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Western Conference Playoff Previews

Minnesota Northstars 1 Seattle Sasquatches 8
Divisional Seed First, Central Division Divisional Seed Fifth, Pacific Division
Conference Seed First, Western Conference Conference Seed Fifth, Eastern Conference
Season Record 57-22-3- 117 PTS Season Record

31-43-8- 70 PTS
Top 3 Scorers

 

 
Player POS GP G A PTS
Eric Lindros C 82 55 72 127
Paul Kariya LW 82 40 71 111
Tony Amonte RW 79 27 66 93
Top 3 Scorers

 

 
Player POS GP G A PTS
Doug Weight C 81 35 43 78
Valeri Kamensky LW 82 36 37 73
Igor Korolev RW 76 26 37 63
Other Stats

Special Teams
GSA Rank GAA Rank
Offense 3.99 2nd Defense 2.41 3rd
% Rank % Rank
PP % 20.6% 4th PK % 82.6% 19th
Other Stats

Special Teams
  GSA Rank   GAA Rank
Offense 2.70  15th Defense 2.99 14th
  % Rank % % Rank
PP % 11.5% 20th PK % 80.8% 20th
Northstars            The Northstars are a team that just seems to get better as time goes on.  The two time winners of the Cup are looking for their third.  The top line of Eric Lindros, Paul Kariya, and Tony Amonte recorded a total of 331 points, second only to the Whalers line of Selanne, Modano, and Bure.  Kevin Hatcher led all ZHL defensemen with 21 goals and Nikolai Khabibulin once again placed in the top five among net minders.  The one weak link in the solid chain of the Northstars is perhaps their penalty kill, which ranked 19th in the ZHL.
Sasquatches The Sasquatches slipped into the 8th playoff spot within the final week of the regular season, mostly due to the acquisition of Mike Richter before the trade deadline.  Richter is a proven winner in this league and could be the Sasquatches' chance at a 2000 Flames like upset of the Northstars.  The first line of Weight, Kamensky, and Korolev is a line mostly put together through trades.  Besides Robert Svehla, the Sasquatches don't have much to throw at opposing teams, which may be their downfall this postseason.
Season Series Results
Northstars win series 4-0-0
  Calgary Flames 2 Ft. McMurray Oil Barons 7
Divisional Seed First, Pacific Division Divisional Seed Fourth, Pacific Division
Conference Seed Second, Western Conference Conference Seed Seventh, Western Conference
Season Record 44-36-2- 90 PTS Season Record

32-41-9- 73 PTS
Top 3 Scorers

 

 
Player POS GP G A PTS
Mario Lemieux C 53 22 41 63
Mariusz Czerkawski RW 76 23 37 60
Darcy Tucker LW 82 27 31 58
Top 3 Scorers

 

 
Player POS GP G A PTS
Alex Tanguay LW 82 39 38 77
Sandis Ozolinsh D 80 14 50 64
Milan Hejduk RW 79 21 34 55
Other Stats

Special Teams
GSA Rank GAA Rank
Offense 2.80 11th Defense 2.78 9th
% Rank % Rank
PP % 12.4% 17th PK % 85.7% 9th
Other Stats

Special Teams
  GSA Rank   GAA Rank
Offense 2.68  16th Defense 2.90 13th
  % Rank % % Rank
PP % 15.0% 13th PK % 88.0% 4th
Flames            The Flames are definitely this season's rags to riches team.  The people of Calgary celebrated when Mario decided to sign with the Flames a month before the all star break.  Brian Boucher also stepped up as a formidable top goaltender for the Flames.  This season is the Flames first time ever to finish above .500 and were a long shot to win the Pacific at the beginning of the season.  With Al MacInnis at the point, the Flames can hit you from many angles and will prove to be trouble for the Oil Barons in the first round.
Oil Barons Under new GM, Chris White, the Oil Barons managed to clinch their third straight playoff berth.  The Barons are a team of young stars, highlighted by Alex Tanguay's brilliant season in which he nearly topped the 40 goal mark.  He will by far be the best player on the Barons for the post season.  The defense of the Barons is a strong one, including names like Derian Hatcher, Sandis Ozolinsh, Chris Phillips, and Tom Poti.  Steve Shields is always a solid man between the pipes. 
Season Series Results
Series tied 3-3-0
Los Angeles Kings 3 Las Vegas S&Ms 6
Divisional Seed Second, Pacific Division Divisional Seed Third, Central Division
Conference Seed Third, Western Conference Conference Seed Sixth, Western Conference
Season Record 39-31-12- 90 PTS Season Record

