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Next Stanley Cup winner could come from the east

One thing is certain: A new team will skate with the Stanley Cup this year.

And it could be a club from the east no one saw coming.

For the first time in the modern National Hockey League era, neither finalist from the previous season made it back to the playoffs. So with champion Carolina and Edmonton out of the picture, the 16 remaining teams begin their pursuit of the crown.

The Southeast Division provided the winners before and after the seasonlong lockout -- Tampa Bay in 2004 and Carolina last year. The Lightning and Hurricanes earned top seeds in the Eastern Conference, then beat upstarts from the bottom of the West. Sixth-seeded Calgary got to Game 7 against Tampa Bay, and No. 8 Edmonton repeated the feat versus the Hurricanes.

If another bottom-rung club makes a run, don't be surprised if it's a team closer to the Atlantic Ocean instead of the Pacific.

"Every team is dangerous," said 19-year-old Sidney Crosby, from the fifth-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins. "You always look at teams that finish off strong. It's all about timing."

The New York Islanders appeared out of the playoff race following noncompetitive losses just over a week ago to powerhouses Buffalo and Ottawa in the aftermath of goalie Rick DiPietro's concussion.

Yet, they won four straight and eked into the playoffs ahead of Toronto and Montreal on the final day of the season by beating New Jersey in a shootout. Now they have their sights set on top-seeded Buffalo, which earned 113 points and had the NHL's best record for the first time in team history.

"It's all about opportunity in this game," said Islanders forward Ryan Smyth, acquired from Edmonton at the trade deadline.

"We didn't quit, and obviously I was an added extra piece to the puzzle to help the organization get in. That's all you can ask for as a player is to get in," Smyth said.

The Rangers earned the No. 6 seed by winning 13 of its last 20 and joined Pittsburgh, the Islanders and second-seeded New Jersey as Atlantic Division teams to qualify. Only Philadelphia, which posted the league's worst record, was left out of the postseason party.

Out West, Detroit again is at the top. The Central Division-winning Red Wings tied the Sabres in points, a season after capturing the Presidents' Trophy, but failed to repeat atop the conference because they fell three wins short of the Sabres' NHL-high 53.

Now they hope to avoid another first-round flameout against Calgary after getting knocked out quickly last year by No. 8 Edmonton. The Flames wrapped up the final berth in the West on the second-to-last night of the season, when Colorado's comeback ended in a loss to Nashville.

If the Red Wings slip up, Pacific champion Anaheim will be ready to step up. No longer Mighty, the Ducks are in the playoffs for the first time. Their first test is against seventh-seeded Minnesota Wild, and star goalie Niklas Backstrom.

"It's a toss up," said defenseman Chris Pronger, in his first season with Anaheim. "Any team can get hot, much like we did last year in Edmonton as the eighth seed."
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