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Forward Shawn Horcoff has proven himself to be a solid No. 1 centre with five goals and 12 assists.
Ryan Smyth has five goals through three rounds, with three of them coming on the power play.
Eric Staal had a 15-game point streak this post-season.
Cory Stillman had three game-winners in the first three rounds.
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Forwards - Where statistics are concerned, the 'top guns' in this lineup - Sergei Samsonov, Ryan Smyth, and Shawn Horcoff - have a combined 14 goals in the playoffs. Fernando Pisani leads the pack with nine goals, while Michael Peca and Jarret Stoll have five and four goals respectively. That's 17 goals from what was defined in this series as the checking line. When all is said and done anyone can score a goal in this lineup at any given time. The Oilers also excel in a solid forechecking game and getting the puck to the net as much as possible. Michael Peca will be looking to redeem his 1999 run at the Cup with Buffalo, and will be up as a predator against the top line. He'll also clear space in front of the crease and create chances up front with his crash and bang style. After a breakout regular season and hot playoff run, Horcoff has evolved into the Oilers' first-line centre and a team leader. He shares the Oilers playoff scoring lead and has also won the majority of faceoffs for the Oilers - impressive for a guy who had only 11 games of playoff experience prior to the season. By contract. the Hurricanes' offense is also spread out evenly and is rich in talent. Young Eric Staal hasn't missed a beat coming off his 100-point regular season and went on a franchise-record 15-game playoff point streak. At age 35, Rod Brind'Amour is an ageless warrior who has embraced the new NHL with great success. He's a big reason for Carolina's success at faceoffs, forechecking and penalty-killing situations. The size and skill in the two hulking forwards has become a very good compliment to the speed and puck-handling abilities from veteran forwards Mark Recchi and Doug Weight. Recchi is far from the big physical player the Hurricanes miss in Erik Cole, but brings a lot of energy and playmaking skills. Justin Williams has blinding speed and a nose for the net. The rest of the lineup consists for forwards who can turn up the offence at the most opportune times. This may be a more personally satisfying postseason campaign for forward Cory Stillman than when he won the Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Stillman only had two goals and seven points in 21 games with the Lightning in 2004, and already has three game-winning goals - including the series clincher against Montreal - this year. Carolina's fourth line of Craig Adams, Kevyn Adams and Chad Larose hasn't put up any points in the postseason.
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Defence - Chris Pronger has been everything the Oilers wanted when they traded for the superstar defenceman last summer. He has been an absolute workhorse during the playoffs and is averaging 31:35 of ice time per game. In Game 5 against Anaheim, 10 of those 31 minutes came with the team shorthanded. To top it all off, he's the leading scorer among defencemen in the playoffs, and is top five overall with 17 points. Pronger, with Jason Smith and Steve Staios make it tough for any offence to develop in the Edmonton zone, as the Ducks found out in three of their four losses to the Oilers when they only scored a goal in each game. The point production from the blueline takes a big dip after Pronger, but skaters like Marc-Andre Bergeron and Jaroslav Spacek make up for it with great puck movement and passing ability. Point scoring from the blueline isn't Carolina's best asset, but their six defenders excel at keeping opposing forwards away from the front of the net. The best example of this has been the trio of Mike Commodore, Niclas Wallin and Aaron Ward, who have used their size and physical presence well while keeping things simple in their own end. Veterans Glen Wesley and Bret Hedican are great puckhandlers and have provided solid leadership. Their game plan for the most part is to get the puck in their own end, dump it down the length of the ice and wear down the opposing team's skaters by making them go after it again and again. There is no shortage of Stanley Cup experience here - each of these blueliners have played with teams that went to the Final during their careers.
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Goaltending - Goaltending wins championships, and the Oilers made a huge upgrade in net when they acquired Dwayne Roloson prior to the March trading deadline. He has embodied the success that the Oilers have enjoyed this spring and is playing the best hockey of his career. He faced 183 shots in five games against Anaheim and allowed only 12 goals. His stats through three rounds are just as impressive - a 2.22 goals-against average with a .931 save percentage and a 12-5 playoff record. They win with confidence when he's in net. If he's not the one in net (and he's started every game during the postseason) that confidence is hard to find. Rookie Cam Ward emerged as Carolina's savior in net when Martin Gerber faltered in Games 1 and 2 against Montreal. He showed veteran-like form in eliminating the Canadiens and New Jersey Devils, but had to endure a series of goaltending changes in the Eastern Final as coach Peter Laviolette tried to shake things up. Down 2-1 in the series, Gerber returned to shut out the Sabres in Game 4. He fell behind in Game 5, but Ward came in to relieve him and the Hurricanes went on to win 4-3 in overtime. It appears that Laviolette is not adverse to changing things up in net, but Ward for the most part has been sensational. Where depth in goal is concerned, Carolina has the edge.
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