Ducks Lead Survivors Into the Second Round

The mighty have fallen in the West, but the Mighty Ducks remain.

First-round upsets by the Ducks and the Minnesota Wild sent second-seeded Detroit and third-seeded Colorado home early. There were thrills and spills galore: Jean-Sebastien Giguere’s goaltending for the Ducks, the Wild’s rally from a 3-1 series deficit to win in overtime on the road in Game 7, capped by Andrew Brunette’s brilliant goal against Patrick Roy, overtime and double-overtime and triple-overtime games almost every night.

Oh, and then there was the East.

Ho-hum.

All went according to form in that conference, as all four top-seeded teams advanced. Only No. 4 Philadelphia needed seven games to move on, and the Flyers swamped the Maple Leafs early to minimize the tension in their finale.

A look at the second-round matchups:

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

1. DALLAS vs. 7. MIGHTY DUCKS

*--*

*--*

Game 1: Today at Dallas...4:30, ESPN

Game 2: Sat. at Dallas...noon, Ch. 7

Game 3: Monday at Ducks...7, FSN

Game 4: Wednesday at Ducks...7, FSN

Game 5: May 3 at Dallas...noon*, Ch. 7

Game 6: May 5 at Ducks...7,* FSN

Game 7: May 7 at Dallas...4:30,* FSN

*--* Series preview: The Stars were pushed to six games by Edmonton in the first round, partly because defenseman Derian Hatcher was suspended one game for accumulating too many game misconducts and partly because goalie Marty Turco needed time to get his footing. Already formidable up front, the Stars expect power forward Bill Guerin (thigh surgery), finesse forward Pierre Turgeon (ankle surgery) and big center Jason Arnott (flu) to return during the series. The Stars have size, speed and grit. The Ducks were 0 for 14 on the power play in their sweep of Detroit, but they won’t get by without special-team production this time. They also have speed up front and a good amount of tenacity. Jean-Sebastien Giguere must be as good as he was against Detroit (1.24 goals-against average, .965 save percentage) for the Ducks to have a chance Key injuries: ANA: None; DAL: None Goaltenders: ANA: Jean-Sebastien Giguere (4-0, .965 save percentage); DAL: Marty Turco (4-2, .918 save percentage) Top scorers: ANA: Stanislav Chistov, Paul Kariya, Jason Krog, 2 goals; Rob Niedermeyer, 3 assists; Niedermeyer, Chistov, 3 points. DAL: Mike Modano, Sergei Zubov, Scott Young, 4 goals; Modano, Zubov, Darryl Sydor, 6 assists. Modano, Zubov, 10 points MATCHUPS ANA DAL Goals 2.50 3.33 Goals against 1.50 1.83 Power play 0.0 17.9 Penalty killing 85.7 95.7 Prediction: Anything is possible with good goaltending, and that’s where the Ducks’ hopes rest. Logic says Dallas in six but

*--*

*

*--* 1. OTTAWA vs. 4. PHILADELPHIA

*--*

Game 1: Friday at Ottawa...4 p.m.

Game 2: Sunday at Ottawa...4

Game 3: Tuesday at Philadelphia...4

Game 4: May 1 at Philadelphia...4

Game 5: May 3 at Ottawa...noon*

Game 6: May 5 at Philadelphia...4*

Game 7: May 7 at Ottawa...4*

*--* Series preview: After a stinker in their opener against the New York Islanders, the Senators won the next four games. They have good speed, sturdy defense and a fine goaltender in Patrick Lalime, but they’re smaller than the Flyers and must prove they can withstand physical pounding. Their late-season acquisitions of Vaclav Varada and Rob Ray fortified their grit, but that’s often as much mental as physical and the Senators have had enough early playoff exits to leave their resolve in question. The Flyers have developed character and pluck to rely on, instead of their usual too-heavy dependence on brawn. Scrappy forward Claude Lapointe was a terrific acquisition, Mark Recchi scored six goals against Toronto and goalie Roman Cechmanek got past the hurdle of winning his first playoff series. The downside: defenseman Eric Desjardins is sidelined because of a broken foot and forwards John LeClair and Tony Amonte have combined for one goal Key injuries: PHI: D Eric Desjardins (foot); OTT: None Goaltenders: PHI: Roman Cechmanek (4-3, .920 save percentage); OTT: Patrick Lalime (4-1, .949 save percentage) Top scorers: PHI: Mark Recchi, 6 goals, 9 points; 4 players, 4 assists; OTT: Marian Hossa, Todd White, 3 goals, 5 players, 3 assists, Martin Havlat, Radek Bonk, Hossa, 4 points MATCHUPS PHI OTT Goals 3.43 2.60 Goals against 2.26 1.40 Power play 15.2 13.8 Penalty killing 88.0 90.3 Prediction: Until the Senators prove their playoff mettle, they can’t be trusted. Philadelphia in six

