As advertised

- Wow.

- Not sure if it was the mystique. Not sure if it was the dead legs from the 4 OT game on Sunday night (which I don't believe - 4 days rest is good enough). Not sure what it was last night. But good gosh that team is good.

- The Stars looked flat. They looked tight. They looked slow. They lacked intensity that was shown in their lack of hitting and standing up to Detroit punks standing in Marty's crease.

- I haven't watched Chris Osgood very much, I know he's very good, and I know he's been good for a while. But if he plays like he did last night for the rest of the playoffs, he might be the greatest friggin' goaltender ever.

- I'm curious to see if last night was a fluke, or if he really is that good. His blind save on the Zubov shot from the blue line, where he was screened by 3 guys, it even went through Morrow's legs, and he snagged it. That summed everything up. Also his saves on 2 different breakaways. I want clarity tomorrow night if this joker is really as good as he showed last night.

- From the get-go, it just felt like a matter of time before Detroit got on the board. And then when they called that bullshit roughing penalty on Mark Fistric, you just knew it was going to be 1-0. And it was.

- Marty couldn't do anything about any of those shots last night. He had guys up his ass in his crease on every power play. And he had a breakaway scored on him after another mistake by Fistric, a turnover in his own zone that Fillpula quickly put in on the far post. Last night was not Marty's fault.

- The Stars HAVE to do something about Holmstrom crowding Marty's crease. They HAVE to. If not, this series is going to be over quick, in 4 games maybe. In what summarized the whole night with less than stellar physical play, the Stars just let him hang in the crease, ass in Marty's face, and screen him the whole game.

- In the old days, Derian Hatcher, Richard Matvichuck, Craig Ludwig, or Daryl Sydor would have that guy on his ass bleeding from the mouth. No way would he have free roam in Eddie Belfour's face. And if those guys didn't put Holmstrom on the ice, Belfour would rack Holmstrom's nuts right off of his body.

- This picture says it all.


- But it just summed up the whole night for Dallas. They didn't hit. They didn't show any agression. Detroit is a finesse, skilled team. Dallas hits and plays physical. They should eat up soft teams like Detroit. I'm not sure if they didn't have their legs back from the San Jose series. I'm not sure they were scared of the Red sweaters. But they HAVE to hit these guys in the mouth Saturday night and get them thinking about getting hit. They HAVE to.

- Watching Detroit play keep away with the puck could be the most demoralizing thing I've seen in a while. It just about makes the game unbearable to watch. Dallas's offensive chances were few and far between. They just couldn't get any flow on offense or any scoring chances because they never had the puck.

- The 3 keys to the series that I detailed before Game 1 -

1) Marty/Detroit curse - It sure wasn't Marty's fault. And I'm not sure if the team as a whole was overwhelmed by the mystique. I think it was more of a lack of agression and energy. So this wasn't a factor.

2) Blue line rookies - Mark Fistric played horribly. A penalty to put Detroit on a 5 on 3 (although it was a crap call) and leads to the 1st goal. A turnover in his own zone that turns into the game ender. 2 mistakes turn into 2 goals. Not good.

3) Money players - Non-existent. Only 1 line showed any offensive pressure, the Richards-Erikson-Lundquist line. Other than that, Ribeiro's and Modano's lines were non-existent. That can't happen again.

- So they lose 2 of the 3 keys and get hammered. Only way they win is if they win all 3 keys. 2 out of 3 won't do it. 1 out of 3 surely won't do it. 3 for 3 is a must.

- All in all, I'm keeping hope. I'm hoping Game 1 was a dead legs, get the Detroit mystique/awe out of our system kind of game. I'm banking on Dallas coming back with stronger physical play. I'm banking on Osgood not being as good/lucky as he was in Game 1. And I'm banking on more scoring chances and better puck possession by the Star's top lines.

- They don't show up tomorrow night? This thing is over in 4 or 5 games.


Dallas Stars better rise quickly, or say goodnight

10:46 AM CDT on Friday, May 9, 2008

DETROIT – If the Stars, the team that played with bravado and arrogance in the first two rounds of the playoffs don't show up in a hurry, the Western Conference finals will end in four games.

No doubt.

You know it. I know it. Even the players know it, though they certainly aren't going to admit it.

The Stars played Game 1 as though they were afraid of the moment. Perhaps they spent too much time reading press clippings about Detroit's omnipotence. Maybe they're still emotionally hung over after their draining four-overtime win against San Jose on Sunday that propelled them into this series.

Whatever the reason, Dallas had better correct its issues quickly because the Red Wings have no concept of mercy.

