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DETROIT — Meanwhile, in a city that isn't searching for a new coach OR a new general manager, the Western Conference final begins tonight between the Detroit Red Wings and Dallas Stars, a series that features two of the most successful and — underline this word, Maple Leaf management types - stable NHL franchises of the past decade.
The real puzzle is it that the Red Wings and Stars have only ever met twice in previous playoff series (three, if you count the time Detroit knocked them off when they were Minnesota North Stars).
The last time they played was a decade ago, in 1998, when the Wings defeated the Stars in six, en route to winning the Stanley Cup in back-to-back years. Astonishingly, there are still six holdovers on the Detroit side (Tomas Holmstrom, Nicklas Lidstrom, Darren McCarty, Kirk Maltby, Kris Draper and Chris Osgood) and three from Dallas (Mike Modano, Sergei Zubov and Jere Lehtinen). Two of the aforementioned Red Wings, McCarty and Osgood, came and went in that span, but both returned to an organization that places a high value on tradition and history.
Changes, when they come in Detroit, usually occur for logical reasons, which is why the Red Wings are six-time President Trophy winners, when no other organization has won more than two since the award — to the NHL's regular-season champions — was first presented in 1994.
Detroit Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood smiles during hockey practice at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on Wednesday. (Paul Sancya/AP)
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However, with no championship since 2002, the Red Wings are in a mood to push past the Stars, even if there isn't the rivalry between the teams that exists, say, in the all-Pennsylvania Eastern Conference final.
The goal, for the Stars tonight, is to do what they did in the previous two rounds — sweep the first two games, on the road, and get the home team back on its heels.
"Every series is different," said Stars' captain Brendan Morrow. "Every team is different. We're just going to try and play to our strengths, get pucks deep, try to finish some checks and see where the chips fall."
Halfway through the playoffs, a handful of potential Conn Smythe trophy candidates have emerged, including Morrow, the team's high-energy captain, along with Stars' funny, low-key goaltender Marty Turco. Morrow has a little bit of Jarome Iginla in him, which is ironic on one level, since Iginla was also a Stars' first-round draft choice, who was traded away at the start of his career in the deal for Joe Nieuwendyk. Nieuwendyk won the Conn Smythe in 1999, in the Stars' one-and-only Stanley Cup championship. A Dallas line-up that included Morrow and Iginla in their primes would certainly represent a formidable opponent, especially on a leadership level.
Turco says of Morrow's play in the first two rounds of playoffs:
"He's got great net presence - but his skill has always been underrated."
Morrow and the Red Wings' Johan Franzen, who leads the post-season with 11 goals, including nine in the previous round, will be challenged to keep their hot streaks going. Franzen's offence, which picked up in March, gives the Red Wings scoring balance and takes some of the pressure off Pavel Datsyuk's unit.
"I shouldn't be scoring this much," said Franzen, to laughs and incredulity all around (what player would ever admit that?). "I think everyone, including myself, is a little surprised. I don't know the reason. I'm getting chance and it seems like I'm getting a little more time to put it in the net."
The Red Wings will have Valtteri Filppula back for tonight's game, coach Mike Babcock confirmed this morning. Filppula aggravated a leg injury in the finale against Colorado and for much of the past week, Daniel Cleary, a 20-goal man in the regular, season, has been practicing in his spot on the line with Franzen and Mikael Samuelsson. That means Maltby, who missed the first two rounds with a hamstring injury, will sit again.
Only two Stars regulars missed the deciding game against the Sharks, defenceman Philippe Boucher, who has missed the last nine games as a result of a hip strain in the opening round. Boucher began skating last Monday, but will not play tonight. Nor, for that matter, will Stu Barnes, who hasn't played since the third game of the San Jose series, after suffering concussion-like symptoms from a blow to the head.
Stars' coach Dave Tippett indicated that Brad Winchester, the ex-Edmonton Oilers' player, might get in for Barnes tonight because of his experience against Detroit, stemming back to the Red Wings' stunning '06 opening-round loss to the Oilers.
"He has experience against Detroit in the playoffs and he's looked very good in practice," said Tippett, "so he's certainly an option for us. He's a big guy, he can skate, he goes to the net hard. We've been changing around a bit. B.J. Crombeen is a young guy that's been in a little bit with Barnes being out, but we think that maybe with Brad, a little more experienced, might be a good fit tonight."
The Red Wings have been off for a week, ever since sweeping the Colorado Avalanche. By contrast, the Stars went six with San Jose — seven, plus if you consider the deciding game went into quadruple overtime. But with four recovery days between games, they don't think fatigue will be an issue.
Nor do the Red Wings worry about rust.
"The last time we had a layoff, I did a brutal job," said Babcock, who also remembered a time in Anaheim, where his team had nine or 10 days off and "were no good for two games; it took us two games to get our game back. (Here), we've had three practice days and our team was really focused. We know we have to engage right away. If we don't, they're too good a team and we'll be done.
"They have theories and we have theories about what it's going to take to win. Until you play each other, you don't know for sure at playoff time."