*--*

*

*--* 4. VANCOUVER vs. 6. MINNESOTA

*--*

Game 1: Friday at Vancouver...7:30

Game 2: Sunday at Vancouver...7

Game 3: Tuesday at Minnesota...5

Game 4: May 2 at Minnesota...6

Game 5: May 5 at Vancouver...7:30*

Game 6: May 7 at Minnesota...6*

Game 7: May 8 at Vancouver...7*

*--* Series preview: Todd Bertuzzi and Trevor Linden willed the Canucks past St. Louis in a rugged seven-game series. A solid and muscular defense helped too, but the Canucks’ strength lies in their top line of Bertuzzi, Brendan Morrison and Markus Naslund. The trio will be blanketed by the Wild’s tenacious checkers, creating a pivotal battle that could determine the direction of this series. Goalie Dan Cloutier was adequate against the Blues, and he will have to be better. Twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin played well against St. Louis and must contribute even more. Manny Fernandez took over the Wild’s goaltending duties from Dwayne Roloson in the first period of Game 4 against Colorado and was superb in enabling the Wild to avoid elimination in three successive games. Minnesota converted seven of 29 power-play chances in the first round, including two of four in Game 7, and if it can continue to capitalize on those chances, the series could be tight Key injuries: MIN: None. VAN: None Goaltenders: MIN: Dwayne Roloson (1-3, .890 save percentage), Manny Fernandez (3-0, .939 save %); VAN: Dan Cloutier (4-3, .898 save percentage) Top scorers: MIN: Marian Gaborik, 4 goals, Sergei Zholtok, 6 assists; Andrew Brunette, Zholtok, Gaborik, 6 points; VAN: Markus Naslund, 4 goals, 7 points, Brent Sopel, 4 assists MATCHUPS MIN VAN Goals 2.29 2.43 Goals against 2.43 3.00 Power play 24.1 14.9 Penalty killing 84.6 79.2 Prediction: The Wild is spunky and resourceful, but the Canucks are probably too big and physical for them to handle. Vancouver in seven

*--*

*

*--* 2. NEW JERSEY vs. 3. TAMPA BAY

*--*

Game 1: Today at New Jersey...4

Game 2: Saturday at New Jersey...noon

Game 3: Monday at Tampa Bay...4

Game 4: Wednesday at Tampa Bay...4

Game 5: May 2 at New Jersey...4*

Game 6: May 4 at Tampa Bay...12:30*

Game 7: May 6 at New Jersey...4:30*

*--* Series preview: The Devils had a relatively easy time in ousting the Boston Bruins. Goalie Martin Brodeur proved his worth yet again by being chased in Game 4 and rebounding to record a series-clinching shutout in Game 5. John Madden, who did an outstanding job checking Joe Thornton, will likely see a lot of Vincent Lecavalier in this round. The Devils aren’t getting any offense from Scott Gomez, but Jeff Friesen showed some spark late in the season and could be a force. New Jersey’s defense is so ingrained and unshakable that they’ve barely had to change anything from their regular-season style. Scott Stevens isn’t as big a hitter as he used to be, but Brian Rafalski has stepped up to an elite level. Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Vaclav Prospal carried the Lightning’s scoring in its first playoff series victory, a six-game dismissal of the Washington Capitals. Dave Andreychuk chipped in nicely and Nikolai Khabibulin was solid in compiling a 2.07 goals-against average and .921 save percentage Key injuries: TB: D Brad Lukowich (eye); NJ: None Goaltenders: TB: Nikolai Khabibulin (4-2, .921 save percentage). NJ: Martin Brodeur (4-1, .940 save percentage) Top scorers: TB: Martin St. Louis, 5 goals, 9 points; Dan Boyle, 5 assists; NJ: John Madden, 6 assists, 8 points; Jamie Langenbrunner, 5 goals MATCHUPS TB NJ Goals 2.33 2.60 Goals against 2.50 1.60 Power play 14.8 13.6 Penalty killing 81.5 83.3 Prediction: Defense will be the difference. The Devils are more poised and patient. New Jersey in six

*--*