Detroit 4, Dallas 1.

And the score could've been much worse.

Please, spare me all of the whiny e-mails about the officiating. Yes, the officials should've waved off Tomas Holmstrom's goal, which made it 3-0, since he was clearly in the crease.

But let's be real, would it have really mattered? Nope. The Stars still would've been smoked.

Besides, good teams overcome bad calls. Detroit finished with three power-plays goals. Guess what? They earned each of them.

The more aggressive team always gets the benefit of the doubt from the officials. It has been that way, no matter the sport, since the beginning of time – and it's never, ever going to change.

Even when the teams were at even strength, Detroit dominated much of the play with a puck-possession style that forced the Stars to chase the Red Wings. Actually, the Stars spent so much time in their own zone during the first two periods, no one should've been surprised they were popped for five penalties.

"You can't stand around and watch the puck," Brenden Morrow said.

Now, Dave Tippett must spend the next 48 hours making sure all of the confidence the Stars established in beating Anaheim and San Jose doesn't fade just because the Red Wings spanked the Stars.

He better start with Marty Turco.

The Stars goalie will spend much of the next two days answering a whole new set of questions about why he can't win at Joe Louis Arena, his personal house of horrors.

"Really, it doesn't matter," he said.

But it does.

So much of succeeding in pro sports is about having confidence and the proper mental approach, so we can't ignore Turco's raggedy record in Detroit.

Turco's regular-season career record against the Red Wings is 2-10-5. His NHL record at Joe Louis Arena is 0-8-2.

Sorry, we can't disregard that. Until he wins here, it's an issue.

The Red Wings faithful are well aware of his struggles in Joe Louis, and they serenaded him with rhythmic chants of Tur-co, Tur-co throughout the game. Turco was OK, but the Stars need him to be phenomenal to beat Detroit.

"A lot had to do with the team in front of him," Tippett said. "Not so much Marty."

With Mattias Norstrom already in the penalty box for hooking less than five minutes into the game, Mark Fistric took a stupid roughing penalty, giving Detroit a 5-on-3 power play for 1:26.

Nine seconds later, the Red Wings led 1-0 on Brian Rafalski's wrist shot.

The Red Wings made it 2-0 when Johan Franzen outmaneuvered Trevor Daley in front of the goal and deflected a shot into the net for his league-leading 12th goal of the postseason.

"If you lose after playing your best game, then you worry," Stars center Brad Richards said. "But we didn't play our best game. Once we do that, then we can start worrying about the Red Wings."

Go time

- Gameday is finally here.

- Can the Stars keep the good vibes going? Can they keep the incredible Mojo working? Or will the door get slammed shut in their faces like so many other past meetings with Detroit? A lot of demons can be exorcised in the next 2 weeks.

- From the Ann Arbor paper.

Wings expect Dallas' Morrow to be tough matchup

by Ansar Khan
Wednesday May 07, 2008, 1:21 AM

DETROIT -- After the euphoria of scoring in the fourth overtime finally faded, Dallas' Brenden Morrow felt the effects of logging 51 minutes of ice time and registering 19 hits in the decisive Game 6 playoff victory over San Jose Sunday.

"It felt like two games' worth of hitting," Morrow said. "Body was a little drained. Every time you (sat) down in the chair, it was pretty tough getting up, just losing all those fluids, aches and pains. ... It was grueling playing that many minutes, trying to play the same way, play physical. It took its toll, but it was well worth it."


After having three days to recharge, the Detroit Red Wings can expect Morrow to be just as relentless and as difficult to deal with when they face the Stars in the Western Conference finals, starting Thursday at Joe Louis Arena.

While Detroit's Johan Franzen was rewriting the record books with his goal-scoring binge against Colorado in the last round, Morrow likewise has been a force in the postseason. Though not as big as Franzen, Morrow is a hard-nosed left winger who is difficult to contain around the net, a scoring threat, a punishing checker and the team leader as a second-year captain.

"He's their heart and soul," Franzen said. "He plays hard every night. He's got a really hard body. He's not that big, but he hits hard. He takes the puck to the net and you have to be ready for him."

Red Wings forward Aaron Downey, who played with Morrow for two seasons in Dallas, said, "I think Brenden Morrow is becoming probably the premier power forward in the league by the looks of his playoffs. Look at the development of Johan Franzen, it's the same situation with Brenden. He's doing it at both ends of the ice."

Morrow leads the Stars with seven playoff goals, including that power-play effort at 9:03 of quadruple-overtime. He leads all players with 66 hits, including a devastating shoulder check that knocked Milan Michalek out of Sunday's game at the end of regulation.

