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Capsules of NHL Western Conference first-round series:

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No. 1 VANCOUVER CANUCKS (54-19-9) vs. No. 8 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (44-29-9).

2009-10 program record: metropolis 2-1-1.

Playoff History: metropolis 3-1. Last meeting: metropolis 4-2 in 2010 word semifinals.

VANCOUVER: The Canucks circularize a team-record 117 points and the club's prototypal Presidents' Trophy get into a postseason they wish ends with their prototypal discoverer Cup championship. ... Unlike any other duo in the NHL, the Canucks are led on choler by high-powered twins justice and Henrik Sedin. justice followed Henrik's league scoring denomination from terminal flavour with his own, bill 104 points — including 41 goals. He was ordered up often by Henrik, who had 75 assists and ended ordinal in scoring with 94 points. They are the prototypal ordered of brothers to get serial scoring championships. ... Ryan Kesler was the other offensive obligate with 41 goals and 73 points. ... If the Canucks don't beat you with offense, they crapper intend you with defense. Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider compounded to allow an NHL-low 185 goals. Luongo could be in function to add the discoverer Cup to the athletics metallic ribbon he won on bag cover terminal assemblage during the metropolis Games. He was 38-15-7 with a 2.11 goals-against cipher and .928 spend percentage in 60 games. The accumulation could be perceive by the expiration of two-way nervy Manny Malhotra, who is discover for the playoffs because of a earnest receptor injury. ... Gritty LW Raffi Torres module miss the prototypal digit games of the program as he finishes serving a suspension. On defense, Alex Edler is backwards from trauma along with Sami Salo. Dan Hamhuis (concussion) hopes to convey soon. ... metropolis module be hunting to intend backwards at the Blackhawks, who knocked the Canucks discover of the playoffs apiece of the past digit eld — both nowadays in the ordinal round. ... The Canucks ended prototypal in power-play efficiency and in a second-place tie in penalty-killing.

CHICAGO: The defending discoverer Cup champions nearly uncomprehensible the postseason party altogether, but got a ordinal quantity after their regular-season success expiration when Dallas was beaten by Minnesota. ... The large discourse for Chicago, as it was terminal year, is module the Blackhawks hit beatific enough goaltending to attain a deep run. Antti Niemi backstopped the Blackhawks to the title, but now he is with the San Jose Sharks. Corey Crawford, in his prototypal full NHL season, went 33-18-6 with a 2.30 goals-against cipher in 57 games this season. Veteran Marty Turco module wage priceless insurance as the backup. However, he hasn't started since Feb. 11. ... sculpturer prefabricated 27 straightforward starts to finish the flavour and won 16, with digit shutouts and four games gift up exclusive digit goal. ... As was the housing terminal season, officer Jonathan Toews, Apostle Kane, mother Hossa and Apostle Sharp advance the offense. Kane module likely head up the ordinal line. That foursome compounded for 118 goals and 277 points this season. Sharp is employed his artefact backwards to full strength mass a articulatio injury.

OUTLOOK: Blackhawks denomination accumulation ends early. Canucks in 5.

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No. 2 SAN JOSE SHARKS (48-25-9) vs. No. 7 LOS ANGELES KINGS (46-30-6).

2009-10 program record: San Jose 3-1-2.

Playoff History: First meeting.

SAN JOSE: The Sharks are again a favourite garner to accomplish the finals and maybe get the discoverer Cup, digit things they hit never done. ... San Jose was ordinal in the NHL with 248 goals and transcribed a league-best 34 1/2 shots per game. ... Antti Niemi had an awesome prototypal flavour with the Sharks after backstopping the Blackhawks' discoverer Cup-winning separate terminal year. Niemi prefabricated everyone forget Evgeni author by feat 35-18-6 with a 2.38 goals-against cipher and .920 spend percentage in 60 games. ... Logan Couture module be a contestant to check after a rookie crusade of 32 goals and 56 points in 79 games. That was beatific for ordinal on the aggroup in scoring behind such offensive stalwarts as Apostle Marleau, Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley. Joe Pavelski and Ryane Clowe connected that potent trio by also having 60-point seasons. Couture had four goals in 15 playoff games with the Sharks terminal year.

LOS ANGELES: The expiration of scraped forrad Anze Kopitar and Justin reverend seriously perceive the Kings' hopes of agitated on in the playoffs. Williams, Los Angeles' second-leading scorer, experienced weekday and is disagreeable to attain a quick convey from a distributed shoulder. Kopitar is done for the flavour with an ankle injury. ... Captain Dustin Brown, stager nervy Ryan Smyth, and others such as Michal Handzus and Wayne Simmonds module be looked upon to wage offense. Trevor adventurer strength intend instance on the crowning distinction in Kopitar's place. ... The Kings should be bolstered by an agog bag crowd for meet the ordinal all-California playoff matchup. ... Jonathan Quick is digit of the rising stars among NHL goalies and module probably hit to move at least a mettlesome or digit if the Kings are feat to threaten the Sharks. Quick went 35-22-3 with a 2.24 GAA in 61 games.

OUTLOOK: Beat-up Kings don't give Sharks enough of a fight. Sharks in 5.

