Last Line of Defense Is on Stage in Series

The central matchup in the Eastern Conference finals sounds like a comic book come to life: Godzilla vs. the Dominator.

Godzilla is Washington Capital goaltender Olaf Kolzig, who earned the nickname in the minor leagues because of his raging temper and had an image of Godzilla painted on his mask long before Godzilla was revived in a summer movie. Kolzig, a native of South Africa who played for Germany at the Nagano Olympics, has stopped 387 of 407 shots in 11 playoff games for a .951 save percentage, the best in postseason play. He ended the Capitals’ second-round series against Ottawa with a flourish, shutting out the Senators for the final 149:06 to cut his goals-against average to 1.66.

“People say he’s been hot for a month or so. He’s been hot all season long,” Coach Ron Wilson said. “It’s just that we’re in a market where nobody pays attention to our team outside of our dressing room, essentially, so it seems to be a surprise to everybody that Olie’s done as well as he has. If you paid attention, from the first month on, you’d see that he’s the real deal.”

And in the other corner, wearing the black boxer’s robe with “The Dominator” on the back, is Buffalo goalie Dominik Hasek, who led the Czech Republic to the gold medal at Nagano. Favored to win his second consecutive most-valuable-player award after compiling a league-leading 13 shutouts and .932 save percentage, Hasek has helped carry the Sabres to the conference finals for the first time since 1975.

Along the way, he has been called the best goalie on the planet, but his playoff stats (.943 save percentage, 2.00 goals-against average) aren’t as good as Kolzig’s. Oddly, they’ve each faced an average of 37 shots a game.

“Olaf Kolzig has been great in the playoffs,” Hasek said. “I know if I don’t play well, we cannot beat the Capitals. I think I have to play better than Olaf if we want to beat the Capitals.”

Said Buffalo defenseman Bob Boughner: “It’s probably going to be a low-scoring series, and there are going to be some ugly goals. You’re not going to see too many pretty one-timers and that kind of stuff. You’re going to see some ugly bounces.”

Goaltending will, understandably, be the focal point of the series, which opens today at Washington. But there are several other intriguing aspects to this drama.

Although Buffalo forward Matthew Barnaby said of his speedy, hard-working team, “We don’t have any superstars except for one in net,” the Sabres are scoring at a remarkable pace. One of the NHL’s lowest-scoring teams during the season with an average of 2.58 goals a game, they’ve increased that to 3.89 in the playoffs. Barnaby, the onetime enforcer, is tied with Michal Grosek for the team goal-scoring lead with five goals and point lead with 10.

The Capitals have more playoff experience than the Sabres, but until this season, that experience has been mostly bad. However, these are no longer the choke-under-pressure Capitals. Along with their new confidence, they have one significant edge over the Sabres: game-breaker Peter Bondra, who tied the Mighty Ducks’ Teemu Selanne for the NHL goal-scoring lead with 52.

The week off since the Capitals eliminated the Senators gave Bondra time to recover from ankle and head injuries. “This is the time for me to perform,” he said. “So far I’ve had too many ups and downs because of different factors, but now that I’m feeling better I have to make sure I’m the guy who can score big goals.”

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NO. 4 WASHINGTON (40-30-12) vs. NO. 6 BUFFALO (36-29-17)

* Season series: 2-2.

* Top scorers: Washington--Peter Bondra 52-26--78; Buffalo--Miroslav Satan 22-24--46.

* How they got here: Washington defeated Boston in six games and Ottawa in five; Buffalo defeated Philadelphia in five and Montreal in four.

* Team goals-against average: Washington 2.43 (11th); Buffalo--2.24 (third).

* Power play: Washington 15.7% (13th); Buffalo 12.9% (19th).

* Penalty killing: Washington 89.2% (first); Buffalo 84.3% (18th).

* Top playoff scorers: Washington--Adam Oates 5-6--11; Buffalo--Matthew Barnaby 5-5--10.

* Playoff power play: Washington 19.4% (second); Buffalo 25% (first).

* Playoff penalty killing: Washington 84.8% (seventh); Buffalo 93.2% (first).

* Keys: Goalies Dominik Hasek and Olaf Kolzig will probably be busy again, and each will face more traffic around his net than in previous rounds. Both teams have scrappy forwards who aren’t afraid to plant themselves near the crease and take punishment to get tips and deflections. Look for Capital forward Esa Tikkanen, who was used exclusively in a checking role, to get a looser rein, and he can score big goals. The Sabres have more speed up front, but Washington has exceptional playmakers in Oates and Joe Juneau. The Sabres’ defense is rugged, but Washington’s defense has a valuable offensive weapon in Sergei Gonchar, who has seven goals and 10 points. Both teams have gotten strong special-team play, and the Sabres have been nearly twice as effective on the power play as they were during the season. Also, they’re 4-0 at Marine Midland Arena, noteworthy because home teams are only 33-33 in the playoffs. The Capitals have more scoring threats and as much muscle as the Sabres. If they’re disciplined and stay away from bad penalties, the Capitals will win in six.