Senators (4) vs. Penguins (5) Playoff Preview

Offense: The two teams are just loaded with firepower -- Ottawa was second in the NHL in goals scored (behind Buffalo), Pittsburgh was third. The Sens are led by the trio of Dany Heatley (50 goals, 55 assists), Jason Spezza (34, 53 in just 67 games) and Daniel Alfredsson (29,58), while the big guns for the Pens are scoring champ Sidney Crosby (36,84), presumptive rookie of the year Evgeni Malkin (33,52) and the League's second-leading defenseman scorer, Sergei Gonchar (13,54). Both teams have depth, with each featuring five 20-goal scorers and a sixth with 19, and both have strong power plays, with Pittsburgh boasting the League's 5th best efficiency with the extra man and Ottawa ranking 14th. Both are also strong down the middle, though Ottawa should have a noticeable advantage in the faceoff circle. Edge: Neither

Defense: Ottawa was 11th in the League in goals against, Pittsburgh was 15th, and the Sens ranked ninth in the League on the penalty kill compared to the Pens' 17th-place ranking. Ottawa's top four defensemen -- Wade Redden, Chris Phillips, Andrej Meszaros and Anton Volchenkov each averaged better than 20 minutes of ice time per game and will be relied heavily upon to shut down the Pittsburgh attack. The Pens blueline isn't as deep or experienced, but rookie pivot Jordan Staal's seven shorthanded goals reinforce the fact that Pittsburgh can score at any time. Edge: Ottawa

Goaltending: Ray Emery won 33 games for Ottawa and finished the season 14th in goals against average and 8th in save percentage. He has two playoff series under his belt, cruising past the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round One last year before losing in five games to the Buffalo Sabres in the second round. Marc-Andre Fleury won 40 games for Pittsburgh this year, but wasn't in the top 25 in the League in GAA or save percentage. This will be his first postseason. If the kid struggles, will Coach Michel Therrien go to Joselyn Thibault? Edge: Ottawa

Prediction: For all the talk of how young the Pens are, they're actually the older team on average (28 to 27.3), have more players over the age of 30 on the roster (11 to 3), and their players have appeared in more NHL games (8561 to 7459). With seasoned playoff performers like Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi in the lineup, Pittsburgh does have some strong veteran leadership, but with at least a dozen players making their first playoff appearances, inexperience may be a factor, especially in net. Coach Bryan Murray's Sens know what the NHL playoffs are all about, and in the end that edge in experience may be the key intangible factor to this series.

In more measurable terms, look for Pittsburgh's reliance on the power play to be negated by both Ottawa's outstanding penalty killing and the fact that officials tend to swallow their whistles come playoff time.

The bottom line is that these two teams played 82 games this season and each ended up with 105 points -- this series is as even as they come, but with a little more depth and experience Ottawa will end Pittsburgh's magical season. Senators in seven.

For more on the Senators, check out these blogs here (a personal favorite), here and here.
For more on the Penguins, check out these blogs here, here and here.