Tonight, the Buffalo Sabres take on the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C., in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference Finals series, with the winner moving on to the Cup Finals to take on the Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers. Though these three remaining teams all hail from small markets, meaning they don’t generate big television ratings for network partners NBC and OLN, there is little doubt that their success is good for the future of the NHL.

The Sabres and Hurricanes are two of the league’s quickest teams, and have showcased throughout these playoffs the fast-paced style of hockey the NHL was striving for when it revamped the rulebook following the 2004-05 lockout. For any fan who lamented the steep decline in pace and excitement that occurred as obstruction and interference went un-penalized in past years, the high-octane hockey played by Buffalo and Carolina is a blast of cool, fresh air.

One player who has not generated much press, but who epitomizes the two teams’ style of play, is Sabres forward Maxim Afinogenov. With a skating stride reminiscent of a young Pavel Bure, Buffalo’s leading scorer is one of the NHL’s most exciting players to watch. Afinogenov accelerates faster than perhaps any other player in the league, and he generates high-quality scoring chances on virtually every shift.

Another critical factor in these teams’ success and their ability to excite has been the inspired play of their goaltenders. Both starting goalies – Buffalo’s Ryan Miller and Carolina’s Cam Ward – are rookies who spent the lockout excelling for their clubs’ respective AHL affiliates. The preternaturally collected Miller is one of the NHL’s best at controlling rebounds. His reported weakness is his glove side, but when Buffalo’s injury-depleted defense tired in the second half of their Game 6 victory, Miller made a number of spectacular glove-saves to keep the Sabres in the game. In fact, a glove save he made on the Hurricanes’ Ryan Whitney while sprawled on the ice was one of the most crucial in these playoffs.

Ward was the ‘Canes’ first-round pick in 2002,and he has rapidly ascended the organizational depth chart. He began the season as Martin Gerber’s backup, but when the Swiss starter struggled in the opening round against Montreal, Ward took over the starting job. On Tuesday night, Ward matched Miller save for save until the game’s dramatic climax, when a shot by Daniel Briere caromed off his glove and trickled over the goal line to give the Sabres the victory and force Game 7.

In addition to the teams’ similar strengths, they also share a common weakness. Both have managed to get within one win of the Cup Finals without a top-notch defense. And though it might seem strange to tout a weakness as a positive at this late stage in the playoffs, the increased number of scoring chances has unquestionably contributed to the series’ excitement level.

Whereas the Oilers’ defense is built around Chris Pronger and Jason Smith – two fearsome hitters who can effectively neutralize the league’s best forwards – neither the ‘Canes nor the Sabres boast a single blueliner who would push either Pronger or Smith for ice time if they played for Edmonton. As a result, the offensive zone is an uncommonly safe place to traverse considering the high stakes. Each team is relying on a corps of smaller, faster blueliners whose primary skills are skating and puck control.

Making matters even tougher for the Sabres is the fact that three of their starting defensemen – Teppo Numminen, Henrik Tallinder, and Dmitri Kalinin – are expected to miss tonight’s game. Numminen attempted to return from a hip/groin injury for Game 6, but was forced to exit after logging a little more than four minutes’ ice time in the first period. Rookie Doug Janik played only 10 minutes of the overtime, leaving the remaining four blueliners to log a Pronger-like 25-plus minutes apiece.

Whether the Buffalo defense can handle that extended workload will go a long way toward determining the Sabres’ fate in tonight’s game. If the quartet of Toni Lydman, Jay McKee, Rory Fitzpatrick, and Brian Campbell suffer from the aftereffects of their significantly increased responsibilities, the ‘Canes’ forwards will wreak havoc on Miller. But if the Sabres’ defense can hold its own – as it did so admirably in Game 6 – the game will be Buffalo’s to lose.

It’s a shame that more sports fans haven’t tuned in to watch this dramatic series unfold. The teams are about as closely matched as could possibly be hoped for, and Games 5 and 6 both went to overtime. But it’s important that the league not allow low nationwide television ratings to alter its path.

Once the rest of the NHL’s teams start to build themselves in the mold of the Sabres, Hurricanes, and Oilers, the large market clubs will inevitably begin to enjoy success of their own. Shortly after the season concludes, the NHL will conduct its annual entry draft (on June 24), followed by the annual free-agent signing period (beginning July 1). The focus will be placed squarely on acquiring players with the skating ability requisite to keep up in the new and improved NHL.

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.