It’s Red Wings’ Trophy to Lose

By winning an NHL-record 62 games, the Detroit Red Wings established themselves as overwhelming favorites to win their first Stanley Cup since 1955. On Wednesday, they will get their first chance to erase any remaining doubts.

After a season in which the top eight teams in each conference weren’t determined until the final weekend and matchups weren’t set until the final game, the playoffs begin tonight in Philadelphia, New York, Colorado and Toronto. The other series will start Wednesday at Miami--where the third-year Florida Panthers will make their playoff debut--Pittsburgh and Chicago, besides Detroit.

The Red Wings broke the NHL victory record of 60, set by the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens, and had 131 points, second to the 132 earned by the 1977 Canadiens. They were 57-8-5 after early November, and goaltenders Chris Osgood and Mike Vernon won the Bill Jennings Trophy as a reward for the Red Wings’ league-leading 2.19 team goals-against average.

“They don’t have any weaknesses to speak of,” said Winnipeg Jet Coach Terry Simpson, whose team will play Detroit in the first round.

But to the Red Wings, who were swept by the New Jersey Devils in last year’s finals, records and praise are meaningless compared to winning the Cup.

“We’re pleased with what we accomplished, but we have more important things to think about,” forward Keith Primeau said.

The Philadelphia Flyers, who last won the Cup in 1975, finished with a 13-3-1 rush to edge the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Eastern Conference title on the last day of the season. The Flyers aren’t the Broad Street Bullies of the 1970s, but they are brawny, and deep enough to make the Tampa Bay Lightning’s first playoff appearance a short one.

“[The Flyers’] average height and weight is 7-foot and about 300 pounds, so it will be a tough series,” Lightning forward John Cullen said. “[Eric] Lindros is so hard to play against. We had an inkling we might play those guys. You can’t intimidate a team like that.”

All series are best-of-seven. Seedings were determined by teams’ standing within their conferences.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

DETROIT RED WINGS vs. WINNIPEG JETS

* Seedings, records: No. 1 Detroit (62-13-7); No. 8 Winnipeg (36-40-6).

* Season series: Detroit 3-2-1.

* Top scorers: Detroit--Sergei Fedorov 39-68--107. Winnipeg--Keith Tkachuk 50-48--98.

* Team goals-against: Detroit 2.19 (first), Winnipeg 3.53 (tie 21st).

* Power play: Detroit 21.3% (tie second), Winnipeg 19.7% (tie sixth).

* Penalty killing: Detroit 88.3% (first), Winnipeg 79.5% (23rd).

* Keys: The Red Wings have it all: speed, solid defense and goaltending, balanced scoring and experience. They must use their resources wisely against the Jets, who have speed and expect injured center Alexei Zhamnov back to bolster an erratic but potentially troublesome offense. “We have to generate some kind of attack without opening up too much,” Simpson said. This is the Jets’ last hurrah in Winnipeg before moving to Phoenix and it will be brief. Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin might steal a game, but not a series. Detroit in five.

COLORADO AVALANCHE vs. VANCOUVER CANUCKS

* Seedings, records: No. 2 Colorado (47-25-10); No. 7 Vancouver (32-35-15).

* Season series: Colorado 3-1-1.

* Top scorers: Colorado--Joe Sakic 51-69--120. Vancouver--Alexander Mogilny 55-52--107.

* Team goals-against: Colorado 2.89 (tie eighth), Vancouver 3.33 (18th).

* Power play: Colorado 21.3% (tie second), Vancouver 16.8% (17th).

* Penalty killing: Colorado: 83.8% (seventh), Vancouver 81.3% (15th).

