West Matchup: (3) Vancouver vs. (6) Dallas Stars
| Dallas Stars | Vancouver Canucks | |
| Power Home | 0.577 | 0.502 |
| Power Away | 0.501 | 0.642 |
| Power Total | 0.539 | 0.572 |
| Goals For | 226 | 222 |
| Goals Against | 197 | 201 |
| Diff Per Game | 0.354 | 0.256 |
| PowerPlay | 18.5% (7th) | 17.2% (20th) |
| PenaltyKill | 84.4% (11th) | 86.9% (1st) |
| PP+PK | 102.90% | 104.10% |
Key players for Dallas: Mike Modano, Marty Turco, Brenden Morrow
Key players for Vancouver: Roberto Luongo, Markus Naslund, Kevin Bieksa
Analysis: Well, it’s the playoffs, otherwise known as that time of year when Turco takes his perennial nose-dive. Just to make sure there’s enough pressure on the $5.7 million goaltender, across the rink from him will be the potential Hart and Vezina trophy winner.
Dallas has done pretty well this year with an oft-decimated roster, but they don’t have to mustard to compete with the Canucks. Vancouver has been absolutely stunning once they got their act together around December, and Luongo looks absolutely driven. He knows he has plenty to prove and he looks focused and ready. I wouldn’t want to bet against him. If he gets the help he needs - Naslund, are you listening? - Vancouver will be almost unbeatable.
This won’t be an exciting series to watch but it could be an important one. If Turco surprises us all and outplays Luongo, Dallas could become the dark horse team to watch. If the series goes as expected, Luongo will probably become the key focus of the Western Conference playoff race.
Prediction: Vancouver in five