Interview of a prominent Western Conference scout. Here is the scout's take on the Red Wings-Ducks series:
-- Scouts watch, discuss and analyze hockey 24 hours a day -- with their front offices, other scouts, coaches, and the media.
We asked one Western Conference scout to analyze the Red Wings' series against the Ducks.
His verdict: The Wings will win in six or seven games.
"A long series," he said. "A good series, too, because neither one of these teams is a slouch. And I don't expect an awful lot of goals to be scored, but just because that's the case, don't think this series will lack entertainment. You can have an unforgettable series without a lot of goals, and this series could just be one of those types."
The Wings will win, in his opinion, because of defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and the goaltending of Dominik Hasek. But the Wings also need forward Todd Bertuzzi to become a force.
"This is the type of series they got Bertuzzi for," the scout said. "Anaheim will be physical. He has to be, too.
"Lidstrom is the best player on either team. He will find a way to take over. As for Hasek, he looks like he's in a zone. Anaheim can't let him get comfortable.
"I like the Wings in this series. They've looked impressive since the playoffs began. It's a well-coached team. I like the veterans the Wings have. They've been through this before."
Goaltenders
Dominik Hasek: Am I surprised about how well he's played this year? No, I'm not surprised. Everyone knows what kind of competitor this guy is. He really frustrated San Jose. But the Sharks didn't really do enough to get inside his head. The only way you beat a guy like Hasek, and the same can be said of the really good goalies out there, you have to create traffic around him, create scrambles, and especially with this guy. (Hasek) he can lose it a little bit. If he can see your shot, forget it. He'll stop it.
Jean-Sebastien Giguere: This guy is a world-class goalie. I don't think he's gotten enough credit over the last season or two. Technically, he's one of the best. If he's on his game, and he usually is, it's impossible to get a little green pea by him. Look, with him and Hasek in net, you have two of the very best. I don't think you're going to see very many bad goals in this series.
Defense
Red Wings: I can't believe, after all these years, that Nicklas Lidstrom hasn't won a Most Valuable Player trophy yet. How can that be? This guy, in my opinion, is the best player in the league. The two Anaheim guys are awfully good, no doubt about it. But this guy is better. He'll find a way to give the Wings an edge here.
The Wings will miss (Mathieu ) Schneider . He's an all-star. But someone else will have to step up. It's the playoffs. Someone will. This time of year, someone has to. Now, if no one does, then they're (the Wings) in trouble.
A guy like (Chris ) Chelios , everyone felt that guys like these would be hurt by the new rules. I see it the other way. It's helped guys like Chelios. Instead of starting and stopping all the time, he's gliding and skating all the time and it's easier for him. He's a marvel. He'll play forever.
The Wings have a little more depth up and down than the Ducks have, on defense, but let me tell you: If the Wings ever lose Lidstrom for a period of time, they're cooked.
Ducks: Let's face it, you have two of the best there in (Chris ) Pronger and (Scott ) Niedermayer . How lucky is (coach) Randy Carlyle ? He can have one of those two horses on the ice all the time. There aren't a lot of weaknesses between those two players. Pronger has matured, he doesn't take the costly penalties as much.
People talk about their Big Two, but I really like the (Francois ) Beauchemin kid a lot. He plays a lot of minutes for them and has turned into a much better player than people would have expected.
They fall off a little bit after those three, in my opinion. (Sean ) O'Donnell is starting to slip a little bit. But with those big three playing all the time, it doesn't hurt the Ducks.
Forwards
Red Wings: Everybody talks about how much grittier this team is up front, and tougher. Well, they were gritty last year. The goaltending wasn't as good last year against Edmonton. I really like the job (Dan ) Cleary , (Mikael ) Samuelsson and (Johan ) Franzen have done. Franzen was a tough matchup for our team this year.
The key for the Wings in this series is Todd Bertuzzi . This is a guy they got at the (trade) deadline specifically for a series like this. Anaheim will be physical, so it's up to a guy like Bertuzzi to be physical, too. From what I've seen so far, he hasn't done much in the playoffs. But this is his opportunity right here. A lot's riding on it. If he wants to get a pretty good contract from someone this summer, he'll have to pick it up.
(Pavel ) Datsyuk and (Henrik ) Zetterberg are givens, although it looks to me like Zetterberg still isn't 100 percent. There were questions about Datsyuk entering the playoffs, about how effective he is this time of year, but he's been good.
Ducks: You know who I like a lot is those kids they have on the second line. (Corey ) Perry , (Dustin ) Penner and the best is (Ryan ) Getzlaf . That Getzlaf kid killed us. And Penner, he's impossible to defend down low. All three of them have size, speed. They could give the Wings some problems.
(Teemu ) Selanne has been a revelation. Before the lockout, he was about 10 pounds overweight, his knees were shot, he wasn't moving. He got healthy and suddenly the guy is a star player again. He doesn't look like the same player.