* Keys: Colorado scored 326 goals with the NHL’s second-best offense but it also did lots of scoring last year when, as the Quebec Nordiques, it was upset in the first round. Goalie Patrick Roy will be counted on to display the form that won two playoff MVP awards with Montreal, and winger Claude Lemieux must repeat the heroics he staged helping New Jersey win the Cup last spring. The Canucks, whose slide prompted General Manager Pat Quinn to take over as coach, are a mess defensively and will be without Pavel Bure (knee surgery). But Mogilny can be a game breaker. Colorado in five.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS vs. CALGARY FLAMES

* Seedings, records: No. 3 Chicago (40-28-14); No. 6 Calgary (34-37-11).

* Season series: Calgary 2-0-2.

* Top scorers: Chicago--Chris Chelios 14-58--72. Calgary--Theoren Fleury 46-50--96.

* Team goals-against: Chicago 2.64 (fifth), Calgary 2.89 (tie eighth).

* Power play: Chicago 17.7% (15th), Calgary 18.4% (12th).

* Penalty killing: Chicago 85.5% (third), Calgary 80.1% (22nd).

* Keys: The Blackhawks struggled without center Jeremy Roenick, whose sprained ankle might heal in time for the opener. Chelios and Gary Suter were the first NHL defensemen to finish 1-2 in team scoring, but Chicago will miss Steve Smith, who has a broken leg. The Flames climbed into the top eight when Gary Roberts returned from neck surgery, but he’s hurt again and won’t play. Still, Fleury and German Titov (28 goals, 67 points) are dangerous. The Blackhawks have an edge in veteran goalie Ed Belfour. Chicago in six.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS vs. ST. LOUIS BLUES

* Seedings, records: No. 4 Toronto (34-36-12); No. 5 St. Louis (32-34-16).

* Season series: Toronto 4-1-1.

* Top scorers: Toronto--Mats Sundin 33-50--93. St. Louis--Wayne Gretzky 23-79--102.

* Team goals-against: Toronto 3.03 (14th), St. Louis 2.97 (tie 10th).

* Power play: Toronto 18.9% (ninth), St. Louis 16.5% (18th).

* Penalty killing: Toronto 82.6% (tie 11th), St. Louis 83% (tie ninth).

* Keys: Can Coach Nick Beverley’s Maple Leafs, dubbed “Beverley’s over-the-hillbillies,” outlast Mike Keenan’s punchless Blues in a matchup of two of the oldest teams? Neither had a good second half. Toronto was 3-16-3 before Beverley replaced Pat Burns and the Blues’ 1-7-4 fade cost them home-ice advantage in the first round. The Blues, who were 6-10-5 after acquiring Gretzky from the Kings, need big performances from Gretzky (eight goals and 21 points in 18 games after the trade), and Brett Hull (43 goals, 83 points). Toronto has more offense but the Blues have goalie Grant Fuhr, who had a 2.87 goals-against average in a record 79 games. Toronto in seven, but keep the Geritol handy.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS vs. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

* Seedings, records: No. 1 Philadelphia (45-24-13); No. 8 Tampa Bay (38-32-12).

* Season series: Philadelphia 2-1-2.

* Top scorers: Philadelphia--Eric Lindros 47-68--115. Tampa Bay--Brian Bradley 23-56--79.

* Team goals-against: Philadelphia 2.49 (fourth), Tampa Bay 2.98 (tie 12th).

* Power play: Philadelphia 19.7% (tie sixth), Tampa Bay 20.6% (fourth).

* Penalty killing: Philadelphia 85.8% (second), Tampa Bay 84.4% (fifth).

* Keys: The Flyers’ acquisition of Dale Hawerchuk, who scored 20 points in 16 games, gave them a threat besides the “Legion of Doom” line of Lindros, John LeClair (career-high 51 goals) and Mikael Renberg. Hextall’s league-leading 2.17 goals-against average was no fluke. He’s more focused than ever and just as competitive. The Lightning, coached by former Flyer Terry Crisp, is a bunch of castoffs (Brian Bellows, John Cullen, etc.) who won’t be outworked. Crisp did a great job to get them into the playoffs, but this is the end of the line. Flyers in five.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs. WASHINGTON CAPITALS

* Seedings, records: No. 2 Pittsburgh (49-29-4); No. 7 Washington (39-32-11).

