- Eastern Conference at a Glance:
- Toronto Maple Leafs defeat Ottawa Senators in seven games.
- The Maple Leafs: This team has apparently learned a thing or two from the playoff disappointments of recent years. Given their injury troubles and often shoddy defence, there is no way the Leafs should still be playing. But they embody the old saw about "finding a way to win." Can the key players - Joseph, Roberts, Corson, Mogilny - keep up the pace and continue to peak under pressure?
- The Senators: Ottawa had this series in the bag and let it slip away, blowing a 2-0 lead in game six and going down quietly in game seven. It's the same story every year: On a Tuesday night in November they can look like world-beaters, but when the stakes are raised the Senators wilt. Does management stay patient as a young team matures, or is it time for an overhaul? Big decisions in Ottawa this summer.
- Carolina Hurricanes defeat Montreal Canadiens in six games.
- The Hurricanes: In 1991 the Minnesota North Stars made a surprising run to the Stanley Cup finals, only to return to obscurity the following season. The 1994 Vancouver Canucks did the same, as did the '96 Florida Panthers, '98 Washington Capitals and '99 Buffalo Sabres. Have the Hurricanes joined the NHL's elite, or are they just another springtime overachiever?
- The Canadiens: The Habs have much to celebrate about this season - Jose Theodore's breakthrough, Saku Koivu's recovery, a return to the playoffs - which makes their terrible collapse against Carolina all the more disappointing. Some teams never seem to recover from such playoff disasters. Can Montreal shrug it off and continue to grow next year?
- Western Conference at a Glance:
- Detroit Red Wings defeat St. Louis Blues in five games.
- The Wings: All is well in Detroit. The hockey machine that dominated the NHL for most of the season is back and April's winless skid is a distant memory. It will take a remarkable loss of composure by the Wings or a truly epic effort by an opponent to derail this championship run.
- The Blues: Big trouble in St. Louis, where overpaid forwards like Cory Stillman and Scott Young fizzled and the blueline proved wafer-thin. After going down 3-1 in the series the Blues gave up, mounting a lacklustre effort in the final game. $57 million buys a lot of star power, but it doesn't always buy a team.
- Colorado Avalanche defeat San Jose Sharks in seven games.
- The Avalanche: Forsberg, Sakic, Blake and Roy enhance their standing among the great money players in pro sports. It takes the prospect of elimination to rouse this team, which played its best hockey of the playoffs in games six and seven. But a shaky start or mid-series letdown against Detroit will prove fatal.
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The Sharks: Like Ottawa, San Jose had a 3-2 series lead and couldn't finish the job. But it was not for a lack of effort or nerve. In the end, the series came down to one game-breaking play, which is where Colorado's experience and $9 million superstars finally made the difference. Based on their playoff performance, the Sharks might be the NHL's third-best team (behind Detroit and Colorado). As frustrating as it must be to fall short again, San Jose should stay the course.
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