The NHL playoffs have been as unpredictable as ever in the Eastern Conference, in which two of the top three seeds could face an opening-round exit.
One favored team has already been eliminated, as the third-seeded Atlanta Thrashers were stunningly swept by the No. 6 New York Rangers after a 4-2 Game 4 loss last night. The Rangers withstood the physical assault of a big Atlanta team and came with a renewed intensity of their own. Captain Jaromir Jagr showed that he is a fierce competitor and a strong leader when his team needs him the most. He and line mate Michael Nylander were solid, especially in their 7-0 drubbing of Atlanta in Game 3 on Tuesday night.
The Thrashers helped the Rangers' cause by playing as poorly as possible. They showed some life in a close Game 2 loss, but were otherwise flat and slow. Star players Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk did nothing, combining for just three points in the series. To go with their lack of scoring, the Thrashers had trouble in net as well. Kari Lehtonen and Johan Hedberg both played poorly for Atlanta, and their problems certainly affected the confidence of the team.
The Tampa Bay Lightning, meanwhile, looked primed to take down a higher seed, as well. The No. 7 Lightning had the second-seeded New Jersey Devils in a 2-1 deficit heading into last night's Game 4. But the Devils pulled out a dramatic overtime victory, knotting the series at two games apiece. Still, New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur has been shaky, and without their Vezina Trophy candidate at the top of his game, the Devils, who pride themselves on their defense, can't win a playoff series.
The other series in the Eastern Conference have played out as many anticipated. The young, fifth-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins have posted a good fight against the No. 4 Ottawa Senators, but it just hasn't been enough. The Senators have been too smart and too fast for the Pens to keep up. If Ottawa can maintain the pace they've set so far, they could be tough to beat down the stretch.
The top-ranked Buffalo Sabres, meanwhile, have won the last two games of their first-round match-up against the No. 8 New York Islanders to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. The return of Islander goalie Rick DiPietro gave the Isles a much needed spark, but in the end they won't be able to match up with Buffalo. The series may go longer than many expected, but the top team in the regular season won't be stopped in the first round this year.
In the West, the action has been fierce, and will only get better. On Tuesday night the eighth-seeded Calgary Flames took a game at home against the top-ranked Detroit Wings, but the Wings still lead 2-1. The Flames won't give up easily, but it's hard to think that they will be able to win a game in Detroit after being handled easily in the first two games.
The No. 2 Anaheim Ducks failed to complete a sweep of the seventh-seeded Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, but should be in good shape heading back to Anaheim. They have controlled the series without starting goaltender J.S. Giguere, who will most likely return for the next series. The play of the Ducks so far has shown that their shaky performance at the end of the season was no cause for concern.
The third-seeded Vancouver Canucks took a 3-1 lead over the No. 6 Dallas Stars on Tuesday night, and will head home for the next game of the series. Roberto Luongo has shown that he can handle the pressure of the playoffs in the net, and the Sedin twins have played their best hockey in the last few games. Perhaps most surprising, though, has been the lack of offense from the Dallas forwards. The team played well down the stretch, but hasn't put much together in the playoffs.
The four-five match-up between the Nashville Predators and the San Jose Sharks is still a toss up, but the Sharks had the chance to take a commanding 3-1 lead last night on their home ice.
