No, not because his team gets a perceived break in the second round, facing No. 8 seed San Jose instead of red-hot Colorado. It's because the St. Louis Blues, with Vezina Trophy candidate Roman Turek

	Related Links: Stanley Cup Playoffs Central Playoff overview Dodd: Sharks get final bounce in win over Blues Forum: Will Turek be with the Blues next season?
	T O P   N E W S

, were unceremoniously booted from the Stanley Cup tournament. Now Gainey won't have to listen to incessant second-guessing about why he ever traded Turek to the Blues the day after his Stars won the Cup last June.

In his first season as a No. 1 goaltender, Turek was second in the NHL with 42 victories. His goals-against average also was second at 1.91. His nine shutouts led the league. The Blues' 1.98 goals-against average represented the first time in 44 years a team has finished the season under 2.00. The team's league-leading 51 victories and 114 points were franchise records.

After a deal with Tampa for center Darcy Tucker fell through, Gainey sent Turek to St. Louis for a second-round pick in a deal that still steams Atlanta GM Don Waddell. He offered Dallas a much higher second-round pick and also was willing to negotiate who he'd take from Dallas in the expansion draft. The Thrashers wound up taking defenseman Petr Buzek, who wound up playing in the NHL All-Star game.

After an impressive regular season, Blues goalie Roman Turek faded in the playoffs.(AP)

For Gainey's sake, the debate is now moot. Turek's first Stanley Cup experience, by his own admission, was a colossal failure. Until he wins in the postseason, he forever will be remembered for that 80-foot shot that eluded him in the final minute of the opening period in Game 7 at St. Louis. For that, sadly, Turek becomes an easy scapegoat.

Goalies often get the inordinate share of credit or blame in the playoffs, but in the Blues' case, almost everybody is culpable. Captain Chris Pronger showed his immaturity throughout the series. When he wasn't taking stupid penalties, he was flopping all over the ice -- resorting to diving in an effort to draw penalties.

Diving on both sides was epidemic in this series, as it has been throughout the playoffs. NHL director of officiating Bryan Lewis underscored diving as an issue referees would be watching in the postseason. It's about time he reminded them, because it's detracting from some otherwise splendid performances.

As long as we're on the soapbox, we'll confess to being a very pedestrian five of eight in our first-round picks. We were wrong on St. Louis, Washington and Philadelphia. We'll try to do better in the second round, so here goes:

No. 1 Philadelphia vs. No. 7 Pittsburgh

Can this series, on the ice, come close to producing the compelling headlines the Flyers continue to create off of it they way general manager Bob Clarke is distancing his team from its coach, Roger Neilson, and its former captain, Eric Lindros?

Only if the Flyers can't find a way to corral Jaromir Jagr and his gang, who will give rookie goaltender Brian Boucher a much more difficult test than the offensively challenged Buffalo Sabres. Especially because the Flyers don't play defense as well as Buffalo did.

As unseemly as Clarke's actions appear, it's difficult to dispute them. The Flyers are playing their best team hockey in a long time, and they'll need everyone pulling together -- using Neilson's system employed by interim coach Craig Ramsay -- to get by the Pens.

Expect a long, enjoyable series -- during one of the league's most remarkable off-ice soap operas: Flyers in seven.

No. 3 Toronto vs. No. 4 New Jersey

New Jersey is motivated, healthy and well-rested, with a lot to prove to themselves after a lot of playoff heartaches since winning the Stanley Cup in 1995. The Devils were hardly tested by first-round opponent Florida.

The Maple Leafs are banged up coming off an emotional first-round series with provincial rival Ottawa. They lost two centermen in the opening round, including top faceoff man Yannic Perreault, replacing them with less experienced players.

The Leafs' top line of Mats Sundin flanked by Steve Thomas and Jonas Hoglund had its way against the porous Senators defense. But the unit will be seeing a lot of Devils captain Scott Stevens, who is at the top of his game, with partner Ken Daneyko.

This series offers the best goaltending matchup of the second round, with wins leader Martin Brodeur (43) against Curtis Joseph, who is the last standing goalie for a Canadian-based club for the fourth season running.

Expect the Leafs to have their hands full in this one. Stevens and Brodeur are on a mission: Devils in six.

No. 2 Dallas vs. No. 8 San Jose

Before we discuss defenseman Bryan Marchment, still public enemy No. 1 in Dallas, a word first about Sharks general manager Dean Lombardi. He has taken his lumps here and elsewhere for some of his decisions, like trading Mike Vernon in favor of Steve Shields, and it turns out he deserves praise instead. This is his team, and during his watch as GM, the Sharks have orchestrated some of the most stunning upsets in recent playoff history. Hats off to Lombardi.

Now about this guy Marchment. A scouting report from Stars center Mike Modano: "He plays to hurt guys. He likes to come up behind the play and catch guys off guard. He tries to take guys out if he can."

The Stars still blame Marchment for an injurious hit on Joe Nieuwendyk in the playoffs two years ago that ended Nieuwendyk's season and cost them a shot at the Stanley Cup.

But Marchment is just one of a pack of junkyard dogs that includes Mike Ricci, Tony Granato, Dave Lowry, Ron Sutter and former Star Todd Harvey. They have a way of taking away an opponents' comfort level, turning hockey games into street brawls. The Stars will have to raise their energy level while trying to maintain their composure. Captain Derian Hatcher, who carries the hammer in this series, is the key to maintaining law and order.

Expect some wild moments, but the Stars' depth and experience pay off: Dallas in five.

No. 3 Colorado vs. No. 4 Detroit

This series would be a lot more interesting if Claude Lemieux -- the guy Hockeytown fans love to hate -- were still in Colorado. But it will be no less competitive.

These teams have more world-class players than anybody in the NHL, and they can be a joy to watch when they're at the top of their games. Detroit's Steve Yzerman and Sergei Fedorov vs. Colorado's Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg; Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and Larry Murphy vs. the Avs' Ray Bourque and Sandis Ozolinsh.

Bourque is the X-factor. Detroit desperately tried to acquire him from Boston, but he wound up in Colorado. Since then, the Avs seem to have forgotten how to lose.

Detroit would have preferred to play a tired St. Louis team after a seven-game series. Instead, they get an equally well-rested and nearly as healthy Colorado team. Goaltender Chris Osgood says he wants to establish a reputation for being a top playoff goaltender. This is his chance. The guy across the ice has already proved that, but the Wings have had more success than anybody in the playoffs against Patrick Roy.

Expect this to be the best of the four second-round matchups, though a shorter series favors the Wings' elderly defense: Detroit in six.

Slapshots

• Buffalo center Doug Gilmour has announced he'll call it quits at the end of next season. He and goaltender Dominik Hasek will both be on a farewell tour.
• Injured Toronto defenseman Bryan Berard plans to attend the second game of the New Jersey-Toronto playoff series Saturday night in Toronto. Berard, 23, has had several operations since being clipped in the right eye March 11 by the stick of the Senators' Marian Hossa. The retina was re-attached last month, and Berard has been able to detect motion. Said teammate Steve Thomas: "Just seeing his face would be such an inspiration."

The last word

"I'm only going to speak to that once. I'm not going to make any comments about it from now until hell freezes over because I have been dealing with this question continually for the last three years. I'm under contract here. I have two years remaining on my contract. That's as far as I'm going to go with it." -- Edmonton president and general manager Glen Sather, on persistent rumors linking him to the New York Rangers' GM vacancy.