"He wants to hunt you down a little bit on the ice," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "That's the player most people would like to have on their team."

"It's been a long time since I've seen a player have as much of an impact on a series as Brendan had," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "When you see a player play that hard, that determined, willing to do whatever it takes, whether it's finding a big hit, blocking a shot, scoring a goal, that's very infectious within your group."

Through two rounds against Nashville and Colorado, the Red Wings haven't faced a forward this difficult to play against.

"We've got to match his work ethic. That's the key," Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. "He's not huge (5-11, 205), but he's strong on his feet. He's got one of the biggest hearts in the league and passion for the sport. That's something we have to match to be able to contain him."

Stars goaltender Marty Turco called Morrow "a consummate leader."

"What he does is demand the puck, demand to be good and make his next shift the best one possible," Turco said. "To say it's contagious is an understatement. It's something that we're going to continue to need from him and from everybody else to follow suit. It's one thing to say things in the locker room as a leader, to inspire and try to encourage players, but it's another thing to get out there and actually do it."

Morrow promises to forecheck just as hard and be just as physical against the Red Wings as he was against Anaheim and San Jose in the first two rounds.

"It's tough to get a good lick on (defensemen Nicklas) Lidstrom or (Brian) Rafalski. They're pretty good puck-movers," Morrow said. "Our plan is to attack, get pucks in areas where we can force turnovers, get some pressure on them. It's finishing checks on (Henrik) Zetterberg, trying to get in people's way, slow them down a little bit. That's going to be our focus against this team."



- The preview from the Detroit paper.



Wings-Stars scouting report, prediction

Forwards

The Wings have two lines stacked with the likes of Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom, Johan Franzen, Valtteri Filppula and Mikael Samuelsson, and there's still more offensive depth with Dan Cleary and Jiri Hudler. Plus, every line is reliable defensively. For Dallas, trade-day acquisition Brad Richards has delivered, producing 11 points in 12 games, tying with team captain Brenden Morrow and trailing only Mike Ribeiro's 14 points. Former Westland resident Mike Modano has 10 points.

Edge: Push

Defense

Stars defenseman Mattias Norstrom is as tough as they come, and Sergei Zubov and Stephane Robidas are productive from the points, giving Dallas a good all-around defense. Nicklas Lidstrom, who may soon win his sixth Norris Trophy, and Brian Rafalski are the most adept puck-controlling duo in the NHL, and Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart add fierce physicality and offense. Beyond a third pairing made up of Chris Chelios, Brett Lebda or Andreas Lilja, the Wings possess great depth, too, with Derek Meech, Kyle Quincey and Jonathan Ericsson ready if needed.

Edge: Wings

Goaltending

Chris Osgood hasn't had to steal a game yet for the Wings. They've been playing so well in front of him, and scoring so much, he has just needed to make timely saves. Marty Turco has played a bigger role in getting the Stars to Round 3, building a 1.73 goals-against average and .929 save percentage. Now the question is if he can overcome his past against the Wings. He's 2-10-5 against them in his career, and is 0-7-2 at Joe Louis Arena -- but those numbers all come from regular-season games.

Edge: Wings

Special teams

The Stars already have 15 goals off their power plays -- including four each from Modano and Morrow -- giving them a 25% success rate, compared with 20.4% for Detroit. On the penalty kill, the teams are practically dead even: Dallas has an 85.7% success rate, Detroit is at 85.4%, albeit with three shorthanded goals.

Edge: Stars

Coaching

Mike Babcock has gotten the Wings to a point where they can win by finesse or grit and is making his second straight appearance in the Western finals. After seeing the Stars go 4-8-2 from March to the end of the regular season, Dave Tippett has guided the team past defending Stanley Cup champ Anaheim and San Jose, a team widely picked to win the Cup.

Edge: Push

Other Details

Everything has been going so well for the Wings -- no serious injuries, no straining travel -- it seems like they're touched by destiny. The Stars, however, come into this series hardened by two tougher opening rounds and have to be bursting with confidence.

Edge: Push

Prediction

Wings in six.




- The Detroit curse.....



Hockeytown curse? Stars goalie Turco 0-7-2 at Detroit

DALLAS — Throughout the shellings, blown leads and other indignations he’s endured at Joe Louis Arena, Dallas Stars goaltender Marty Turco has pacified himself with one thought: “At least it’s not the playoffs.”

Well, now it is.

