The NHL Conference Finals have begun, and the four teams left in the chase for Lord Stanley's Cup are holding nothing back.  The Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres are playing for the Eastern Conference title, while the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and Edmonton Oilers battle it out in the West.  It has been a tough trial for these four teams to make it this far.  Dedication, aggression, and perhaps a bit of destiny have brought them to where they are.  Injuries plague players on all teams, but they have worked all their lives to lift the Cup, and no amount of pain is going to stand in their way.  Here are my predictions for the Conference Finals:

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Buffalo Sabres

These two teams have made it this far playing as mirror images of eachother.  They are both speedy teams, with no real huge superstars to steal the show.  They have great teamwork skills, and huge heart.  Dedicated captain Chris Drury leads the Sabres, while Rod Brind'Amour is the core for the Hurricanes.  The biggest factor for these two teams' success have been the young goaltenders, though.  Ryan Miller has been nearly unbeatable for the Sabres, and since being moved to starting goalie during the first round Cam Ward has let next to nothing get past him.  I think what the series is going to come down to is confidence.  The Sabres have it.  They are backed up by a city of great hockey fans, who show their support for the team game-in and game-out.  Carolina has great talent, and great fans, they just need to harness everyone's energy, and use it.  I think the series is also going to come down to injuries.  The playoffs are the toughest time of year for a hockey player; nobody is playing with one hundred percent health.  It's about who has the heart to play through the pain.
WINNER: Buffalo in six.

Anaheim Mighty Ducks vs. Edmonton Oilers

As in the East, these two teams have a very similar style of play.  They are both very physical teams with strong defenses.  Scott Niedermeyer and Chris Pronger must remain strong for their respective teams, and the goal scorers need to step up.  I think this is where the Ducks have an advantage.  They have genuine goal scorers on the team.  Guys like Selanne and Lupul thrive for putting the puck in the net.  They also have Adam Oates-like players in Penner and MacDonald, who are able to make great passes and set up amazing goals.  Edmonton's heroes of the first two rounds need to keep going to the net.  Ryan Smith and Jason Smyth need to be a presence for their team. 
WINNER: Anaheim in six.

Tonight's game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks was filled with intensity.  Forwards gave wicked wristshots, defensemen threw hard-hitting body checks, and both goaltenders made unbelievable saves.  But the one man who stole the show, and the scoreboard, was Anaheim's Joffrey Lupul.

Lupul scored all four of the goals for the Mighty Ducks, including the game winner in overtime, which deflected over a Colorado stick and through the five-hole on Jose Theodore.  After taking some unnecessary penalties in Anaheim's game seven against Calgary, Lupul has come back strong for the Ducks, scoring a goal in each of the first two games against the Avalanche, and putting his exclamation point on the series with tonight's multitude of them.  In fact, three probably would have been enough to satisfy the young forward, as his first three goals made up his first hat trick in the NHL.  Well, he picked a nice time for it.  And a nice time to take that dream to a new level, because after he scored his third of the game, Rob Blake tied it up- sending the game to overtime.

"This is the best feeling I've ever had," Lupul told OLN after the game.  That's understandable.  Not everyone can be the hero in an NHL playoff game, let alone one in Colorado, beating Jose Theodore not once, but four times.  That is really saying a lot about what a great contribution he is to the organization.  Not just anyone could let a puck fly by Theodore like that.  In fact, nobody else in this game could.  His goaltending was amazing, and was matched just as brilliantly by Bryzgalov.  He just couldn't stop Joffrey Lupul.