Posted on Thu, May. 08, 2008

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS: Stars-Red Wings matchups

By TRACEY MYERS

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

The Dallas Stars haven't seen the Detroit Red Wings in a postseason matchup in 10 years. As for their regular-season games against the Wings? Well, they'd probably like to forget most of those outcomes. But it's the playoffs, and there's already been plenty different about these Stars. So does that mean there could be a turn in the Western Conference Finals? It remains to be seen.

Forwards

Edge Brenden Morrow has been stellar, as have been his linemates Mike Ribeiro and Jere Lehtinen. Morrow has seven goals this postseason. Brad Richards has picked his spots, and had a four-point third period in Game 2 against San Jose. Three Wings have been snipers this postseason. Johan Franzen has 14 points, including 11 goals, followed by Henrik Zetterberg (7-6-13) and Pavel Datsyuk (5-8-13). EDGE: Equal

Defense

Edge The Stars got a boost from the return of Sergei Zubov, who was back to playing zany amounts of minutes in the Game 6 marathon Sunday. Stephane Robidas and Mattias Norstrom have remained steady on the blue line. The Wings were already strong with Nicklas Lidstrom, but adding Brian Rafalski gave them extra toughness. EDGE: Red Wings

Goaltending

Edge Marty Turco continues to be fantastic this postseason, and his 61-stop triumph in Game 6 turned plenty of heads. He's also sporting a 1.73 goals-against average. Chris Osgood took over for Dominik Hasek midway through the Nashville series and the change was a good one. He has a 1.52 GAA, and .937 save percentage. The question on Turco remains: Can he beat the Wings? EDGE: Red Wings

Special teams

Edge The Stars' power play is No. 2 among playoff teams (25 percent), and their Game 6 winner came with the man-advantage. Their penalty kill remains strong, as they've nixed 85.7 percent of opponents' chances. The Red Wings are connecting on the power play 20.4 percent of the time, and are right behind the Stars on the kill at 85.4 percent. EDGE: Stars

Coaching

Edge Dave Tippett has the Stars one round away from the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in his career. He's been able to adjust his lines to account for injuries (Stu Barnes, Philippe Boucher). Mike Babcock nearly won the Cup with Anaheim in 2003; his Wings have won three consecutive division titles, but haven't made it back to the Stanley Cup Finals. EDGE: Equal

Intangibles

Edge The Stars are feeling the good vibes after their four-overtime victory Sunday night. They've been through two tough series, both of which extended them but also bolstered their confidence. The Red Wings haven't been tested much, and their sweep of the dinged-up Colorado Avalanche gave them plenty of time to rest. That could help them early, anyway. EDGE: Red Wings

Prediction: Stars in seven

DETROIT RED WINGS

NHL playoff appearance: 56th (17th consecutive)

Stanley Cups: 10 (last 2002)

All-time playoff series record: 60-45

All-time playoff game record: 277-250-1

How they got here: Beat the Nashville Predators, 4-2; beat the Colorado Avalanche, 4-0

DALLAS STARS

NHL playoff appearance: 29th (5th consecutive)

Stanley Cups: 1 (1999)

All-time playoff series record: 28-27

All-time playoff game record: 152-149

How they got here: Beat the Anaheim Ducks, 4-2; beat the San Jose Sharks, 4-2

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

2007-08 regular season

Jan. 2: at Detroit 4, Dallas 1

Jan. 5: Detroit 3, at Dallas 0

Feb. 17: at Dallas 1, Detroit 0

March 13: at Detroit 5, Dallas 3

ALL-TIME PLAYOFF MEETINGS

1992 Division semifinals: Detroit won best-of-seven series 4-3, outscoring Minnesota 23-19.

1995 Conference quarterfinals: Detroit won best-of-seven series 4-1, outscoring Dallas 17-10.

1998 Conference finals: Detroit won best-of-seven series 4-2, outscoring Dallas 15-11.

REGULAR-SEASON LEADERS