Conference final Predictions
by Bo Siemsen

In the East I have been able to predict just 3 of 6 series. Particularly the Buffalo Sabres have been messing up my stats here as they have been predicted to lose twice and won both. Shame on them. Well I am not going to make the same mistake again. In the West I have so far managed a 'perfect' 6-for-6 record. Overall that makes me 9-for-12. That's two correct predictions better than last year at this point.

New York Rangers vs. Buffalo Sabres

2ND ROUND :
(Rangers)
The New York Rangers needed 7 games to get past Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Underdogs. Mario & co. even looked like they could win in game 7 - at least until Dean McAmmond ripped Mario Lemieux's head off and eliminated him from the game. Rangers escaped with a narrow 2-1 win after the Penguins had a 1-0 lead in the 2nd period.

Paul Kariya stepped up as a goalscorer in a big way getting 6 goals while Ziggy Palffy lead the overall scoring with 9 points while defencemen Brian Rafalski and Kenny Jonsson both had 6 points from the New York blueline.

(Sabres)
The Buffalo Sabres got through the Montreal Canadiens in just 5 games and are well-rested for the Conference Finals. Dominic Hasek wasn't exactly spectacular but whenever a goalie adds 4 "W" in a series ... he's done what needed to be done.

Pavel Bure stepped it up as the scoring leader in Buffalo getting 4 goals and 3 assists in 5 games. Veteran Stu Barnes had 7 assists while sophmore sensation Illya Kovalchuk had 4 goals and a total of 6 points in the series. On the blueline Vladimir Malakhov and Andy Delmore added 6 and 5 points respectively ... including 2 goals each.

BREAKDOWN
The New York Rangers once again line up with the fastest team in the series - even with speedster Dean McAmmond out of the first 5 games. And they are overall more skilled than the Sabres. How much will Dean really be missed anyway ... in 12 playoff games he had 1 goal 1 assist and was -7. Not pretty. For the Rangers leading scoring duo (Palffy, Kariya) has been on a torrid scoring pace in the 2nd round and if they can keep it up going into the Conference Finals ... well - that'd be a good thing for the Rangers ...

The biggest weakness is the apparant absense of scoring support for the top Rangers. There's Palffy and Kariya with 15 and 14 points. Then there's Andrew Cassels with 12 and Morrison with 8 ... behind those the leading scorers among Rangers forwards is rookie 4th liner Henrik Zetterberg with 4 points.

The average Buffalo Sabre is much bigger than the average Ranger. That alongwith their toughness is something the Sabres must take full advantage of in the series. So far in the playoffs the Sabres has had the best powerplay of all teams ... after 12 games they have managed to convert on 23% of all their powerplay chances - while killing off 92.1% of all shorthanded situations (second in the playoffs to the Rangers). Goaltending also favors the Sabres by a solid margin - Hasek IS better than Cechmanek.

The weakest link in Buffalo must be their lack of quality support for their top players (Turgeon, Bure, Kovalchuk, Robitaille). Outside that quartet you can't expect a lot of scoring from anyone - unless someone steps it up unexpected.


KEY TO THE SERIES
The key to this series is in Buffalo. What they do with it will decide the outcome of the Eastern Conference Final. IF Hasek can keep the Rangers at bay and the scoring down - the Sabres can steal a few goals and win. or. IF the Sabres' forward can provide enough scoring support for the Dominator maybe he can steal some games. Same thing really ... whichever comes first. If the Sabres dont get things going their way the Rangers look to be a more solid team - and certainly a team capable of overcoming that which is placed infront of them.

PREDICTION
Twice I've predicted the Sabres to be eliminated this season. Twice they've defied me. Now that they are facing my own team I will change my tactics ... hoping that will make them lose. Seriously - the Rangers looks to be the better team on paper- but quite vulnerable as only one line is really doing the scoring with limited support. I think Hasek and the Sabres will steal the show. Sabres in 6

 


San Jose Sharks vs. St.Louis Blues

2ND ROUND :
(Sharks)
The Sharks rallied around goaltender Olaf Kolzig and probably his best ever playoff series for a 4-2 series win vs. the Wings. The big goalie had one *blip* in game 5 allowing 5 goals before getting the hook ... but in the 5 other games he was superb allowing just 7 goals. The only player not registering a point in the series was Jamie Langenbrunner. But once again the Sharks scoring came from a select few players ... Kapanen, Lidstrom, Gagne, Yashin and Markus Naslund ... no other player had more than 2 points.

(Blues)
The St.Louis Blues went through a nailbiting 7-game series against the Colorado Avalanche in order to get to the Conference Finals. After falling behind 3-2 in the series the Blues rallied through 2 overtime wins to clinch the series. Apart from Jaromir Jagr and his 5 goals and 3 assists no individual player stood out ... it was more of a team effort in which 13 players registered at least 2 points.

BREAKDOWN
Of the 4 Conference finalists only the St.Louis Blues is a re-appearance from last year. The Stars, Canadiens and Senators all failed in earlier rounds. Like last year the St.Lous Blues has had the toughest road to reach the Conference Finals going through the Stars and the Avalanche. The Sharks haven't been tested that much yet. They needed just 5 games to beat the Oilers and 6 to beat the Wings. The Blues has been tested - the Sharks are better rested. Almost poetry here : - )

These two teams represent 2 different styles of hockey. The tough and nasty veteran team - the St.Louis Blues (with a couple of skill guys added to the mix) against the softer and smaller but quicker and more skilled San Jose Sharks.

The Sharks easily have one of the most skilled and speedy teams around. Skill skill everywhere skill. They do however have a distinct lack of size and toughness on the forward lines ... Only Todd Bertuzzi is really a physical force to be reckoned with ... that might be why he's the Shark forward being doubleshifted. On defence they rely of defensive smarts and skill to handle situations rather than brute force ... a skill-first team. If the Sharks can speed up the games they should be able to tear apart the slower Blues.

The Blues take a different approach. They have build a team around size, toughness and experience/leadership. On D they have a truckload of big punishing defencemen - most notable Derian Hatcher and Dan McGillis but guys like Aaron Miller and Lance Ward dont hold back either ... several forwards can mix it up too (Roberts, Walker, Konowalchuk, Hinote, Klatt). This will give the Blues a significant advantage if the games get rough. A defence first team but with players like Jagr, Weight, Damphousse as icing on the cake.

Goaltending will also be a huge factor. Traditionally Kolzig has struggled, but he is having his best ever playoff campaign. He looked superb in the 2nd round. In the other end of the ice Roy was not spectacular against the Avalanche ... but he got the job done.

KEY TO THE SERIES
The key to this series - again - is the clash of style. Will the quick and skilled Sharks be able to outsmart the physical defensiveminded Blues ... or will it be the other way around - will the Blues be able to contain the Gung-Ho Sharks offensive and take advantage of the defensively weaker Sharks.

PREDICTION
The series is a Cup Final worthy. Neither team has ever made it to the Stanley Cup finals ... in 4-to-7 short games one of them will. Last year the St.Louis Blues managed to win against the San Jose Sharks in the 2nd round. I think they are going to repeat that this year and reach the finals. Blues in 6