Having the home-ice edge is an advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs - (see Home is sweet in Round 2) -- but not so in the conference finals.
In the 11 playoff seasons since the NHL shifted to the current playoff format, higher-seeded teams (based on regular-season record) have only managed to split 22 series. That's a big contrast from the 35-13 mark (.729 winning percentage) they've put up in the conference semifinals and the 62-34 (.646) they've posted in first-round series.
The Western Conference has seen some particularly interesting pairings in its half of the final four. The Anaheim Mighty Ducks are the third consecutive sixth-seeded team to make the Western finals -- and the second to have the home-ice edge. Anaheim, the seventh seed in 2003, swept sixth-seeded Minnesota on the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.
One thing to look for in the conference finals is a seven-game series. There has been at least one every year since 2001, and five of the last 10 series in this round have gone to the limit. There was only one seven-game series in the first two rounds this year, the fewest since 2001, when only one of the first 12 series went seven games.
Eight Is Enough -- The Edmonton Oilers are back in the conference finals for the first time since 1992, They did it by accomplishing something no team has done under the current format -- winning back-to-back series after qualifying eighth. No No. 8 seed had previously made the conference finals.
By rallying from a 2-0 deficit to beat the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference semifinals, the Oilers also became the second team this year to win a series after dropping the first two games. It's the seventh playoff year in a row that at least one team has climbed out of a 2-0 hole to win a series -- the longest such streak in NHL history. This is the fifth time it's happened twice in the same year (1968, 1992, 1993 and 1996 are the others). The only year it's happened three times was 1987, when Quebec, Montreal and Detroit all rallied from 2-0 deficits to win their series.
Turn On The Power -- The winner of the Edmonton-Anaheim series could well be determined by which team can score on the power play. Anaheim swept Colorado in the second round with a big assist from its penalty-killers, who were 24-for-24, while the Oilers limited San Jose to two goals in 35 opportunities. In all, the Mighty Ducks enter the third round having killed off 36 straight opposition power plays, dating back to the first period of Game 5 in the opening round against Calgary.
If the regular season is any indication, the Oilers may have an edge: They were 7-for-28 in four regular-season games against Anaheim, while limiting the Mighty Ducks to 2 goals in 22 chances (and scoring a shorthanded goal themselves). Not surprisingly, the Oilers won all four meetings (one in a shootout).
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The Oilers are 16-3 with one tie in their last 20 meetings with Anaheim, including 4-0 this season, and have won the last 12 meetings at Rexall Place.
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Oil Slick -- Anaheim may have the home-ice edge in the West, but Edmonton should have a psychological advantage. The Oilers swept the season series and have made duck soup of their Southern California rivals over the past five seasons. Edmonton is 16-3 with one tie in the teams' last 20 meetings, including 4-0 this season. The Oilers have won the teams' last 12 meetings at Rexall Place, where the Mighty Ducks have yet to win in the 21st century -- their last win in Edmonton was a 2-1 triumph on Feb. 24, 1999.
Quick On The Draw -- One area in which the Mighty Ducks will have to make their presence felt against Edmonton is in the faceoff circle. The Oilers, who were second in faceoff percentage during the regular season (53.5 percent), destroyed San Jose in the faceoff dot in their second-round series. The Oilers won 256 faceoffs in the six-game victory over the Sharks while losing 179 (58.9 percent). The difference was even more marked in Edmonton, where the Oilers were 161-96 (.62.6 percent).
Though they didn't beat the Oilers during the regular season, the Mighty Ducks did OK on faceoffs, winning more than they lost in three of the four games.
Short Stuff -- Jason Pominville made some NHL history when his shorthanded goal in overtime gave Buffalo a 3-2 victory over Ottawa in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Not only did Pominville become only the sixth player in NHL history to score a shorthanded goal in overtime, he carved his own line in the record book by becoming the first player to win a series with one. Pominville's shorthanded goal in OT was the first since 1990, when Tony Granato scored one for Los Angeles. Interestingly, Granato's was the only one of the six scored by the home team.
Blanks -- There were four shutouts in the conference semifinals, bringing the total for this playoff year to eight -- a far cry from the 19 that had been recorded through two rounds in 2004. None of this year's eight shutouts have seen the goaltender involved overworked: In all eight, the team that was shut out managed only 21 to 29 shots on goal. Two years ago, 11 of the 19 blankings in the first two rounds required the winning goaltender to stop at least 30 shots.
