=== Stanley Cup Finals Preview - Tampa Bay vs. Calgary ===
From The Sportsbooks
By Matt Canamucio, NHL Editor
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (1st seed, East)
REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 46-22-8-6
2004 PLAYOFFS: Defeated NY Islanders 4-1, Eastern Conference quarterfinals; Defeated Montreal 4-0, Eastern Conference semifinals; Defeated Philadelphia 4-3, Eastern Conference finals.
REVIEW: The Tampa Bay Lightning received their first true challenge of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference finals and, despite some hiccups along the way, they disposed of the Philadelphia Flyers in a thrilling seven games.
After battling through almost no adversity all spring, the Bolts went at it with the Flyers in a see-saw battle that had neither team win consecutive games. They were forced to show their resilience in Game 7, after losing Game 6 in overtime and blowing a first chance to advance.
Head coach John Tortorella, who made waves with his mouth early in the set, said the club would wipe the slate clean after the disheartening defeat, and it did. Tampa scored early en route to a 2-1 seventh-game win and earned a trip to its first-ever Stanley Cup Finals.
As was the case in the first two rounds, the Lightning received a difference- making performance from one player against the Flyers, and this time it was left wing Ruslan Fedotenko. The former Flyer burned his old club with six goals in the conference finals - four in the final three games. He started Game 7 with a first period power-play goal.
The second hero of the set was center Brad Richards, who tallied four goals and four assists - including the winners in Games 1 and 5. He scored two of the team's three power-play tallies in the pivotal Game 5.
And of course, the Bolts received typical production from Vincent Lecavalier - 4g, 2a - and Martin St. Louis - 1g, 5a - and captain Dave Andreychuk, who will play in the Finals for the first time, added a score and five helpers.
When looking at the numbers against Philly, the deciding factor proved to be the teams' power-play performances. Tampa finished 9-for-26 with the man advantage in the series, while Philadelphia converted only one of its 26 chances on the power play.
Last, but certainly not least, is goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin. He wasn't the invincible being we saw in the first two rounds, but nonetheless played well enough to get the Lightning through the series. His key contribution was an awesome 15-save effort during the third period of Game 5, which turned the tide in the set.
CALGARY FLAMES (6th seed, West)
REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 42-30-7-3
2004 PLAYOFFS: Defeated Vancouver 4-3, Western Conference quarterfinals; Defeated Detroit 4-2, Western Conference semifinals; Defeated San Jose 4-2, Western Conference finals.
REVIEW: The darlings of this year's Stanley Cup playoffs, the Flames have picked up where the 2003 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim left off. Calgary upset both Vancouver and Detroit before eliminating second-seeded San Jose in the Western Conference finals.
As a result of their 3-1 home victory over Sharks in Game 6 Wednesday night, the Flames secured a berth in the Finals for the first time in 15 years. For the second consecutive season, an upstart sixth seed is representing the West in the Finals rather than a traditional power like Colorado or Detroit.
"You know, at the start we started this season and we knew we had a gritty team and a team that worked hard. And our goal was to make the playoffs," said forward Martin Gelinas, who has scored the series-winning goal in each of the first three rounds. "And as the season went along we realized that once we get to the playoffs, that we have the kind of team that believes in the system, that can get you a long ways. At different times during the playoff different guys chipped in and played unbelievable."
Heading into the playoffs, many that thought the Flames were Jarome Iginla and not much else. But now we've all come to see what names like Ville Nieminen, Marcus Nilson, Shean Donovan, Craig Conroy and Gelinas are capable of when the chips are on the table. Iginla leads the team with 17 playoff points (10g, 7a), and is followed by Conroy and Gelinas with 15 and 12, respectively. Nilson, thought to be a bit acquisition during the season, follows with nine points, and Donovan with eight.
With Philadelphia's Keith Primeau out of the playoffs, Iginla now appears to be the frontrunner for the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP, depending upon what happens in this series of course. His playoff-leading 10 goals this spring have come despite the bullseye on his back. Three of his markers have come on the power play and two have been game-winners.
Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff has carried his Vezina-caliber regular season into the playoffs. He is 12-7 with a 1.90 goals-against average and .930 save percentage. Kiprusoff, who was obtained from the Sharks earlier this campaign, helped close out his old club by allowing just one goal on a combined 38 shots in the last two games of the West finals.
One issue for the Flames heading into the Finals is their play on home ice. Before the clinching win over San Jose, Calgary was just 3-5 at the Saddledome in the playoffs.
Of course, in addition to carrying the hopes of a city on their shoulders, the Flames are in a sense representing a nation. They are the first Canadian club to reach the Finals since 1994 (Vancouver), and will try to become the first to win it all since Montreal the previous year.
MATCHUP
While a Tampa-Calgary matchup might not be good for aesthetics and television ratings, it has the making of a pretty darn series in terms of hockey. On one hand are the Lightning, who like to take chances on both offense and defense. On the other are the Flames, who, while disciplined and structured, are deceptively fast and somehow find a way to be exciting despite a ton of premier talent.
The teams met only once in the regular season, back on January 24 at the Saddledome. The Bolts won, 6-2, behind a hat trick off the stick of St. Louis, who was waived by the Flames back in 1999. Of course, neither goaltender who will open this series appeared in that match, as Roman Turek manned the pipes for Calgary and John Grahame did so for Tampa.
While both teams have showcased solid scoring depth this postseason, the marquee names still grab the headlines. The Flames have shown the ability to get goals from other areas aside from Iginla, but he has yet to really be completely shut down in these playoffs. Even when he wasn't scoring, he was setting up for others.
Expect Iginla to see a lot of Tampa defenseman Pavel Kubina, who did his best to go against Primeau in the conference finals. The 230-pounder will merely be the latest to attempt the containment of Iginla, joining Mattias Ohlund (Vancouver), Derian Hatcher (Detroit) and Scott Hannan (San Jose), who are all sitting home.
The Lightning defense, which is extremely underrated, will be at full strength, as one of its regulars returned for Game 7 against Philly. Jassen Cullimore, another guy over 230 pounds, came back from a wrist injury and will be another body to use against Iginla. One thing, though, not to look for is Tortorella overusing one or two of his blueliners. While some coaches make their anchors log over 25 minutes come playoff time, Kubina leads the team's defense in ice time with a modest average of 22:44.
Calgary, meanwhile, continues to get by with a shorthanded defense. Regulars Denis Gauthier and Toni Lydman have missed most of the playoffs with injuries, causing other members of the corps to step up their ice time. Team Canada World Cup member Robyn Regehr has shined as the anchor, averaging over 26 minutes per night, while green youngsters Mike Commodore and Steve Montador have been asked to play significant minutes and have held their own.
It was thought that these injuries might catch up to the Flames against the speedy Sharks, and, for the most part, they didn't. The same question has to be asked again, especially against a club that has the tools and guts to play run-and-gun like the Lightning.
One concern for the Lightning, despite their ability to hold the lead late in Game 7, is how they play when ahead. Especially in Games 5 and 6 against Philadelphia, the Bolts sat back and allowed the Flyers to come at them. It worked in Game 5 and did not in Game 6. This could prove to be a vital factor, as the majority of Calgary's games this spring have been decided by just one goal in the waning minutes.
But don't expect that to be the deciding factor. In the playoffs it's all about goaltending and special teams. The netminding matchup is extremely even, but the Lightning have a tremendous advantage in the latter area. Tampa has converted 13 of its 64 power plays, while Calgary has killed off only 69 of its 87 shorthanded situations. And the Flames have a meager 10.7 percent success rate with the man advantage, while the Bolts have killed 90 percent of the opposition's power plays.
If those numbers aren't convincing, what are?
Sportsbooks predicted outcome: Lightning in 5
