Western Conference Playoff Preveiw

Calgary Flames (1) vs Saskatoon Blades (8)

After acquiring goaltender Barry Brust in the off-season, the Flames have been scarey good all year. They boast one of the best all-around rosters in the game, with elite players at every position and substantial depth. The Blades on the other hand have two of the best in the league with Scotty Hartnell and Jason Spezza, a good defence, and questionable goaltending. That being said, the Blades are not without hope. Last season the Flames were upset by the seventh seed Wheat Kings, who went on to win it all. The Flames are vulnerible in the playoffs and have suffered several upsets - the playoffs simply mean that you only need to get one more win out of seven games than your opponent and in the ultra-competitive West, where the 12th place team won the conference the previous year and the 10th place squad won the TFHL Championship, to win won more game out of seven is never impossible - someone will likely take down the Flames, eventually, but who will it be? Contestant #1: the Saskatoon Blades...

Verdict: The Flames are the team to beat, but not since TFHL12 has the President's Trophy winner gone on to win the championship. There is just too much of that glorified parity in the TFHL, most especially in the West (last season the lower seed won 5 of the 7 playoff series in the West through to the conference finals). The Blades have a good squad and have chance to take the series, but the safe money is seeing the Flames get through at least one round. Flames in five.

Michigan Pain (2) vs Ayton Achaeans (7)

As far as goal differential the Pain were alot better than the Flames this year, with 20 more goals for than the second best team. Like the Flames, the Pain boast elite players at every position and quality depth, augmented notably by the off-season acquisistion of Chris Pronger. They are however relatively old and have only a couple more years left with a substantial advantage over the rest of the teams in the West. The Achaeans are probably the most consistently successful playoff performers in the conference, and after a season where they seriously underperformed, they were able to struggle their way into a playoff seed in the final days of the regular season. They have a decent group of defencemen and forwards lead by Greg Campbell, but are very weak in net with Milan Hnilicka playing the role of a pylon.

Verdict: A difficult series to call, with strengths and faults on both sides. The Achaeans with their strong history of playoff wins (and the Pains' recent one of playoff losses) and the Magic Man Gregory Campbell could very well take this series without even resorting to a wooden horse. Achaeans in six.

Saskatoon Ice (3) vs Saint John Fog Devils(6)

The Ice were consistently in the top of the conference all season after preseason prognostication to the contrary, and unlike another Saskatoon based team which flirted with success for a time, the Ice never had any significant collapses or issues throughout the season, and even improved somewhat in the final stages. The Fog Devils on the other hand, after a mid-season relocation (and re-appellation) were able to muster the forces and climb to the top of the maligned of the West. The Ice are no secret: stingy, stingy, goal, stingy... they also play brutal (and by that I mean violent) hockey and win most of the time, especially in the playoffs. The Fog Devils (nee Apocalypse) have never had much success in the playoffs (although a sixth place finish might be a franchise best), and boast a roster that implies nothing to the contrary will occur this year again.

Verdict: Ice in four.

Chicago Blackhawks (4) vs Saskatchewan Sioux (5)

The Sioux were looking like the Underachievers of the Year for much of the season until GM John MacDonald pulled off a series of cagey moves which re-invented the squad and propelled them into the playoffs. The Blackhawks meanwhile fluctuated some, but great seasons from their cohort of talented forwards solidified their place in the West. Last year the Sioux were in the fifth seed and failed to upset the Achaeans, whereas the Hawks in eighth cast down the first seeded Renegades. This series should be tight and comes down to the Sioux's defence against the top 4 Hawks' forwards: if Armstrong, Brassard, Lacroix, and Roenick can continue their magic, then the Hawks should will take it; otherwise the Sioux have enough offence and depth at all positions to wear-down their opposition.

Verdict: Sioux in six.