36-39-7- 79 PTS
Top 3 Scorers

 

 
Player POS GP G A PTS
Petr Sykora LW 82 27 45 72
Lubos Bartecko LW 82 23 34 57
Radek Dvorak RW 82 26 30 56
Top 3 Scorers

 

 
Player POS GP G A PTS
Vincent Lecavalier C 82 30 42 72
Mats Sundin C 80 30 36 66
Colin Forbes LW 76 21 40 61
Other Stats

Special Teams
GSA Rank GAA Rank
Offense 2.73 14th Defense 2.66 6th
% Rank % Rank
PP % 12.6% 16th PK % 90.3% 3rd
Other Stats

Special Teams
  GSA Rank   GAA Rank
Offense 2.49  20th Defense 2.68 7th
  % Rank % % Rank
PP % 15.2% 12th PK % 83.3% 17th
Kings           The Kings underwent a number of changes in the 2003-04 season and became one of the youngest teams in the league.  Petr Sykora was a godsend for the Kings, recording 72 points and making players around him play better.  Rob Blake leads a young blue line and recorded 41 points to lead the Kings' pointmen.  Olaf Kolzig was solid minding the shop, recording a 2.59 GAA.  The Penalty kill proved to be great as well, as it has been for the past three seasons in the ZHL.  The question is, however, can this young team make an impact?
S&Ms For the first time ever, the Las Vegas S&Ms are making a postseason appearance somewhere other then a golf course.  Vincent Lecavalier and Mats Sundin provide a powerful offensive surge up the middle.  Curtis Joseph has been a solid force in net for the S&Ms the entire time they've been in the ZHL and for the first time, he has a defense in front of him.  The S&Ms had quite a run to finish out the season, going 6-4-0 in their last ten and missing the fifth playoff spot by only one point.  I have a feeling about this team, keep an eye on them.
Season Series Results
Kings win series 2-1-1
Denver Black Knights 4 Detroit Red Wings 5
Divisional Seed Third, Pacific Division Divisional Seed Second, Central Division
Conference Seed Fourth, Western Conference Conference Seed Fifth, Western Conference
Season Record 41-37-4- 86 PTS Season Record

35-37-10- 80 PTS
Top 3 Scorers

 

 
Player POS GP G A PTS
Valeri Bure RW 80 42 56 98
Chris Drury C 80 31 55 86
Steve Kariya RW 82 29 56 85
Top 3 Scorers

 

 
Player POS GP G A PTS
Sergei Fedorov C 82 34 56 90
Steve Yzerman C 82 42 47 89
Tomas Holmstrom LW 82 22 44 66
Other Stats

Special Teams
GSA Rank GAA Rank
Offense 3.22 6th Defense 3.28 18th
% Rank % Rank
PP % 16.0% 11th PK % 80.5% 21st
Other Stats

Special Teams
  GSA Rank   GAA Rank
Offense 2.99 9th Defense 2.99 15th
  % Rank % % Rank
PP % 23.7 1st PK % 86.5% 8th
Black Knights    This team gets better and better with each season.  Valeri Bure came into his own, recording 98 points and leading the team in just about all categories.  Chris Drury and Steve Kariya are another pair of youngsters making an impact on this squad.  The Knights are purely an offensive team though.  They placed 6th in the league offensively but faltered defensively, placing 18th in the league.  Patrick Lalime is a good goaltender, but even good goaltenders can't be THAT good without a good defense.
Red Wings This team doesn't often change much.  At most, this team has made two trades in their existence, making them the least active team in the league.  This team is GOOD on the power play, in fact, good is an understatement.  Steve Yzerman and Donald Audette tied for third in the league for power play goals with 8.  Their penalty kill isn't too shabby either.  Chris Osgood is a solid man that any coach would love to have in net every night, in fact he recorded 82 GP this past season.  Can Osgood keep it together for the post season?
Season Series Results
Black Knights win series 2-1-1

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