DALLAS	VS.	EDMONTON
51-20-9		36-33-11
111 Pts		83 Pts
2nd in West		7th in West
REGULAR SEASON STATS TEAM STATS
16.8% (6th)	PP%	15.6% (12th)
87.8% (4th)	PK%	86.5% (10th)
16.4 (19th)	PIM/G	14.0 (24th)
3.30 (5^th)	GF/G	2.85 (18th)
2.35 (1^st)	GA/G	3.09 (21st)
27.3 (14th)	SF/G	26.8 (19th)
25.2 (5th)	SA/G	27.0 (13th)
TOP 3 POINT SCORERS
C Gomez (30-55-85)	1	C Conroy (31-38-69)
LW Johansson (28-45-73)	2	RW Selanne (24-41-65)
C Stumpel (21-47-68)	3	C Oates (18-38-56)
TOP 3 GOAL SCORERS
C Gomez (30)	1	C Conroy (31)
RW Vigier (29)	2	RW Selanne (24)
RW Hull (29)	3	RW Knuble (24)
TOP 3 PLUS/MINUS
C Stumpel +26	1	D Regehr +12
RW Dimaio +26	2	LW Dahlen +5
D Lefebvre +23	3	LW Cajanek +2
TOP GOALTENDER
Burke		Cechmanek
2.31	GAA	2.77
.908	SV%	.894
40-15-8	W-L-T	27-27-9
6	SO	3
SEASON SERIES STATS RESULTS
Dallas Wins Series 2-0-0
DAL, 2	Game 1	EDM, 1
DAL, 3	Game 2	EDM, 2
TEAM STATS
12.5%	PP%	0%
100%	PK%	87.5%
18	PIM/G	15
2.5	GF/G	1.5
1.5	GA/G	2.5
25.5	SF/G	25
25	SA/G	25.5
TOP 3 POINT SCORERS
C Stumpel (0-3-3)	1	RW Dumont (1-1-2)
RW Hull (1-1-2)	2	LW Cajanek (0-2-2)
D Olausson (1-1-2)	3	C Conroy (0-1-1)
BREAKDOWN FORWARDS
The Stars have depth at the forward positions. Center being their strongest in terms of depth with a guy like Chris Gratton on their third line, complimented by Gomez and Stumpel ahead of him. However on the wings, they are more higher-end than dependant on depth, after big names John LeClair and Brett Hull, they don’t have much on either wing except JP Vigier and Andreas Johansson, each who managed to surprise everyone with 29 and 28 goals respectively. In this case Dallas gets the nod because of their grit and size at the forward position from Chris Gratton, Scott Gomez and John LeClair.	WINNER	Edmonton at the forward position is built very similar to the Stars, they also have depth at center with Conroy, Oates, and Comrie, a nice mix of speed, youth and experience. On the wings, they’re also similar to the Stars with higher end talent, a la Teemu Selanne. However, unlike the Stars, the Oilers have obvious and proven depth on the wings with guys like Dumont, Knuble and Cajanek. The nice fix of finesse in Selanne, speed of Comrie, experience of Oates is well balanced however the forwards are small and relatively soft, which may cost the Oilers.
DEFENSE
The Dallas defense is at best, mediocre. Without any true elite defensemen, and without a long list of depth. Don’t get me wrong, the Stars have a dependable core of defensemen for sure, but nothing stands out from the pack and with that from an elite team, you’d expect something surprising at the 5^th and 6^th defensemen. However, it’s only Ward and Sekeras, both worthy of being 6^th defensemen, but not on an elite team. Smith is a dependable defenseman, but once again, you wouldn’t expect him to be the CTCHL 2^nd best team’s top defenseman. Carney and Smith will need to play the good, sound, defensive hockey they are capable of. We’re still pondering how this team had the least GA in the league, oh yes, Sean Burke.	WINNER	We give the edge to Edmonton in this case just because the Edmonton defense is to put it simple, responsible and dependable. Robyn Regehr and Eric Desjardins will rarely make mistakes in the defensive zone and are a nice mixed pairing of youth and experience. The dependability continues with Sean Hill and Eric Weinrich, too very responsible defensemen. The 5^th and 6^th defensemen showcase exactly how deep this Edmonton defense is, with Houlder and Odelein, Dallas won’t get many breaks. This Oilers defense is definitely underrated and deserves much more credit than they’ve been given. We give the slight edge to the Oilers in defense.
DAL PP vs. EDM PK
John LeClair and Brett Hull on the same powerplay unit and centered by Scott Gomez. Simply Gorgeous. The soft hands of Gomez should compliment nicely with the size of LeClair in front of the net and the great finisher in Brett Hull. This first unit should be dynamite, the second line should follow up nicely as well with Stumpel centering Johansson and Vigier, the three have 78 goals combined, and with a fairly weak Edmonton PK, we don’t seem much changing with the league’s 6^th best powerplay.	WINNER	The Oilers PK is decent, but nothing more. Conroy and Pisani make up the top unit with responsible defensemen Houlder and Desjardins on the back end. Conroy is dependable and has always been a solid PKer, however Pisani still has a lot to learn and his inexperience may cost the Oilers. The second unit of Eastwood and Knuble is a pretty good unit since it is a second unit, however both lines will have trouble maintaining the lethal Dallas powerplay. Luckily the Oilers are in the bottom 10 in penalty minutes.
EDM PP vs. DAL PK
Chris Gratton is one of the more underrated Penalty killers in the league, his importance to this Dallas club sometimes goes overshadowed but he is the main reason for Dallas owning the 4^th best PK% in the league. With him centering the top unit and two of the most defensively responsible defensemen in the game in the back end, the Dallas Stars should be able to contain the pretty decent Oilers power-play.		One of the best playmaking centers to ever play the game in Oates will benefit the Oilers, especially with Teemu Selanne under his wing. The second unit of Conroy, Knuble, Dumont isn’t too shabby either and should come through for some goals. The Oilers have a nice balance of powerplay units but may run into trouble with the league’s 4^th best PK.
GOALTENDING
Comparing Sean Burke to Roman Cechmanek is unreasonable. Especially with the season Burke just had, coming off a Vezina worthy year in which he won 40 games including 6 shutouts and an absolutely intimidating GAA of 2.31 and SV% of .908. He’s the reason the Dallas Stars were the best defensive team in hockey. The mediocre defense in front of him is all the more reason to praise him.	WINNER	Roman Cechmanek is a good goaltender, however, quite unproven in the playoffs. His .500 season leaves plenty more to be attained, he’ll have to be on his game to keep the Oilers in this series. Stars get the nod with their Vezina nominated goaltender.
COACHING
Ken Hitchcock is easily one of the best coaches currently in the league. From his leadership, to his experience, to his strong offensive game to compliment the stingy defensive game. This guy has all the intangibles in a coach that make a team a champion.	WINNER	Jim Schoenfeild is hardly a household name, he’s also hardly comparable to Ken Hitchcock. He’s done well here in Edmonton, however he lacks a leadership presence and lacks an offensive system that the Oilers need to fight back against the possible trap-frenzy Stars. These may be crucial behind the scenes issues that cost the Oilers a few games.
	PREDICTION
	WINNER IN 6!