Turco is carrying an 0-7-2 record and a 3.17 goals-against average at “The Joe” into the Western Conference finals against the Detroit Red Wings starting Thursday night.

Uh-oh, eh?

“Actually, not at all,” Turco said Tuesday. “This is totally a different animal. ... To say I’m looking forward to this is an understatement.”

He’s coming off arguably the best performance of his career, one of the best in club history — a franchise-record 61 saves in a quadruple-overtime victory that ended the second-round series against the Sharks. Had he let any of those shots get past him, Dallas would’ve been playing Game 7 in San Jose on Tuesday night.

Turco has been solid the entire postseason, with a goals-against average that’s second only to Detroit’s Chris Osgood and the fourth-best save percentage. More important, he outdueled reigning Stanley Cup champion Jean-Sebastien Giguere of Anaheim in the first round, then topped Vezina Trophy finalist Evgeni Nabokov in the second round.

“He’s been spectacular in making the hard saves look easy for us for a long time,” Stars captain Brenden Morrow said. “It’s been a lot of fun to watch.”

Now, if he wins a single game — and Dallas will need at least one in Detroit to win the series — he’ll really have done something.

“I’m not trying to erase any memories of playing against these guys at Joe Louis at all,” Turco said. “I’m here to win this series, to win the next game, and, from a focus level, to make that next save. That’s for me, and pretty much all goalies, the approach you need to have and look forward to it.”

The last time the Stars won in Detroit, backup Mike Smith got the win. The time before that, it was another of Turco’s backups, Johan Hedberg.

But Turco isn’t much better against the Red Wings in Dallas, going 2-3-3. That’s a career record of 2-10-5 against Detroit for a goalie who’s 205-93-21 against everyone else.

“I really could care less if I was 0-and-100 against these guys or had never lost a game and never got scored on,” Turco said. “It is totally all irrelevant at this time of year. It’s something that, to be honest, isn’t entering my mind at all. ... So there’s a lot to think about, and that’s not one of them.”

The Red Wings surely will be thinking about it. They know they’ve owned Turco at their place and will do all they can to remind him of it. In other words, if they’re not already in his head — like he insists — then they will try getting there quickly, whether they admit it or not.

“I’m not playing into that,” Detroit forward Kris Draper said. “It’s a different time of year. He’s a huge reason why the Dallas Stars are coming into the Western Conference finals. He’s never played here this time of year, and we’ve never played him this time of year. It’s a whole new ballgame.”

Turco is in the conference finals for the first time in his career, a feat that would be the angle if Dallas was facing anyone else.

After winning his first-ever playoff series, back in 2003, he lost four straight. The last three were first-rounders, prompting questions of whether he was the right guy in goal.

Turco earned the benefit of the doubt last postseason with three shutout wins and forcing overtime in two of his losses, including a four-OT thriller. His performance the last two rounds — which includes winning Games 1 and 2 on the road in both series — proves the franchise was right to keep trusting him, having dealt the highly touted Smith to Tampa at the trade deadline for Brad Richards.

Now, conquering his house of horrors, er, Joe Louis Arena, and getting Dallas back to the Stanley Cup finals would be a double dose of credibility.

“Today is a new day and a series is a new series, so it’s a time to re-establish yourself again and quiet those critics,” Stars icon Mike Modano said.

The irony is Turco loved playing at The Joe during his college days at Michigan.

“You know, it’s got a lot of great memories for me, not just the disappointing ones in the NHL,” he said. “To draw on experiences from all areas of my career, you know, you’re going to do that. But I’m really looking forward to going back there and looking to have some more success.”



- A look back at the 1998 series.



A rematch 10 years in the making

Bob Matuszak May 7, 2008, 5:01 PM EDT

In the spring of 1998, hope sprung eternal for the Dallas Stars. After all, they had just disposed of the Edmonton Oilers in a mere five games to advance to the conference finals for the first time since 1991, the year they made it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals. And like that team at the turn of the decade, this edition was built to win a championship.

A confident group guided by wily veterans like Pat Verbeek and Guy Carbonneau, these Stars had an edge to them, thanks in large part to their taskmaster, Ken Hitchcock. Hitchcock drove the team hard while implementing a disciplined and defensive style that suffocated teams to death.

The Stars fully expected to meet up with either Buffalo or Washington, the two teams playing in the Eastern Conference finals, and then proudly parade the silver trophy through the streets alongside Reunion Arena.

The only thing standing in their date with destiny was Scotty Bowman, Steve Yzerman, and the rest of the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings.

