USA TODAY hockey reporter Kevin Allen sizes up the Vancouver Canucks-Nashville Predators series that opens Thursday night:
How they got here: The Predators took down the Anaheim Ducks in six games to reach the second round for the first time in franchise history. Vancouver needed an overtime goal by Alex Burrows in Game 7 to knock off the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.
Season series: 2-2. Total goals: 8-6 Nashville
Goaltenders: Vancouver's Roberto Luongo (4-3, 2.97 goals-against average, .907 save percentage) vs. Nashville's Pekka Rinne (4-2, 3.29, .876). With Luongo's Game 7 victory, has he finally won over the Vancouver fans? Probably not. That will take a Stanley Cup. But beating Chicago probably adds another layer of confidence to a goalie who already has an Olympic gold and two world championships. Rinne is a Vezina Trophy finalist, but he can/should be better than he was in the first round. He has the ability to steal a game or a series.
Story line: Before you start feeling sorry for the Predators, look at the season series and look at the statistics that show Nashville's power play was as effective as Vancouver's in the first round. With the NHL's top defense pairing in Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, the Predators play a defensive style that is supposed to be effective at playoff time. Nashville is supposed to be the team that struggles to score, but in the first round, the Predators found the net more often than Vancouver. The Canucks' strength is that they have the series' top three offensive stars in Henrik and Daniel Sedin, plus Ryan Kesler. Nashville doesn't have flag carriers with that much ability. The Predators gained confidence with their first-round victory, but the Canucks earned their merit by surviving the Blackhawks series. That seemed like a cage match. The Canucks are above average to good to excellent in all aspects of the game.
Who's hot: Nashville right wing Jordin Tootoo has five points in six games and has impressed the hockey world with his level of play. He is now a pest who has learned how to play under control.
Who's not: Vancouver defenseman Christian Ehrhoff. If you are playing almost 23 minutes a game, you shouldn't have the team's worst plus-minus (minus-4)
Injuries: Vancouver, C Manny Malhotra (eye) is out for the season; D Sami Salo (leg) is questionable for Game 1. Nashville, RW Martin Erat (upper body) expects to play in Game 1.
Forecast: If you are comparing rosters, it's easy to pick Vancouver. But if you have watched Nashville play regularly, you realize that the Predators compete as aggressively as any team in the league. It's difficult to connect passes against them. Take Nashville in a six-game upset.
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