In Memoriam: 2002-2003 Edmonton Oilers (4th of 15)

It has become as much a hallmark of the advent of spring as the return of swallows to San Juan Capistrano, as much as religious holidays. It is, of course, the annual playoff matchup between the Edmonton Oilers and the Dallas Stars.

These two teams have met in the first round of the NHL playoffs five of the last six years. Only once has Edmonton won the series. This year proved to be no different.

True to form, though, it was a hard-fought, closely contested matchup. No blowouts between these two. Unlike many series, first goal means nothing in a Stars-Oilers tilt.

Because of the rivalry which has built between these two teams, there's a little something extra in every hit. Players take this series personally, and it's somewhat more common to see extracurricular conflicts between contestants than in most. A finished check is more likely to have a facewash tossed in for seasoning just as a general statement.

Dallas gains a bit of an edge in the physical department, but not enough to be decisive. Where they did prove to be the better team was defensively, shutting down many of the Oiler scoring threats. In the end, that's what wins playoff series, although the Oilers did take the Stars to six games in the process.

In Memoriam: 2002-2003 Washington Capitals (5th of 15)

The playoff series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Washington Capitals was a bit like watching a duel to the death between combatants armed with BB guns. Finally, in the third overtime period of the sixth game, the Lightning took advantage of another Caps' penalty to bore their opposition into submission on the powerplay and score the goal which decided the series.

From the mid-80's, the Capitals seemed an apt fit for their city. Their blueline corps was referred to as "the Ministry of Defense," and the team scored goals by committee. Things are as different now as the uniforms are- the red, white and blue Caps uniforms of old have been replaced with slate blue, gold, white and black.

Gone are legendary defencemen such as Rod Langway, Al Iafrate and Scott Stevens. Sergei Gonchar is the headliner amongst Cap rearguards, and better known for his shot than for his defencive prowess.

Gone too is the scoring by committee. Rather than a flock of 15-20 goal apiece producing forwards, Mr. Jagr has come to Washington, and has made the Capitals one of the most one-dimensional teams in the NHL. Certainly the line of Bondra, Jagr and Lang ranks right with Vancouver's trio of Naslund, Morrison and Bertuzzi when it comes to carrying a team. The problem with being a one line squad is that if the opposition succeeds in shutting that trio down, there's not much else to step up and provide scoring.

Fortunately, backstopping the Capitals falls to Olaf Kolzig, who has earned a reputation as one of the most reliable netminders in the game. Unfortunately for Kolzig, by the time players have made it to the NHL, given enough chances on the powerplay, they'll score. Bad penalties cost the Caps earlier in the series in overtime, and Martin St. Louis netted the game winner for the Lightning just over four minutes into the third overtime with the Capitals Michael Nylander serving a bench minor assessed to the Caps for having too many men on the ice. It was St. Louis' third successive game-winning goal against the Caps, as the Lightning recovered from losing the forst two games at home to win the next four and the series.