Red Wings, Lightning Already Beat Odds

There already have been some upsets in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

For starters, Detroit and Tampa Bay, the top-seeded teams from the Western and Eastern Conferences, have advanced past the first round.

That marks only the second time in six seasons that both regular-season conference winners have avoided first-round upsets.

Advancing from here will take some doing for both teams.

Detroit, which struggled against Nashville in the first round, is racked with goaltender questions as it faces Calgary, which is racked with injuries after a seven-game series with Vancouver.

In the East, Tampa Bay is still suspect in the eyes of many hockey experts -- the Toronto media, for example -- and faces a Montreal team that won three consecutive elimination games to slip past Boston in the first round.

Philadelphia and San Jose might be the two sharpest teams in the playoffs. Both got through the first round in five games. The question for those teams is whether they can maintain their high levels after long layoffs. Philadelphia faces Toronto and San Jose faces Colorado.

Here’s how they match up:

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1. Detroit vs. 6. Calgary

SCHEDULE

* at Detroit...Thursday, 4:30 p.m.

* at Detroit...Saturday, noon

* at Calgary...Tuesday, 6 p.m.

* at Calgary...April 29, 7 p.m.

* at Detroit...May 1, noon*

* at Calgary...May 3, 7 p.m.*

* at Detroit...May 5, 4 p.m.*

BREAKDOWN

Series preview: Both teams are coming off their first playoff series victory since winning a Stanley Cup. It just took Calgary 15 years to do it. The Flames showed their grit in dispatching Vancouver to advance for the first time since winning the Cup in 1989 but paid a price with several key injuries. Goalie Miikka Kiprusoff is showing that he was no regular-season fluke. In Detroit, Curtis Joseph, the goat of their first-round loss last season, has been resurrected. He came off the bench to win Games 5 and 6 against Nashville. Still, he wasn’t tested much and the Flames will be buzzing the net, especially Jarome Iginla. A bad game and Joseph will be back on the bench.

Key injuries: DET: D Jason Woolley (back), C Mark Mowers (foot). CAL: D Denis Gauthier (lower body), D Toni Lydman (lower body), LW Chris Simon (lower body), C Dean McAmmond (back), LW Dave Lowery (abdominal strain), C Steven Reinprecht (shoulder).

Goaltenders: DET: Joseph (2-0, .977 save percentage); Manny Legace (2-2, .905 save percentage). CAL: Kiprusoff (4-3, .922).

Top scorers: DET: Robert Lang, two goals, four assists. CAL: Iginla, five goals, three assists; Craig Conroy, one goal, five assists.

Prediction: Detroit goalies are fragile, but Calgary is beat up. Red Wings in six.

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2. San Jose vs. 4. Colorado

SCHEDULE

* at San Jose...Thursday, 7 p.m.

* at San Jose...Saturday, noon

* at Colorado...Monday, 5 p.m.

* at Colorado...Wednesday 7 p.m.

* at San Jose...May 1, noon*

* at Colorado...May 4, 5 p.m.*

* at San Jose...May 6, TBA*

BREAKDOWN

Series preview: No team boasts as much star power as the Avalanche, even if Paul Kariya stays sidelined because of an ankle injury. Yet, it was rookie Marek Svatos who pushed Colorado past the Dallas Stars in the first round of the playoffs. Peter Forsberg is re-establishing himself as a top-five player in the NHL. David Aebischer is no Patrick Roy, but he handled the Stars in his first playoff series. San Jose, on the other hand, was a faceless force in eliminating the St. Louis Blues in five games in the first round. The Sharks are fast and have a young defense that has been solid in front of goalie Evgeni Nabokov.

Key injuries: SJ: LW Marco Sturm (ankle), RW Scott Thornton (knee), C Alyn McCauley (hand). COL: Kariya (ankle).

Goaltenders: SJ: Nabokov (4-1, .937 save percentage). COL: Aebischer (4-1, .936).

Top scorers: SJ: Patrick Marleau, three goals, one assist; Vincent Damphousse, no goals, four assists. COL: Forsberg three goals, five assists; Joe Sakic four goals, two assists; Svatos one goal, five assists.

Prediction: The Sharks might lack big-name players, but no team in the Western Conference is playing better than they are right now. San Jose in seven.

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1. Tampa Bay vs. 7. Montreal

SCHEDULE

* at Tampa Bay Friday, 4 p.m.

*at Tampa Bay Sunday, 1 p.m.

* at Montreal Tuesday, 4 p.m.

* at Montreal April 29, 4 p.m.

* at Tampa Bay May 1, TBA*

* at Montreal May 3, 4 p.m.*

*at Tampa Bay May 5, 4 p.m.*

BREAKDOWN

Series preview: Alex Kovalev re-emerged -- finally -- in Montreal and the Canadiens rebounded from a 3-1 deficit to beat Boston. Hardly a coincidence. Kovalev, who scored one goal in 12 regular-season games after being acquired from the New York Rangers, had five goals against the Bruins. The Canadiens are strong defensively, backed by Jose Theodore, who looks more and more like the goalie who won the Vezina and Hart trophies in 2001-02. This is where Tampa Bay checked out last season, losing to New Jersey. That experience should help now. Martin St. Louis continues to be creative, pushing the Lightning offense. Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin has three shutouts and has stopped 137 of 141 shots.

Key injuries: TB: D Jassen Cullimore (shoulder), LW Cory Stillman (hip). MON: RW Niklas Sundstrum (ankle), D Stephane Quintal (upper body).

Goaltenders: TB: Khabibulin (4-1, .972 save percentage). MON: Theodore (4-3, .938).

Top scorers: TB: Fredrik Modine, five goals, three assists; St. Louis, four goals, one assist. MON: Saku Koivu, two goals, eight assists; Kovalev, five goals, three assists; Richard Zednik, three goals, three assists.

Prediction: If the Canadiens continue to play tight defense, they win in six.

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3. Philadelphia vs 4. Toronto

SCHEDULE

* at Philadelphia...Thursday, 4:30 p.m.

* at Philadelphia...Sunday, 4 p.m.

* at Toronto...Wednesday, 4 p.m.

* at Toronto...April 30, 4 p.m.

* at Philadelphia...May 2, 1 p.m.*

* at Toronto...May 4, 4 p.m.*

* at Philadelphia...May 6, 5 p.m.*

BREAKDOWN

Series preview: Robert Esche is the surprise goalie of the playoffs. He outplayed Martin Brodeur in leading the Flyers past New Jersey in five games. No team is deeper at center than Philadelphia. Jeremy Roenick seems recovered from a concussion. Losing Kim Johnsson to a broken hand hurts; he was the highest-scoring defenseman in the playoffs. Center Claude Lapointe is serving a suspension. Toronto is fresh from its seemingly annual torturing of Ottawa, and Ed Belfour has been brilliant. The Maple Leafs have the kind of gritty personality that takes a team deep into the playoffs. Defensemen Bryan McCabe and Brian Leetch give Toronto offensive presence on the blue line.

Key injuries: PHIL: Johnsson (broken hand), D Eric Desjardins (forearm). TOR: C Owen Nolan (knee), C Mats Sundin (lower body), LW Mikael Renberg (hamstring).

Goaltenders: PHIL: Robert Esche (4-1, .942 save percentage). TOR: Belfour (4-3, .954).

Top scorers: PHIL: Alexei Zhamnov, three goals, five assists; Roenick, two goals, five assists. TOR: Joe Nieuwendyk, five goals, no assists; Gary Roberts, three goals, one assist; McCabe, three goals, one assist.

Prediction: Esche should lead Philadelphia to victory in six games.