That the Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres are set to do battle in the NHL’s Eastern Conference Finals shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. The Hurricanes finished the regular season with 112 total points (one fewer than the first-place Ottawa Senators), while the Sabres earned 110 points in the Eastern Conference’s toughest division. It’s a far cry from most preseason predictions; both teams were expected to fare miserably, their rosters devoid of high-profile stars.

Instead, Buffalo and Carolina embody what the NHL was striving for with its post-lockout rule changes. Both emphasize agility and utilize aggressive strategies designed to put tremendous pressure on opposing defenses. A classic battle between two extremely fast lineups, this series has the potential to deliver tremendous excitement and serve as the new paradigm for winning NHL hockey.

Here, then, is how the Hurricanes and Sabres match up.

FORWARDS

HURRICANES Hurricanes center Eric Staal is, without question, the best skater playing in this series. He is riding a 10-game point-scoring streak, and has proven to be a tremendous clutch performer. In fact, two of Staal’s five goals can rightly be considered series changing. His overtime goal in Game 3 against Montreal pulled the Hurricanes, who had dropped Games 1 and 2, back into that first-round series. And the game-tying goal he tallied with only three seconds remaining in Game 2 of Carolina’s second-round series broke the Devils’ hearts and left them reeling. Helping immensely are fellow centers Doug Weight and Rod Brind’Amour, whose presence make it impossible for opposing teams to focus their attentions squarely on Staal.

SABRES Balance is the key for Buffalo up front. Their leading scorer during the regular season, Maxim Afinogenov, tallied only 73 points (as compared with Staal’s 100). The Sabres’ most accomplished and timely scorer is Chris Drury, who always seems to be in the right place at the right time and has cultivated a reputation as one of the game’s best clutch performers. The diminutive Daniel Briere has also played well during the postseason; like Drury, Briere has scored 13 points in the Sabres’ 11 playoff games. Afinogenov, meanwhile, has been a bit of a disappointment, tallying only six points in the 11 games. His production will need to improve if the Sabres are to keep up with Carolina’s potent offense.

DEFENSE

HURRICANES By employing an extremely aggressive system, Carolina’s game is all about keeping the puck in the opponent’s zone. The ‘Canes have taken an average of 33 shots per game and allowed only 26.5 through the first two rounds of the playoffs, and they do an excellent job of keeping the crease clear in front of goaltender Cam Ward.

The most impressive member of the defense has been Mike Commodore, whose game has improved tremendously in the past two years. Back in 2004, he was battling for ice time as the Calgary Flames’ sixth defenseman during their run to the Cup Finals. This year, he has emerged as a mainstay on Carolina’s blue line, averaging more than 20 minutes per game and often finding himself matched up against the opposition’s top forward. Like Staal, Commodore spent the lockout year playing for the AHL’s Lowell Lock Monsters, and the experience turned out to be rewarding.

SABRES Like the ‘Canes, the Sabres employ a no-name defense. Their best defense combination consists of Henrik Tallinder and Tony Lydman (pronounced “Lood-man”), an unlikely pairing of a Swede and a Finn. Through the first two rounds, the two blueliners have each garnered a very impressive +13 rating while also getting involved in the Sabres’ offense. With seven points in 11 games, Tallinder is the leading scorer on the Buffalo blue line, while Lydman has contributed four assists. Unfortunately for the Sabres, they will need to make do without Dmitri Kalinin (broken ankle), who won’t be ready to play when the series begins. Rory Fitzpatrick will take his place in the lineup.

GOALTENDING

HURRICANES Heading into the postseason, it seemed a foregone conclusion that the Hurricanes would go as far as starting netminder Martin Gerber could carry them. But when Gerber faltered in the first two games of the first round, rookie backup Cam Ward got the call. Since then, Ward has been the Eastern Conference’s most stingy playoff netminder. He’s given up only 17 goals in 10 games, to go along with a stellar .930 save percentage, and the 2002 first round pick has turned the 2006 playoffs into his coming-out party. If Ward has an obvious weakness, it’s his lateral movement, and if the speedy Sabres are able to put consistent pressure on the Carolina defense, Ward will struggle.

SABRES Like the Hurricanes, the Sabres also feature a rookie netminder. But unlike Ward, Ryan Miller has been Buffalo’s starting goalie for the entire season. The former Michigan State standout was the AHL’s finest netminder in 2003-04 and 2004-05, and has acclimated to the NHL game smoothly. Excellent at controlling rebounds and directing the puck to his defensemen, Miller should be one of the NHL’s finest goalies for the next decade. He gives Buffalo a huge edge in this series, and on the off-chance that he falters, back-up Martin Biron is good enough to start for more than half of the NHL’s 30 teams.

PREDICTION

Both teams are extremely fast, which could make for the most exciting playoff series of 2006.The Hurricanes boast the superior offense, due largely to their advantage at center. The teams are fairly equal on the blue line, with the injury to Kalinin giving the Hurricanes the slight edge. But in goal, Miller is far better than Ward, and he will ultimately provide the difference. Look for the Sabres to win this hotly contested series in six games.

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