"I've played against these guys my whole career, so I know what they're going to do," Dallas' enigmatic goaltender Ed Belfour said about his upcoming opponent. "I know who their snipers are, and I know how to approach them."

The series was billed as a battle of the behemoths. The Stars boasted a tight-checking style, with Belfour rarely seeing more than 25 shots per game. Centers Joe Nieuwendyk and Mike Modano led the offensive charge, while general manager Bob Gainey bolstered the veteran presence on his team with the addition of Mike Keane and Brian Skrudland in a deadline deal with the New York Rangers.

The Red Wings, meanwhile, had won their first championship in 42 years the summer before, and were looking to become the first team since Pittsburgh in 1992 to win consecutive Stanley Cups. Like the Stars, the Red Wings had a splendid mix of gritty forwards like Kris Draper and Darren McCarty coupled with offensive stars Yzerman and Sergei Fedorov.

Heading into the series, the Stars were on a roll despite losing Nieuwendyk for the rest of the postseason when he injured his knee in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals against San Jose. Dallas had allowed just five goals to the Oilers in their semifinal series win, and was ready for whatever Detroit was going to throw at them.

Below is a capsule look at the series that proved to be everything it was billed up to be.

Game 1, May 24 at Dallas
Having won six of their last seven games, Dallas entered Game 1 with tremendous confidence. Detroit goalie Chris Osgood, however, quickly let the air out of the Stars balloon.

Playing in front of a raucous sold-out Reunion Arena, Osgood silenced the crowd while being hardly tested, finishing with just 14 saves, including only eight after the first 20 minutes.

Slava Kozlov and Martin Lapointe scored second-period goals for the Red Wings, who improved to 6-1 on the road in the '98 playoffs.

"Both of these teams can shut down the other one real well," Bowman said. "That's what happened today. There was not much in the way of scoring opportunities."

The Red Wings took 23 shots on Belfour, and killed off all five of Dallas' power play opportunities, including a 5-on-3 in the first period.

"Our power play did not get it done," Hitchcock said. "We need to focus on that. Detroit's four outworked our five."

The Stars work on the power play was becoming troubling for Hitchcock. Dallas had converted only twice on its last 34 man advantage attempts heading into the series, and following Game 1 they were just 9-for-75 in the postseason.

"We're not happy with the way we played," Stars captain Derian Hatcher said. "After we got behind I think we got frustrated. It's a lot tougher to come back from the deficit against teams that play like ours."

Game 2, May 26 at Dallas
Determined to erase the bitter taste of their Game 1 loss, the Stars came out hitting in Game 2. The strategy worked.

Outmuscling the Red Wings the entire game, the Stars tied the series thanks to a convincing 3-1 win. Dallas got goals from grinder Bob Bassen and Greg Adams, and Carbonneau iced the game with an empty-net tally to send the best-of-seven to Detroit deadlocked at a game apiece.

The Stars set the tone in a physical first period, outhitting the Red Wings by a 15-5 margin.

"The nastier and harder Derian (Hatcher) and those guys play, the harder the whole group plays, and that's better for us," Hitchcock said.

Bassen, who had scored all of three goals in the regular season, opened the scoring when he chipped the puck over Osgood's shoulder just six minutes into the game. Hatcher and defensive partner Richard Matvichuk, meanwhile, combined for nine hits in the game, which was one more than all of the Detroit blueliners.

Bassen also got physical after he scored, banging into the glass with a jubilatory force the Stars soon latched onto.

"I was a little out of control there," Bassen said. "I had to go sit on the bench."

It was quite a change for a team that looked lethargic at best in Game 1.

"Our first game effort was not good enough," Modano said. "We knew we had to come out and play physically, play with a high level of intensity and take the body."

In the process, the Stars set a playoff record by allowing two goals or less in 10 consecutive postseason games. The original record was set by the 1928 Montreal Maroons.

"The last 10 minutes, Dallas just stayed back and played defensive hockey," Fedorov said. "All five of their guys stayed back and played defense in the third and they did an outstanding job of doing that and upsetting our attack."

Game 3, May 29 at Detroit
Stingy defense had been the name of the Stars game throughout the '97-98 season. In Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, it took the night off at the most inopportune time.

Detroit used four unanswered goals in the game's first 25 minutes to unglue the Stars just enough to take a 2-1 series lead with a 5-3 Game 3 win. Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom scored twice in the four-goal outburst, and Brent Gilchrist, Jamie Macoun and Lapointe also scored.

