Mario Lemieux and Johan Hedberg played in only one of them. The keys to the series will be containing Lemieux and Jagr most importantly, but the Sabres cannot forget about the second line that was quiet in the Washington series. The Pens' defense is a lot weaker and smaller than the Flyer defense so look for the Buffalo forwards to capitalize. Buffalo in 6 Dave Ricci Beating Philly was not a fluke, and it's time that everyone realizes that this is a very good team. Hedberg is by no means a pushover, but like Cechmanek, his lack of NHL playoff experience will be a factor.
Buffalo is a more well-rounded team with a deeper bench.
I mean that old dude behind the bench. The series makes for an intriguing matchup, pitting the Sabres' commitment to team defense against the Pens' top-caliber snipers. But in the first round, Super Mario and Co. weathered a storm of hitting against the Caps and came out ahead, while Buffalo's defensive moxie seemed to fade with each game. This is going to come down to the Pens' offense vs. the Sabres' defense. Buffalo has the edge that it can roll four lines and get scoring from any of the four.