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| | Wednesday, October 6 | |||||
Special to ESPN.com | ||||||
| The Matchup: Ziggy Palffy vs. Pavel Bure The Game: Los Angeles at Florida, 7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday (ESPN2) The Question: Who's the better right wing, and which one will stage a big comeback in '99-00?
Pavel Bure is more valuable than Ziggy Palffy because the Florida Panthers would be in serious trouble without Bure, as the Panthers found out last year. That isn't a criticism of Palffy, whom the Kings will rely on for consistent production. But there are better supporting players in Los Angeles than Bure's cast in Florida. Bure and Palffy are about the same size and are skilled left-handers playing right wing. One of the most dangerous players on the ice is one with skill who plays the off-side wing because he has his stick in the middle of the ice. They both use their sticks extremely well. Both are head strong, indicated by their respective holdouts last year. Both stood firm. Palffy was out for a long time before he got his deal done, and so was Bure, who demanded the trade from Vancouver to Florida. Regardless, Bure and Palffy are mentally focused when they are on the ice. They have it in their minds that they are goal scorers and rarely are denied. Mental makeup has a lot to do with them being successful. Palffy is more of a finisher from the blue line in than Bure, who is more likely to streak the length of the ice. Palffy is a consistent scorer and can score with just about anybody. Some players need a set-up man and need time to develop chemistry, but Palffy can produce while playing alongside anyone. He adapts well to his linemates and experiences no drop-off in production, a big compliment to his skills. The Kings will rely on him for consistent production. Over the last four years, he has been a model of consistency. Palffy may be fast, but Bure is faster. Bure terrorizes opponents like only few players in the NHL -- like Teemu Selanne, Jaromir Jagr and Paul Kariya. He does it with a rare combination of skill and speed. Defenders are constantly afraid when playing against Bure. He can break open a game and destroy the opponent's tempo in one shift. He also raises the level of all his linemates because they have to keep up with him. On some nights, Bure can almost do what he wants and that gets his teammates excited to play. It's amazing what he did in a short amount of time with the Panthers last year (13 goals in 11 games). It just shows you what he's capable of doing when he's in the right frame of mind. He has been known to be disinterested with the game at times, making him a bit mercurial. Mike Keenan said once, "I think Pavel is happy as a hockey player, but I'm not sure he's happy as a businessman." That really summed up Bure well. He demonstrated he is two people -- a hockey player and a businessman. In Vancouver, he was not happy as a businessman in the end. When Bure has everything pointed in the right direction, he is a devastating player. Palffy is a less flashy player, but a solid performer with terrific numbers. Anyone would love to have either player on their team.
Brian Engblom is a color commentator and analyst for ESPN's NHL coverage. He played 11 seasons in the NHL. | ALSO SEE Panthers score 3 late goals to shock Kings
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