Down 4-0, the Stars put on a ferocious counter-attack, and made it 4-3 with 12 minutes left in regulation on Modano's goal. But Lapointe put the game away with his seventh postseason tally with just over four minutes to go after he knocked down Belfour behind the net before skating out in front to deposit the clincher.

"Lapointe two-handed me and caught me in between a piece of pad," Belfour said. "Obviously it hurt. I went down and tried to get back in the net, but it was too late."

Jere Lehtinen had a pair of goals for the Stars, who registered 34 shots on Osgood but went an abysmal 0-for-7 with the man advantage.

"We can talk all we want about how we came back and almost won the game, but we aren't going to fool anyone," Skrudland said. "Detroit had a 4-0 lead in their building and they slacked off a little. That's just human nature, and that's all it was."

Game 4, May 31 at Detroit
The Stars didn't want to dream about what would happen to their championship aspirations if they lost Game 4. Unfortunately, their nightmare came true.

Smelling blood, the Red Wings jumped on the Stars early then held on for dear life for the second straight game, defeating Dallas 3-2 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead back to Texas.

Kirk Maltby and Yzerman scored in the first period, and Kozlov netted the winner midway through the third period for Detroit.

Verbeek cut the lead in half with a goal in the second period, and Sergei Zubov tied it just under a minute into the third. But the rally fell short again, as the Stars found themselves in a big hole that was going to be tough to crawl out of.

"There's a big difference between 2-2 and 3-1," Yzerman said. "This is going to be one of the most difficult teams in the league to try and end the series."

The Red Wings also received an emotional boost with the attendance of former defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov, who was recovering from a severe head injury sustained in a limousine accident last June.

The Stars, meanwhile, once again unloaded on Osgood, peppering the netminder with 30 shots.

"We had some great chances, but Chris Osgood played better than I've ever seen him play," Hitchcock said.

"This team's got way too much character and way too much strength and experience to give up," Matvichuk said. "We know if we can get that one early in our rink, we'll be all right."

Game 5, June 3 at Dallas
The Stars didn't need a miracle to get back into their series with the Red Wings, they just needed a win. They ended up getting both.

Jamie Langenbrunner's improbable goal from 100-feet out just 46 seconds into overtime helped Dallas stave off elimination with a 3-2 Game 5 win at Reunion Arena. Langenbrunner's slap shot from the center of the red line skipped over Osgood's stick and jumped into the net, giving the Stars sudden life in sudden death.

"I don't know if I've ever scored form that far," Langenbrunner said.

Langenbrunner, though, never would have been in the position to win it had it not been for Carbonneau's dramatic goal with just 85 seconds left in regulation. Carbonneau's wrist shot from the right circle deflected off Lidstrom's stick and over Osgood's shoulder to send the game into the extra session.

"I didn't really see what happened," said Carbonneau, who also assisted on Keane's first-period goal. "I know I wasn't trying to shoot the puck high."

That didn't matter. What did was the Stars not squandering another powerful offensive effort in which they pummeled Osgood with 36 shots.

"I've had the chance to win the Cup twice," Carbonneau said. "Once you win it once, you want to win it every year. Instead of going on vacation, we get to play another game."

Game 6, June 5 at Dallas
The showdown in Motown turned into a severe Dallas Stars letdown.

Larry Murphy and Fedorov scored for the Red Wings, and Osgood atoned for his shoddy play in Game 5 to help lift Detroit to a 2-0 Game 6 win at Joe Louis Arena, sending the Presidents' Trophy-winning Stars home with a bitter 4-2 series defeat.

The Stars were unable to ride the high of their Game 5 win, as the Red Wings put 14 shots on Belfour during a first-period surge. After Fedorov scored early in the second, Osgood took over, making 19 of his 26 saves over the final two periods to post his second shutout of the series.

"I allowed a couple of long goals in the playoffs, but who cares," Osgood said. "I bounced back. I couldn't wait to play tonight."

Osgood assisted in the Stars elimination, but one of the main reasons was their inability to put the puck in the net while Detroit was shorthanded. Dallas was a meager 1-for-30 in the series on the power play, and even allowed a pair of short-handed tallies.

"That hurt us," Verbeek said. "It helped us win games all year, but we couldn't get any when we needed them at the most crucial times of the game. It's frustrating…you get this close to going to the finals, and then come up short."

"They won, and there's not a lot to talk about," Hatcher said.

The Aftermath
Hatcher, Verbeek and Co. had plenty to talk about a year later, as the Stars captured their first-ever Stanley Cup on Brett Hull's triple-overtime winner in Game 6 against Buffalo, who had lost to Washington in the '98 Eastern Conference finals.

