NEW JERSEY VS. TORONTO BUFFALO VS. PITTSBURGH COLORADO VS. LOS ANGELES DALLAS VS. ST. LOUIS

NHL SERIES BREAKDOWN Edmonton Oliers vs. Dallas Stars ESPN analyst Brian Engblom breaks down the first-round series between the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars: EDGE 5-on-5 It's a very tough call to give one team the edge here. Dallas has the experience and bigger stars. But Edmonton brings a very balanced team. But experience means so much in the playoffs and the boost Dallas gets with the return of Joe Nieuwendyk can't be underestimated. The Stars get the edge by a hair. EDGE Edmonton power play vs. Dallas penalty kill Edmonton's special teams are not what carried them into the playoffs. They were very average on the power play this season. Dallas is a tough team, as well as being a skilled team. They know how important the special teams are in playoff series and what kind of effort it takes to get the job done. EDGE Dallas power play vs. Edmonton penalty kill Edmonton has very good speed and is able to cover the ice very well with a man down. But Dallas brings experienced snipers to the table with a nose for the net. Brett Hull has the quick release that can net plenty of goals in the man-advantage. Over the course of the season the Stars were very quietly among the top ten power plays in the league. EDGE Goaltending Given Ed Belfour's record of success it might seem that this category would automatically fall to Dallas. But Tommy Salo is underrated by many observers of the NHL. He has had an outstanding season. This is Eddie Belfour's time of year, but he was not his consistently outstanding self during the regular season. Salo might be playing well enough to be the difference in this series. EDGE Coaching Ken Hitchcock has the experience of his team to rely on and he will use his recent success to guide his current team. But Craig MacTavish got some votes for Coach of the Year. He has done a tremendous job in an unsettled situation. Edmonton went through a lot since the end of last season. They lost one of their stars in Bill Guerin and a lot of their coaching/management team. MacTavish has commanded the respect of his club and has them playing well in a very short period of time. EDGE Intangibles Getting Joe Nieuwendyk back is a big boost for Dallas. They were hurting toward the end of the season but got healthy and finished very strongly. Edmonton is a tougher team this year than they have been recently. The Edmonton style of hockey makes people very nervous around playoff time. Added toughness makes them even more dangerous. EDGE Prediction - Oilers in 7 This will be a good one. The Oilers are better than they look on paper. If Salo continues his play from the regular season and the Oilers get a better than average performance from their power play, they can outlast the Stars in a prolonged series. Brian Engblom is a hockey analyst for ESPN. He played 11 seasons in the NHL as a defenseman, including six with the Montreal Canadiens.

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