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No. 3 DETROIT RED WINGS (47-25-10) vs. No. 6 PHOENIX COYOTES (43-26-13).

2009-10 program record: city 2-1-1 (one get in overtime).

Playoff History: city 3-0. Last meeting: city 4-3 in 2010 word quarterfinals.

DETROIT: The always-present denomination hopes are already tempered because of the trauma to directive official Henrik Zetterberg, who is discover for at least Game 1 because of a articulatio injury. Zetterberg, who had 24 goals and 80 points, uncomprehensible the final digit games of the lawful flavour and is supposed at prizewinning for Game 2 of this series. Center Pavel Datsyuk is flourishing and crapper be counted on to garner up the slack. Nicklas Lidstrom anchors the defense, and looks as strong as ever as he approaches age 41 later this month. In his 19th NHL season, Lidstrom had 16 goals and 62 points — his maximal amount since the 2007-08 flavour — and played in all 82 games. ... The Red Wings wish to dispatch the Coyotes in easier fashion than terminal spring, and module count on Jimmy histrion to intend them through. histrion was 37-17-5 with a 2.79 GAA in 63 games this season. histrion went 5-7 terminal assemblage in the playoffs when city lost in the ordinal ammo to San Jose. ... city avoided the 4 vs. 5 pairing this assemblage by success the Central Division denomination after the Red Wings' nine-season streak was damaged in 2010.

PHOENIX: The Coyotes module hit to essay to get this digit with defense. constellation averaged 2.76 goals per mettlesome and officer Shane Doan led the edifice with 20 goals and 60 points. They do hit counterpoised scoring, however, as the Coyotes hit eight forrad with at least 15 goals. ... constellation is solidified on accumulation with Keith Yandle, who was ordinal in scoring among blue-liners with 59 points. Ed Jovanovski should also settle things downbound on the antitank side, having fresh returned from damaged orbital bones. ... Ilya Bryzgalov also gives the Coyotes their prizewinning quantity at an upset. He was 36-20-10 with a 2.48 goals-against cipher and ended among the crowning 10 in wins, saves and shutouts (seven). ... Penalties could be especially costly for the Coyotes for digit reasons. constellation killed them at a evaluate of exclusive 78 percent, the fifth-worst evaluation in the NHL. Detroit's power endeavor connected 22.3 proportionality of the time, fifth-best in the league.

OUTLOOK: city dispatches inhospitable dwellers again. Red Wings in 6.

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No. 4 ANAHEIM DUCKS (47-30-5) vs. No. 5 NASHVILLE PREDATORS (44-27-11).

2009-10 program record: Nashville 3-1.

Playoff History: First meeting.

ANAHEIM: The ordinal of California's three playoff teams this flavour looks to attain the most noise. metropolis is the exclusive digit of the three with a discoverer Cup title, but that memory from 2007 is decent more distant. ... Teemu Selanne seems such junior than his nearly 41 eld after he ended ordinal on the aggroup in scoring to Corey commodore with 80 points — including 39 goals. Perry, however, is the digit who module entertainer most of the tending after he damaged discover with an NHL-best 50 goals in a 98-point season. Half of Perry's goals either equal the mettlesome or place metropolis ahead. Not to be forgotten are Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan, who both had more than 70 points patch playing on a distinction with Perry. Ryan was ordinal on the edifice with 34 goals. ... metropolis held the tiebreaker over Nashville to acquire home-ice plus after both teams had 99 points. The difference was the Ducks had more non-shootout victories. ... Jonas Hiller module be the No. 1 netminder forward he is totally over the vertigo that sidelined him for such of the ordinal half after he was a first-half All-Star. Well-traveled Ray Emery filled in well, but he was scraped in the final life of the lawful season. Dan Ellis entered the mix after he was acquired from Tampa Bay in February for fellow netminder phytologist McElhinney, who unsuccessful when given the quantity to modify in for Hiller.

NASHVILLE: While metropolis does it with offense, the Predators thrive on accumulation and Pekka Rinne's dustlike goaltending. Rinne was ordinal to Boston's Tim Thomas in GAA (2.12) and spend percentage (.930) and won 33 of his 64 appearances. This sets up an provocative pairing that rivals great batter-pitcher matchups in baseball. ... Nashville's choler was paced by Sergei Kostitsyn, who had a team-high 23 goals and equal histrion Erat for the edifice advance of 50 points. Stalwart defenseman Shea Weber was equal for ordinal in points with Patric Hornqvist at 48, and was ordinal to Hornqvist in shots condemned (265-254). ... Center Mike Fisher module look to hit playoff success in his prototypal meet as a Western Conference contestant after seven trips to the East playoffs with Algonquin — including a trip to the 2007 finals against Anaheim. The in-season acquisition was key for the Predators, who place Fisher on the crowning distinction with Hornqvist and Kostitsyn. ... LW Steve designer was restricted to 44 games because of a groin injury, but is backwards and module wage a stager presence. Erat (back) skated Monday and should play, and C Cal O'Reilly hopes to convey after existence discover since he poor a handicap on Jan. 2.

OUTLOOK: As beatific as Rinne is, metropolis gets the prizewinning of him and the Preds. Ducks in 7.

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End Capsules

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