The 2008 Calder Cup Playoffs are moving along quickly and the Eastern Conference is the first to reach the conference finals. It’s down to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Portland Pirates. Which team will advance to the Calder Cup finals? Here’s a preview of the Eastern Conference finals.

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. Portland Pirates

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s Playoff Record: 8-2
Portland’s Playoff Record: 8-3

Keys to the series: The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins proved in their first two series why they are the best team to come out of the East Division. They defeated the Hershey Bears in round one and the Philadelphia Phantoms in round two in convincing fashion. The Penguins have gotten tremendous offense as three players rank in the top five in scoring. Tim Brent is leading the league with 17 points, rookie Alex Goligoski ranks second with 14 points, and Chris Minard is fifth with 12 points. The Penguins will continue to use rookie John Curry after winning eight of ten games. Could Curry be this year’s Carey Price?

The Portland Pirates continue to surprise everyone around the AHL. They were a long shot to beat the Hartford Wolf Pack in round one, but they did. Then they were an even longer shot to beat the Providence Bruins in round two, but they did. The Pirates have advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in three seasons. Portland offense has been lead by Bobby Ryan and Andrew Ebbett with 11 points apiece. Geoff Platt isn’t far behind with ten points. J. S. Aubin is 8-1 and leads all goaltenders in wins.

Youth versus experience is going to play a part in this game. The Portland Pirates have the more experienced team on paper, but the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have a youthful team full of determination. How will John Curry handle the pressure of the conference finals? Both the Penguins and Pirates rank in the top four in power play percentage, but the Penguins rank near the bottom in penalty killing percentage while the Pirates rank seventh. This is an evenly matched series with both teams having scoring, defense, and goaltending.

Series Schedule

Game 1: Pirates @ Penguins, May 14 7:05 pm
Game 2: Pirates @ Penguins, May 15 7:05 pm
Game 3: Penguins @ Pirates, May 18 4:05 pm
Game 4: Penguins @ Pirates, May 20 7:05 pm
*Game 5: Penguins @ Pirates, May 21 7:05 pm
*Game 6: Pirates @ Penguins, May 23 7:05 pm
*Game 7: Pirates @ Penguins, May 24 7:05 pm
* - if necessary

Prediction: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in seven