By James Duplacey
April 23, 2008 4:49pm CDT

The Red Wings soared and flew past the Predators, the Stars shone and dethroned the not-so-mighty Ducks while the Avalanche smothered the Wild and the Sharks bit and extinguished the Flames. The opening salvos have now been fired, the tallies have been counted and now the test and trial becomes survival of the fittest as the Western Conference Semi-Finals begin. With an eye to the week that will be and a nod to the week that was, this is the story in the wild, wild West.

Detroit Red Wings (1) vs. Colorado (8)

Season Series: Detroit won all four meetings

Despite suffering a pair of losses to Nashville, thanks largely to the spectacular goaltending of Dan Ellis between the Predator pipes, Detroit took care of business in the opening round. Chris Osgood, relegated to the bench for the majority of the first four games, came off the pine to put the Wings in flight, pitching a shutout in game six as the Motown mob whitewashed the plucky Predators 3-0. Ten different Detroit snipers found the back of the net in the series, with Pavel Datsyuk (3g, 2a), Jiri Hudler (2g, 3a) and Johan Franzen (2g, 2a) advancing the attack. Niklas Kronvall (5a) and Nicklas Lidstrom (1g, 2a) were solid, steady and slick in their own zone while the ageless Chris Chelios (+2) appeared in all six games and patrolled the blueline with patient poise.

Buoyed by a trio of Stanley Cup-savvy veterans, the Colorado Avalanche relied on superior speed, steady goaltending and opportunistic offense to tame the Minnesota Wild in six games. Joe Sakic (2g, 3a), Andrew Brunette (3g, 2a) and Peter Forsberg (1g, 4a) ignited the Avalanche attack while crease cop Jose Theodore silenced his critics by registering all four wins while compiling a tidy 1.88 goals-against-average. Colorado were able to neutralize the grit and grime of the Minnesota machine with calculated composure, timely scoring and disciplined determination, qualities that they must continue to exhibit to ground the high-flying Red Wings.

Fantasy Footnotes: Chris Osgood is the only goaltender still alive in the playoffs with two Stanley Cup championships on his resume. Osgood helped Detroit win the title in 1996-97 and 1997-98.
Fantasy Fixtures: Detroit special team master Kirk Maltby is still questionable for the start of the second round.
Fantasy Fact: No team with a European captain has won the Stanley Cup.
Fantasy Forecast: Detroit won all four meetings during the regular season, but those games were played before the Avalanche acquired Adam Foote, signed Peter Forsberg and regained the services of Joe Sakic. Unlike the belligerent and brutal bombardment that characterized past playoff encounters between these two combatants, this should be battle of possession rather than attrition. If Detroit, with superior strength along the blueline, can control the tempo of the game and dominate puck politics, they should be able to withstand any physical punishment the Stars can produce.

Detroit in six.


San Jose Sharks (2) vs. Dallas Stars (3)


Season Series: Dallas and San Jose split their eight meetings


Determination, dedication and discipline were the key factors in Dallas' shocking upset of the Anaheim Ducks in the opening round of the playoffs. Steady, often spectacular goaltending from Marty Turco (4 wins, 2.01 gaa) and a balanced and composed effort from a largely inexperienced brood of blueliners helped the Stars dethrone the defending champions and pluck the Ducks in six games. Combine those factors with a gritty, gutsy performance by Stephane Robidais (1g, 5a, +2) and opportunistic offensive contributions from Mike Ribeiro (2g, 6a), Jere Lehtinen (2g, 4a) and Mike Modano (2g, 4a) and a plucky group of Stars advanced to the second round for the first time since 2003. Robidas, who suffered a broken nose in game five but refused to miss a shift, led the club with 24 shots-on-goal and provided veteran leadership, a much-needed component. The Stars were forced to dress a trio of freshmen defensemen (Matt Niskanen, Nicklas Grossman and Mark Fistric) due to injuries to Philippe Boucher and Sergei Zubov.

As predicted, San Jose was able to dampen the wick of the fiery Flames in a hard-fought, blistering seven-game tussle. The result was actually flattering to the Flames, who were soundly outplayed in five of the seven contests. The Sharks, who were blazing hot down the stretch, were able to advance despite a less-than-compelling performance from Joe Thornton, who despite registering an impressive seven points, including the game-winning marker in game three, wasn't a physical presence. Instead, it was lesser lights like Ryan Clowe (4g, 4a) and Joe Pavelski (3g, 4a) who borrowed the spotlight from Thornton (2g, 5a), Brian Campbell (0g, 3a) and Patrick Marleau (2g, 4a). Evgeni Nabokov, who as expected was named as one of the three finalists for the Vezina Trophy, was steady though not spectacular. Jeremy Roenick, who was delegated to the press box for game six against Calgary, feasted on the Flames in the final contest, slipping a pair of pucks into the Calgary cage while adding a set of helpers for a four-point outing, a San Jose post-season record. Christain Ehrhoff rebounded from an injury suffered early in the series to register a trio assists and bolster the Sharks blueline. Youngster Marc-Edouard Vlasic and veteran Craig Rivet were both reliable and responsible in their own zone, characteristics they will need to continue if the Sharks are to silence the Stars.

Fantasy Footnotes: Sergei Zubov, who was a member of the Stanley Cup-winning NY Rangers club in 1994 and the Dallas Stars champions in 1999, has collected 111 points in 153 playoff games. That offensive contribution will be sorely missed if the veteran backliner is unable to suit up against the Sharks. Jeremy Roenick has six goals in the six game-sevens he has played in his career. The oldest Shark at 38 years young, Roenick has never had his name inscribed on Lord Stanley's Holy Grail.
Fantasy Fixtures: Philippe Boucher, who suffered a "lower body" injury in game three of the Ducks series, is still out for the Dallas Stars. Zubov has resumed skating and may be able to dress during the second round.
Fantasy Fact: Dallas has advanced beyond the second round since the 1999-2000 season, when they lost a hard-fought final to the New Jersey Devils.
Fantasy Forecast: By finally exorcising the ghosts of playoffs past, San Jose will enter this round with a well-deserved and arduously-earned confidence, an intangible that should propel them past the Stars. Watch for the Sharks to expose the inexperienced Stars defense with relentless puck pressure, blinding speed and continual physical pounding. In their final encounter during the regular season, the two clubs combined for a whopping 160 minutes in penalties, and some scribes expect that taste of nastiness to expose itself in the series.

San Jose in five.