* Season series: Pittsburgh 3-1.

* Top scorers: Pittsburgh--Mario Lemieux 69-92--161. Washington--Michal Pivonka 16-65--81.

* Team goals-against: Pittsburgh 3.44 (20th), Washington 2.45 (third).

* Power play: Pittsburgh 26% (first), Washington 15.6% (22nd).

* Penalty killing: Pittsburgh 83.3% (eighth), Washington 82.6% (tie 11th).

* Keys: Still plagued by back problems, Lemieux hasn’t said if he will return next season. The stage is set for him to go out triumphant. In winning his fifth scoring title he nearly doubled the points scored by Pivonka. Runner-up Jaromir Jagr set records for a right wing with 87 assists and 149 points, and center Ron Francis was fourth with a career-high 119 points. The Penguins are soft defensively, but goalie Tom Barrasso has a knack for making clutch saves. The Capitals’ strategy is to avoid taking a 3-1 series lead, which they have done twice in their last three encounters with Pittsburgh and lost. Their only chance is if goalie Jim Carey, who has a 2.26 goals-against average and a league-leading nine shutouts, is spectacular and Peter Bondra, who scored 52 goals, gets hot. Penguins in five.

NEW YORK RANGERS vs. MONTREAL CANADIENS

* Seedings, records: No. 3 New York (41-27-14); No. 6 Montreal (40-32-10).

* Season series: 1-1-2.

* Top scorers: New York--Mark Messier 47-52--99. Montreal--Pierre Turgeon 38-58--96.

* Team goals-against: New York 2.85 (seventh), Montreal 2.98 (tie 12th).

* Power play: New York 19.8% (fifth), Montreal 19% (eighth).

* Penalty killing: New York 82% (14th), Montreal 82.2% (13th).

* Keys: Neither team played well late in the season, with the Rangers on a 7-14-3 skid and the Canadiens ending 4-5-2. Messier is questionable for the opener because of torn rib cartilage, and without him, the Rangers can be beaten. Even with him, they will lose if they continue to take bad penalties and make glaring defensive errors. Former King Marty McSorley is questionable because of a groin pull. Turgeon and Vincent Damphousse (38 goals, 94 points) spark the Canadiens’ offense, but their chief concern is goalie Jocelyn Thibault, who had a good season (2.86 goals-against, .907 save percentage) but has little playoff experience. Canadiens in six if Messier is out and the Forum ghosts found their way to the Molson Centre.

FLORIDA PANTHERS vs. BOSTON BRUINS

* Seedings, records: No. 4 Florida (41-31-10); No. 5 Boston (40-31-11).

* Season series: Boston 2-1-1.

* Top scorers: Florida--Scott Mellanby 32-37--69. Boston--Adam Oates 25-67--92.

* Team goals-against: Florida 2.82 (sixth), Boston 3.23 (17th).

* Power play: Florida 17.3% (16th), Boston 18.7% (11th).

* Penalty killing: Florida 83% (tie ninth), Boston 80.4% (tie 20th).

* Keys: The Panthers endured a tense season--owner Wayne Huizenga put them up for sale--and still won their first playoff berth. They started well but their offense evaporated and they were 6-14-3 after mid-February. Mellanby is their only threat; right wing Ray Sheppard had eight goals in 14 games after having been acquired from San Jose but was a minus-one plus/minus. The Bruins gained ground and confidence in the last month, thanks to goalie Bill Ranford and feisty right wing Rick Tocchet (16 goals and 24 points in 27 games after being acquired from the Kings). The Bruins miss right wing Cam Neely (injured hip) but should squeak by without him. Because of three Garth Brooks concerts, and an NBA game, Game 2 will not be played until next Monday. Boston in six.