detroit, the Wings were steamrolled by goaltending and a superb job of containing Sergei Fedorov. We also should point out that Anaheim and Detroit were pretty even over the second half of the season. But this was a series in which Minnesota, with a major talent gap and essentially one marquee player, came back to win two of three in Colorado. To me that's even more stunning. Minnesota is proof that, other than goaltending, the critical component of success is speed. Speed camouflages all kinds of shortcomings. Edmonton could stay with Dallas because of speed, and Minnesota will always be dangerous because of speed. Jacques Lemaire did a nice job, too, keeping his team loose, even in the midst of changing goalies. This is a team that knows how to counterattack, and it's getting some really solid defensive work from unheralded players such as Nick Schultz and Willie Mitchell. Vancouver was a team that had something to prove. Canucks captain Markus Naslund called his team out on the last day of the regular season, which was a burden that they had to play through. It took them a while, but they did, because of two factors. Dan Cloutier proved himself as a playoff goalie. He kept his composure, especially for a guy who early in his career was considered a hothead. Vancouver received some support from secondary players, too. It's still a one-line team, but the Sedins, Henrik and Daniel, played well, and Trevor Linden was magnificent in Game 7. The supporting cast came through for the Canucks. They'll face what can be a shut-down team in the second round, so those secondary efforts will have to continue for Vancouver to keep moving on. SI.com: Are the Canucks worthy as the favorite in their series with Minnesota? Farber: Vancouver is the favorite, but not the top-heavy favorite. Minnesota is extremely well coached; it is a team with terrific wheels and has received some good goaltending, especially of late, from Manny Fernandez. The Wild are just so opportunistic -- they take advantage of turnovers and the opponents' weaknesses. Their skill level is ordinary, but they're playing with house money now, after having beaten a team that was better than Vancouver, and they come in on an emotional high. Vancouver, which keeps coming back from 3-1 deficits, is going to continue to need something from people not named Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi. The Canucks have speed themselves, which should make Minnesota's a little less alarming. And Vancouver has some really good defensemen on the back line, Mattias Ohlund and Ed Jovanovski, who should be able to control the Wild forwards. Still, while some may think that Minnesota has already won its Cup, Lemaire-coached teams tend not to disappear. This team has its faults, but excessive euphoria will not be one of them; I expect them to compete. This is no different from any other series in that most any opponent will have more skill -- and that draws comparisons to the Panthers team that made it to the Stanley Cup finals in 1996. But this Wild team is closer to the 1995 Devils, who were wrongly accused of being a boring team. SI.com: If the Ducks are another Cinderella team, does the Jean-Sebastien Giguere fairy tale end against Dallas? Farber: I don't think it's a fairy tale. Giguere was really good last year, and he has been really good this year. It's not a question of being hot; it's a question of being good. Good goalies lose all the time, but if Anaheim loses this series, it won't be because the clock struck midnight on their goaltender. Simply, Dallas is the class of the field in the West. Marty Turco is, presumably, over some of the nerves he showed in Games 1 and 3. Plus, the best defenseman the first round was Sergei Zubov. Derian Hatcher continues to get far too much credit, and Zubov continues to sneak below the radar. Zubov's play on the series game-winner was a world-class effort, and he's among the most intelligent defensemen in the game. Add to that Mike Modano, the best American forward ever to play the game, and some scoring depth, and this is a formidable team. What surprised me, though, is that for minutes at a time against Edmonton, the Stars seemed to lose their composure. Sometimes you'll see that from a good team for a shift, maybe two, but against Edmonton there were times when for five minutes they'd lose their compass. Dallas is the favorite, but with Anaheim's good goaltending, good GM work -- everyone talked about the moves Detroit and Toronto made, yet Anaheim's moves turned out the most successful -- and good coaching, this is not the Brothers Grimm. SI.com: In the Eastern Conference, the top seeds held. What are the odds that the Philadelphia-Ottawa series puts an end to that? Farber: Well, Ottawa is rested, ready and pretty much had its way. Philadelphia, on the other hand, played the equivalent of nine games to get rid of Toronto. And even though the Flyers played their best game Tuesday night in Game 7, they're nicked up pretty good, and these things take their toll in the long run. The Senators get scoring from lots of places. Marian Hossa has finally impressed, and that's absolutely key for them. They also showed they have an element of grit. After that stunning opening loss to the Islanders, they were handled easily. The X-factor here is Roman Cechmanek, whose style is the most unusual this side of Dominik Hasek is, but he can be very effective when he's on ... though if he ever leans over to pick up his glove again, he should be spanked. Patrick Lalime has demonstrated that he's a legitimate No. 1 goaltender and that’s no longer an issue. The Senators are faster and more balanced. Philadelphia needs more from John LeClair, and Tony Amonte was a no-show in the first round. Jeremy Roenick, who may have too much mustard for some peoples' tastes, was magnificent, but to counter Ottawa's speed, Philadelphia's flyboys -- Justin Williams and Simon Gagne -- are going to have to score. The injury to Eric Desjardins also hurts the Flyers. SI.com: Is there a bigger second-round matchup between two smaller players than John Madden vs. Martin St. Louis? Farber: That's the most intriguing head-to-head matchup in this round. Pat Burns loves third-liners the way 5-year-olds love Christmas. At each of Burns' stops, the third-liners have been his de facto stars. And that suits his personnel in New Jersey. He has a goalie who's very comfortable with close games and a terrific checking center who year in and year out is Selke-worthy. The question for the Devils is always scoring. We've all been waiting for Jamie Langenbrunner to break out, and he did in the series against Boston, but I still think New Jersey will need some scoring from the back line in this matchup because of the goalie. Nikolai Khabibulin looked every bit as good as Giguere at times; I didn't think he was going to give up a goal in some of the first-round games. He was square to the shooter, seeing everything, making it look easy. And it frustrated a group of forwards (Washington's) that's better than what New Jersey has. Tampa Bay head coach John Tortorella also deserves recognition for making the coaching decision of the fist round, by putting Vincent Lecavalier with Martin St. Louis and Vinny Prospal to form what became an über line. This series comes down to New Jersey shutting down that line and finding a way to beat Khabibulin. SI.com: Which, to you, is the most compelling of the second-round series? Farber: Philadelphia-Ottawa. Ottawa won the Presidents' Trophy, and Philadelphia has a glittering array of talent. Contrasting styles could make for interesting games. If Anaheim takes a game or two early in Dallas, though, that could change. SI.com: Whom would you forecast as second-round MVPs? Farber: In the West, the MVP is going to be Mike Modano. With a co-MVP, Sergei Zubov. In the East, it's going to be Marian Hossa and Zdeno Chara. Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Farber covers the NHL for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com. |
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