Scouting the East

	vs.
No. 1 Ottawa Senators		No. 5 Buffalo Sabres

Season series:Ottawa, 5-1-2.

Schedule: Today at Senators, 7 p.m.; Monday at Senators, 7; Wednesday at Sabres, 7; Thursday at Sabres, 7; *-May 13 at Senators, 7; *-May 15 at Sabres, 7; *-May 17 at Senators, 7; *- if neccesary.

Players to watch: Right winger Martin Havlat had a huge series in Round 1 against Tampa Bay, scoring six goals, while left winger Dany Heatley and center Jason Spezza set up eight each. Center Daniel Briere is the driving force behind Buffalo's well-balanced attack, and Toni Lydman provides vital skill and mobility on the blue line.

In the net: Both teams rely on rookie goalies -- Ray Emery for Ottawa, Ryan Miller for Buffalo -- who held up well under the opening-round pressure. Miller was particularly impressive in the final two games against Philadelphia, allowing just one goal in 120 minutes.

How Senators can win: Be patient and allow their edge in top-end skill to take over because Buffalo can match their speed and has superior depth. Limiting the number of high-quality stops Emery has to make could be a key, too.

How Sabres can win: Continue their habit of starting fast from the opening round, when they outscored Philadelphia, 13-2, in the first period. Get the puck to Ales Kotalik as much as possible because two of his three goals in Round 1 were game-winners.

Who will win: Senators in seven. Maybe 712. Unless the coin comes down on the other side.

	vs.
No. 2 Carolina Hurricanes		No. 3 New Jersey Devils

Season series: Carolina, 2-1-1.

Schedule: Saturday at Hurricanes, 2 p.m.; Monday at Hurricanes, 7:30; Wednesday at Devils, 7; May 13 at Devils, 3; *-May 14 at Hurricanes, 7; *-May 16 at Devils, 7:30; *-May 18 at Hurricanes, 7:30; *- if neccesary.

Players to watch: Center Rod Brind?Amour scored four goals and won 55.1 percent of his faceoffs against Montreal in the opening round, but right winger Mark Recchi will have to contribute more than the lone goal he got against the Canadiens. C Patrik Elias led the Devils -- and the league -- with 11 points in Round 1, despite playing just four games, and C John Madden had two short-handed goals, as New Jersey matched its regular-season output with three.

In the net: Rookie Cam Ward almost single-handedly lifted Hurricanes into second round after Martin Gerber stumbled early in Montreal series. New Jersey?s Martin Brodeur, until proven otherwise, remains the best high-stakes goalie in hockey.

How Hurricanes can win: Do effective damage-control against New Jersey?s top two lines. Disrupt New Jersey?s transition game by hitting its defensemen, especially skilled ones like Brian Rafalski, as much as possible.

How Devils can win: Stick to the script that has produced 15 consecutive victories. Getting Ward off his game with early goals would make it tough for the Hurricanes to battle back.

Who will win: Devils in six. They might not match the Penguins? record 17-game winning streak, especially with Games 1 and 2 in Raleigh, N.C., but it is hardly out of the question.

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Scouting the West

	vs.
No. 5 San Jose Sharks		No. 8 Edmonton Oilers

Season series: Edmonton, 3-1.

Schedule: Sunday at Sharks, 8 p.m.; Monday at Sharks, 10:30; Wednesday at Oilers, 10:30; May 12 at Oilers, 8; *-May 14 at Sharks, 10; *-May 17 at Oilers, 2; *-May 19 at Sharks, 3; *- if neccesary.

Players to watch: Center Patrick Marleau scored seven of San Jose?s 17 goals in the opening round and filled the void created when Nashville limited Joe Thornton?s offensive output. Chris Pronger was huge, in every sense, on Edmonton?s blue line in Round 1 against Detroit, piling up seven points and averaging 3312 minutes of ice time per game, while right winger Fernando Pisani scored five times in six games.

In the net: Vesa Toskala did nothing in the Nashville series to make Sharks coach Ron Wilson regret starting him ahead of Evgeni Nabokov. Dwayne Roloson was a major key to the Oilers? first-round victory as Edmonton lost only twice despite giving up a league-high 39.7 shots per game.

How Sharks can win: Have Thornton, who Nashville limited to four assists, become more of a force in the offense and upgrade his overall play. Maintaining the power-play production they had against the Predators is critical, too. How Oilers can win: Neutralize Thornton, with Pronger doing much of the heavy lifting. Getting a few goals from wingers Ales Hemsky and Sergei Samsonov would be a big plus.

Who will win: Sharks in six. Oilers are fast, feisty and coached well enough to replicate their upset of Detroit if San Jose sputters.

	vs.
No. 6 Anaheim Mighty Ducks		No. 7 Colorado Avalanche

Season series: Colorado, 3-0-1.

Schedule: Today at Anaheim, 10 p.m.; Sunday at Anaheim, 3; Tuesday at Avalanche, 8; Thursday at Avalanche, 10; *-May 14 at Anaheim, 3; *-May 17 at Avalanche, 2; *-May 19 at Anaheim, 3; *- if neccesary.

Players to watch: Teemu Selanne scored three goals in Anaheim?s final four games against Calgary, including the series-winner, and defenseman Francois Beauchemin?s two-way productivity is much higher than his profile. Colorado?s top line, which has Joe Sakic between Andrew Brunette and Milan Hejduk, accounted for eight of the Avalanche?s 18 goals.

In the net: Anaheim rookie Ilya Bryzgalov was the surprise of Round 1, replacing No. 1 goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere and leading the NHL in goals-against average (0.80) and save percentage (.968). Jose Theodore got his Colorado playoff career off to a decent start in the upset of Dallas, although his work early in the series was lackluster.

How Mighty Ducks can win: Come close to matching their defensive effort of Round 1, when they gave up a league-low average of 25.3 shots per game and rarely passed on a chance to throw a check. Avoiding a letdown after their seven-game upset of Calgary is imperative.

How Avalanche can win: Get Anaheim off-balance by attacking hard with more skill than Anaheim faced against Calgary, and, perhaps, forcing the Mighty Ducks into a more open style. Taking the games to overtime could be part of the formula, too; after all, it worked three times in Round 1.

Who will win: Colorado in six. Sakic, Hejduk and Co. will provide a good test for Bryzgalov?s composure.