Conference finals, anyone?

We’re right down to it now, the conference finals. It hardly seems like we’re coming up on the end of another NHL season, but it’s coming as quick as ever. And this is no time to look back. Instead, we look ahead to the conference finals, with a new format.

The Eastern Conference final gets started Thursday night in Buffalo, where the league’s two highest-scoring teams are set for an epic battle. Forget about the past, and forget about the brawl earlier this season. The two teams have said all the right things leading up to this series, and they will leave it all on the ice.

Forwards advantage Buffalo
We all know Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson, and we all know they’re going to produce. They’re a coach’s dream on the top line, especially now that they’ve improved their defensive play. So why does Buffalo get the nod? Versatility. It’s rare to see line juggling work the way the Sabres make it work, but somehow they do it. From one shift to the next Dan Briere could be double shifting, Chris Drury could be, Max Afinogenov could be double shifting, benched, or scratched. And the Sabres rarely miss a beat. They typically roll all four lines, which leads to greater production from guys like Jochen Hecht or Adam Mair.

Defense advantage Ottawa
The Sabres have a really good defensive corps, but Chris Phillips is playing out-of-his-mind this post-season. He’s probably been the best defenseman in the entire playoffs, and his sidekick Anton Volchenkov seems to have stopped more shots than the goalie this spring. Meanwhile, Wade Redden is starting to play the way we all expect Wade Redden to play. And there’s one more reason to dislike Buffalo’s defense that I’ll get to later.

Goaltending advantage Ottawa
Ray Emery has been very good this spring. He beat the Art Ross winner in the first round, and a three-time Stanley Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist in the second round. Simply put, he’s played much better than anyone thought he could, and he’s been better than his counterpart Ryan Miller has.

Special teams advantage Ottawa
Though it seems strange to say, the Sabres have been unable to get their power play working the way it should be. They’re operating at just 15.3 per cent through the first two rounds, and should be in Ottawa’s 22.7 neighbourhood. Similarly, Buffalo’s penalty killing percentage is the worst of the eight teams that made the second round.

Coaching advantage Buffalo
Lindy Ruff is the NHL’s longest-tenured coach, and it’s for good reason. He’s now taken the Sabres to the Eastern Final three times, and the Stanley Cup once. Ruff isn’t big on matching a particular checking line against his opponents’ top lines, instead relying on the team system, and matching a defensive pair against the opposition’s top line. From time to time he will shorten his bench and utilize three five-man groups, and Ruff always seems to make the right adjustments. Senators coach Bryan Murray is a very good coach, but Ruff is just a little better.

Player that could ruin everything for his team
Every team has one of these guys. For Buffalo, it’s Jaroslav Spacek. He was lauded for his performance with the Oilers last spring, but the guy’s barely more useful than a traffic cone in his own end. As good as his offensive instincts can be, he makes some incredibly bone-headed plays in his own zone. For Ottawa, it’s less distressing. Oleg Saprykin could wear goat horns in Ottawa, despite playing a scant 6:28 a game.

It all adds up to
Buffalo in seven. As evenly-matched as these two teams are, Buffalo’s fans will be the X-factor in game seven.

Out west, Detroit and Anaheim meet up in a rematch of the playoff series that put the Ducks on the map back in 2003. The Ducks are coming off a grueling series with Vancouver, while the Red Wings skated circles around the Sharks en route to their first trip to the conference final since they won the Stanley Cup in 2002. But let’s look ahead, shall we?

Forwards advantage Detroit
The list doesn’t just read like a who’s who, it is a who’s who list of top-flight talent. Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Mikael Samuelsson, Robert Lang, Todd Bertuzzi, the Red Wings have so many forwards that can beat an opponent in so many ways, it’s impossible for the Ducks youngsters to match up. Ryan Getzlaf, Dustin Penner, Corey Perry, Chris Kunitz, and Andy McDonald just aren’t as impressive a list. Teemu Selanne has disappeared. Travis Moen and Samuel Pahlsson have been the Ducks most consistent forwards this spring, and Pahlsson leads all Ducks forwards with seven points.

Defense advantage Anaheim
Chris Pronger is up to his old playoff tricks. He leads the Ducks with 11 points this postseason, and he’s not leaving as big a mess as usual in his own end. Scott Neidermayer has been a rock, and Francois Beauchemin continues to improve. Those three guys match up well against any team’s defense, and it’s rare to even notice Joe DiPenta, Kent Huskins or Sean O’Donnell even taking a shift. The Wings are banged up along the blue line, and will rely heavily on Chris Chelios and Nicklas Lidstrom to lead the way. Danny Markov stepped up in games five and six against San Jose, and the Wings would love for him to do it again against Anaheim. Losing Mathieu Schneider is potentially devastating to the Wings.

Goaltending advantage Anaheim
The Ducks get the nod because they have a backup goalie in Ilya Bryzgalov that could be a starter for nearly any other team. J-S Giguere has been stellar between the pipes for the Ducks in the first two rounds, but hasn’t faced the kind of rubber the Wings will hope to send his way. Giguere is playing as well as he did when he carried the Cinderella Ducks to game seven of the final in 2003. At the other end of the ice, six Vezinas, two Harts, Olympic gold, Dominik Hasek. He’s not the Dominator that won six Vezinas in eight years, but he can still steal games.

Special teams advantage Anaheim
The numbers suggest these teams are on fairly even ground with the man advantage, but the Ducks penalty killing has been lights-out. They have killed 53 or 56 shorthanded situations in the playoffs, and the Wings have had trouble getting their power play going. The Red Wings penalty killing has been good, and shut the Sharks high-octane power play down, allowing just two power play goals.

Coaching advantage Anaheim
The Ducks struck gold when they plucked Randy Carlyle from the minor league coaching ranks. Carlyle is an excellent coach who gets the most out of his players. He doesn’t make many adjustments, instead preferring to stay the course. He gets full marks for the way he’s made his goalies co-exist in the 1-A, 1-B situation. Wings coach Mike Babcock is no slouch, and is familiar with some of the Ducks’ players from his time in Anaheim.

Player that could ruin everything for his team
For the Wings, it’s Kyle Calder. The Red Wings rolled the dice on Calder at the trade deadline, and were hoping for more than one point in 11 playoff games. His ineffective play is what hurts the Wings most. For the Ducks, it’s Pronger. The Wings will get after him physically, and he’s never had much success against smallish forwards. He can be outworked, and there is nothing more lethal come May than being outworked.

It all adds up to
Red Wings in seven. There’s been talk of empty seats at Joe Louis in the first two rounds, but expect Hockeytown to be rocking as this series moves along, and the Wings get closer to the Stanley Cup final. The Ducks have yet to face an elite offensive team in the playoffs, and their inability to score will catch up to them.