In the most equitable trade in modern NHL history, Marian Hossa (43-57-100) came to the Atlanta Thrashers from Ottawa for Dany Heatley in the Fall of 2005.  Hossa has been tremendous, taking the Thrashers to the next level and what's more, he's very strong on his skates.  Hossa's 43 goals is his best since 02-03, when he potted 45.  This is the club's first trip to the playoffs, and Slava Kozlov (28-52-80), Ilya Kovalchuk's 42 goals and newly acquired Keith Tkachuk (7-8-15 in 18GP w/ATL) give the Thrashers tons of firepower.  The club was 41-21-10 against the rest of the conference.  On defense, Alex Zhitnik brings a good shot from the point, while the rest of the guys bring grit: Andy Sutton, Garnet Exelby, Shane Hnidy.  They can be tough.  Depth on offense is an issue, though, as Bobby Holik has underachieved.  On a brighter note, Eric Belanger (17 goals) has been a good addition from Carolina; he reminds us of Guy Carbonneau, and is an excellent skater.  Pascal DuPuis has been decent, with 14 markers and Scott Mellanby has 12.  Kari Lehtonen has decent numbers, 2.73 GAA with a good SV% of .912, but will have to grow up quick, considering the fact that he has no playoff experience.   Thrashers' special teams anything but (see below).

The end of the season looked pretty good indeed for the New York Rangers, who added Sean Avery's annoying-yet-effective style of play.  Avery, with 8 goals and 20 points in 28 games with the Rangers, has been a hit with his rambunctiousness, and even showed a willingness to fight (vs. Darcy Tucker of the Leafs in a recent game).  The Rangers have no trouble generating offense, five players scored 20 or more goals, with Brendan Shanahan offering up 29 in just 67 games.  Jaromir Jagr led the club in scoring of course, with (30-66-96). Michael Nylander scored 83 points, Martin Straka 29 goals. Shanny's leadership could be a key; Matt Cullen (16 goals) came over from Carolina, where he won the 2005-06 Cup.   Petr Prucha quietly potted 22 goals to little fanfare in his sophomore season. Marcel Hossa and his ten goals face his brother's 100 points.  Michal Roszival (10 goals) and Karel Rachunek (6) lead a mobile defense that can score.  This could get very exciting, because in net, the Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist (2.34GAA/.917SV%) got hot at the end of the season, winning 11 games in the month of March.  No time like the present for Lundqvist (but he'd better not falter, because backup Kevin Weekes has been awful).

Special Teams -

PP ATL: 23RD
PP NYR: 8TH

PK ATL: 26TH
PK NYR: 12TH

RECORDS:
ATL: 43-28-11, 97 pts
NYR: 42-30-10, 94 pts

HOCKEYTALK PICK: Rangers in 6.  Rangers atone for last season's quick exit.

Re

Results:
Game 1: NYR 4 ATL 3
Game 2: NYR 2 ATL 1
Game 3: NYR 7 ATL 0
Game 4: NYR 4 ATL 2

RANGERS WIN SERIES 4-0

Game Recaps

EASTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEWS:

Buffalo vs. NY Islanders
New Jersey vs. Tampa Bay
Atlanta vs. NY Rangers
Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh

WESTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEWS:

Detroit vs. Calgary
Anaheim vs. Minnesota
Vancouver vs. Dallas
Nashville vs. San Jose

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Players of Note:

Atlanta:  Keith Tkachuk has a dismal record in the playoffs—his team has lost in the first round 9 of 11 times in his career.  He will be out to show that he can make a difference in the post-season and this will be his time to shine.  It has been three seasons since he last visited the playoffs and he will prove that his late season acquisition was not in vain.

Rangers:  Sean Avery will get the job done for the Rangers with his mouth and with his play.  While he can score (he has 20 points and is a +11 in 29 games with New York) his biggest contribution will likely not be shown on the score sheet.  He is the pest of all pests and I think that he can have a Claude Lemieux-like post-season.

Previews by Josh Brewster /
Notable players by Jason Reed

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