Whether it's the year of the upset or the NHL's new reality of parity, the eighth-seeded Edmonton Oilers take on the sixth-seeded Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the Western Conference final while the fourth-seeded Buffalo Sabres meet the second-seeded Carolina Hurricanes in the East. And while the Hurricanes are a high seed, they weren't nearly as popular a pick as New Jersey or Ottawa among those predicting their Cup winners from the East.

Bryzgalov should get his toughest test yet. The Oilers are the top scoring playoff team in the West, averaging 3.17 goals per game, finding a way to cool down Vesa Toskala in the second round. The Ducks are averaging 3.00 goals per game and don't quite have the four-line depth of the Oilers.

Two rookie goalies have stood tall, with Cam Ward of Carolina second among playoff netminders with a 1.77 GAA and .930 SP. Buffalo's Ryan Miller checks in at 2.25 and .921, having survived Ottawa's offensive threats, including a 43-save effort to steal Game 2 in that series. This looks like a saw-off but the reality is that Miller has a little more seasoning from his AHL years and should be less susceptible to a breakdown in the conference final.