Detroit, meanwhile, went on to sweep the Capitals to win their second straight Stanley Cup in 1998.





- Time for some old school magic.


- The Captain.


- Round 1.


- Round 2.

Welcome back 1998

- A classic rematch is back. The series that got me hooked on hockey 10 years ago is back and ready to go on Thursday.

- As good as Dallas has looked this year, and as much as they look like a team of destiny, you can't help but look across at Detroit, consider the mental block the Stars have against them, and not expect doom.

- Just look down the roster - Draper, Maltby, McCarty, Dallas Drake, Hasek, Osgood, Lidstrom, Datysuk, Zetterburg, Franzen, Chelios. This friggin team could be an all-star team by themselves. In the salary cap era, how is this even possible? How can all of these guys be signed and under the cap?

- 3 keys to this series. Dallas must win all 3 of these to advance to the Finals.

1) Marty/Detroit curse - Can he keep his stellar play up? Can the Stars get over the Detroit mental block? I lump these together because the team as a whole, and Marty in particular, just can't help but be owned by Detroit. Turco is 2-10-5 in his last 17 games vs. the Red Army. And he is winless in his career at Joe Louis Arena. This is no doubt the key to the whole series. Slaying that mental dragon that is the Detroit Red Wings.

Something tells me this team is as well prepared as any in the past 10 years to do it. Brendan Morrow has completely re-wired this team's brain. They are as ready mentally as they've been ever against Detroit.

2) Blue line rookies - That all-star lineup I listed above could potentially scar these 3 rookie defenseman for the rest of their careers. Fistric, Grossman, and Niskanen were able to take some lumps, get some experience, and perform admirably in the first 2 rounds. But playing Anaheim and San Jose is not like playing Detroit. You're looking at the finest group of forwards and center iceman in the league. You're also looking at a historically phenomenal power play, with possibly the best quarterback ever (Lidstrom). These guys take rookies to the woodshed.

The 3 rookies will have help for sure (Daley, Robidas, and Zubov). But their performance and ability to not crack under pressure could decide this series.

3) Money players - Up until this point, the Stars' money players have raised their games and made their money in the postseason. Ribeiro leads the league in points. Richards has been a maniac with the puck. Modano has been scoring. Morrow has raised his game to legendary status. Robidas has been the best scoring defenseman in the playoffs. Hell, even cement footed defenseman Norstrom has 2 goals.

2-1 games won't happen against Detroit. To beat these guys, a minimum of 3 goals is needed, with 4 the most likely number. Dallas' money players must continue to be money. Pretty simple.

- Summary - All in all, I can't see all of these 3 keys coming to fruition. I see Dallas' defense cracking under the constant barrage of offensive talent, with the rookies being preyed on big time by Detroit. I do see Marty playing a pretty good series and I do see Dallas' money players continuing to produce, but I see the mental block Dallas has against Detroit rearing its ugly head. Bad bounces, bad breaks, etc. It all happens against Dallas when they play Detroit. Things just start snowballing, and those evil thoughts start creeping back into the Stars' heads.

Detroit in 6.


- ESPN's take.....

Conference finals breakdown: Red Wings vs. Stars

By Scott Burnside
ESPN.com

Guess the Dallas Stars have gotten over their first-round postseason phobia, haven't they? After failing to advance beyond the opening series since 2004, the Stars this spring have upended the defending Stanley Cup champs in six games and disposed the hottest team heading into the playoffs, the San Jose Sharks.

The Stars went to a fourth overtime in Game 6 but advanced to their first conference finals since 2000, when they also went to the Stanley Cup finals.

The Detroit Red Wings, meanwhile, struggled midway through their opening-round series against Nashville but took advantage of woeful netminding by Jose Theodore and cruised to a four-game sweep of the Colorado Avalanche in the West semis. The Stars, who have terrific depth down the middle, now have an identity they lacked the past three or four postseasons. Marty Turco, fresh off a 61-save effort, will represent a much sterner test than the Avs, or he should.

Still, the Red Wings seem to be firing on all cylinders and will be very difficult to knock out.

1. Not stubborn, just smokin' - Here's the thing about Johan Franzen, goal-scoring machine -- he didn't just start his torrid tear when the playoffs began. Down the stretch, the Red Wings forward scored 15 goals in the last 16 games of the regular season. When you factor in his 11 postseason markers, Franzen has scored 26 times in his past 26 games. More impressive, however, has been the crucial nature of Franzen's contributions. He scored eight game-winning goals during the regular season and has added four more winners in the playoffs. Forget about Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Nicklas Lidstrom. Whether the Stars can stop the big Swede they call "The Mule" may be the most important question of this series.


2. Captain Morrow - The decision to make Brenden Morrow a captain at the start of the 2006-07 season created quite a kerfuffle in Dallas, given the iconic status of former captain Mike Modano. Morrow missed half of last season with wrist and groin injuries, but played in all 82 regular-season games this campaign and has helped solidify the Stars' hard-working and skilled identity. Morrow finished second in team scoring to Mike Ribeiro with 74 points and was a team-best plus-23. In the playoffs, he has taken another step forward as he leads the team with two overtime winners, including the series-clincher versus San Jose. Morrow, who played 51 minutes in the deciding game and was credited with 19 hits, also had two goals disallowed in Game 5, but he didn't let that slow him down. In the way that Steve Yzerman used to be "the guy" in Detroit and Modano used to be "the guy" in Dallas, Morrow is now that player for the Stars.


3. The big men on the blue line - This series features two of the finest veteran defensemen in the game in Lidstrom and Dallas' Sergei Zubov. Lidstrom is unparalleled -- the cool, calm catalyst that drives a precise Detroit engine. Lidstrom is expected to win his sixth Norris Trophy and third in a row as the game's best defenseman. This spring, he's added seven points, is a plus-7 and has one game-winning goal for the 8-2 Red Wings. Zubov, meanwhile, has been a surprise contributor to the Stars' playoff success. The often underappreciated Russian missed the start of the playoffs, not to mention 26 regular-season games, trying to work through a sports hernia injury. The 37-year-old went to Germany on the eve of the playoffs to have the injury treated, returned in the second round and made an immediate impact with four points in five games. He played an astounding 53:50 in Game 6 against San Jose. Both Lidstrom and Zubov are key to their teams' respective power plays and have the ability to turn the course of a game on their own.


4. The snarl factor - The expected knock 'em down, drag 'em out battle against the Avalanche never materialized for the Red Wings. Detroit so often was ahead early in games that Colorado was forced to open things up as opposed to grind them out. The Wings may yet get that type of series against a Stars team that is comfortable playing close to the vest. Last season, the Wings displayed a surprising amount of grit in advancing to the Western Conference finals against Anaheim, and they have the tools to play that type of game with veterans like Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby, Dallas Drake and the reclaimed Darren McCarty. The Stars, meanwhile, don't mind the dirty work in the corners, either, with Steve Ott and Morrow. Neither team has a heavyweight in the Georges Laraque/Donald Brashear mold, but don't think this series won't get a bit ugly.


5. Ozzie redux, again - All Chris Osgood has done since coming off the bench for an inconsistent Dominik Hasek after Game 4 of the first round is win six straight games. The 35-year-old veteran won a Stanley Cup as the starter here in 1998 but has never really been given credit for being an elite netminder. The perception is no different now, and many will suggest the Stars hold a significant advantage in goal with Turco. Still, Turco is the one who historically has struggled in the playoffs. Both have played exceptionally well this postseason. Osgood leads the league with a 1.52 goals-against average and a third-best .937 save percentage. Turco has a 1.73 GAA and .929 save percentage. Watch for Detroit coach Mike Babcock to go back to Hasek if Osgood can't match Turco save for save. Not that he may have to worry about that.


- Key Matchup -

• Mike Ribeiro vs. Niklas Kronwall: Mike Ribeiro remains the Stars' most dangerous forward and leads the team with 14 points in 12 games. He can expect to spend a lot of time making sure he's not getting his head handed to him by Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall, who is making the most of his first playoff run with the Wings. The injury-prone Swede has good offensive tools, is strong in his own zone and has the added bonus of being able to deliver the big open-ice hit. The Stars need Ribeiro's continued offensive production, while the Wings need Kronwall to shut him down.

- Who's hot, Who's not -

• Red Wings: Zetterberg is second in team scoring with 13 points and is a league-best plus-10 through the second round. Daniel Cleary has one goal and one assist through 10 games.

• Stars: Stephane Robidas is tied with Kronwall for the lead among NHL defensemen with eight postseason points. Niklas Hagman has just two points in these playoffs, and both came in one game against San Jose.

- Prediction -

We didn't have enough courage to pick the Stars in the second round after picking them to beat Anaheim. And as much as we love how far the Stars have come this season, we once again lack courage to pick them against a Red Wings team that is healthy, rested and just a little too deep for the Stars to handle.

Wings in seven.




- Watching the pure joy and excitement on the faces of these guys never gets old.