They don't use their fourth line very much. The Wings keep rolling four lines. That could be a factor.
Coaching
Red Wings: Both of these coaching staffs are very, very good. (Mike ) Babcock did a great job in Anaheim, and you have to give him credit for what he's accomplished in Detroit. It hasn't been easy keeping this team up in the standings the way they've done the last two seasons. He's got them playing a tougher brand of hockey, maybe, than before.
Ducks: Carlyle is the same as Babcock, in that both of them are very demanding of their players, but the players respond to it. I like that. You don't see much of that around the league. Well, the successful teams, anyway, you see it quite a bit.
Special teams
Red Wings: The power play has been up and down. Like I said before, this is a big series for Bertuzzi and he has an opportunity to break through here. You know what you'll get from (Tomas ) Holmstrom . He's the best in the league at what he does (around the net). They have a good penalty kill because Hasek is back there.
Ducks: San Jose didn't pose much of a problem for the Wings, but the Ducks' power play should be much better. Pronger on the point is a menace. That Getzlaf kid is tough. (Andy ) MacDonald is creative. You have to watch for Selanne. It's a dangerous (power play) unit. On the penalty kill, well, I know Vancouver was struggling a little bit in the last series, but the Canucks couldn't generate anything against the Ducks. I consider this matchup one of the big keys. The Wings' power play against Anaheim's PK. I'm not saying it's going to decide the series, but, maybe.
-- Scouts watch, discuss and analyze hockey 24 hours a day -- with their front offices, other scouts, coaches, and the media.
We asked one Western Conference scout to analyze the Red Wings' series against the Ducks.
His verdict: The Wings will win in six or seven games.
"A long series," he said. "A good series, too, because neither one of these teams is a slouch. And I don't expect an awful lot of goals to be scored, but just because that's the case, don't think this series will lack entertainment. You can have an unforgettable series without a lot of goals, and this series could just be one of those types."
The Wings will win, in his opinion, because of defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and the goaltending of Dominik Hasek. But the Wings also need forward Todd Bertuzzi to become a force.
"This is the type of series they got Bertuzzi for," the scout said. "Anaheim will be physical. He has to be, too.
"Lidstrom is the best player on either team. He will find a way to take over. As for Hasek, he looks like he's in a zone. Anaheim can't let him get comfortable.
"I like the Wings in this series. They've looked impressive since the playoffs began. It's a well-coached team. I like the veterans the Wings have. They've been through this before."
Goaltenders
Dominik Hasek: Am I surprised about how well he's played this year? No, I'm not surprised. Everyone knows what kind of competitor this guy is. He really frustrated San Jose. But the Sharks didn't really do enough to get inside his head. The only way you beat a guy like Hasek, and the same can be said of the really good goalies out there, you have to create traffic around him, create scrambles, and especially with this guy. (Hasek) he can lose it a little bit. If he can see your shot, forget it. He'll stop it.
Jean-Sebastien Giguere: This guy is a world-class goalie. I don't think he's gotten enough credit over the last season or two. Technically, he's one of the best. If he's on his game, and he usually is, it's impossible to get a little green pea by him. Look, with him and Hasek in net, you have two of the very best. I don't think you're going to see very many bad goals in this series.
Defense
Red Wings: I can't believe, after all these years, that Nicklas Lidstrom hasn't won a Most Valuable Player trophy yet. How can that be? This guy, in my opinion, is the best player in the league. The two Anaheim guys are awfully good, no doubt about it. But this guy is better. He'll find a way to give the Wings an edge here.
The Wings will miss (Mathieu ) Schneider . He's an all-star. But someone else will have to step up. It's the playoffs. Someone will. This time of year, someone has to. Now, if no one does, then they're (the Wings) in trouble.
A guy like (Chris ) Chelios , everyone felt that guys like these would be hurt by the new rules. I see it the other way. It's helped guys like Chelios. Instead of starting and stopping all the time, he's gliding and skating all the time and it's easier for him. He's a marvel. He'll play forever.
The Wings have a little more depth up and down than the Ducks have, on defense, but let me tell you: If the Wings ever lose Lidstrom for a period of time, they're cooked.
Ducks: Let's face it, you have two of the best there in (Chris ) Pronger and (Scott ) Niedermayer . How lucky is (coach) Randy Carlyle ? He can have one of those two horses on the ice all the time. There aren't a lot of weaknesses between those two players. Pronger has matured, he doesn't take the costly penalties as much.
People talk about their Big Two, but I really like the (Francois ) Beauchemin kid a lot. He plays a lot of minutes for them and has turned into a much better player than people would have expected.
They fall off a little bit after those three, in my opinion. (Sean ) O'Donnell is starting to slip a little bit. But with those big three playing all the time, it doesn't hurt the Ducks.
Forwards
Red Wings: Everybody talks about how much grittier this team is up front, and tougher. Well, they were gritty last year. The goaltending wasn't as good last year against Edmonton. I really like the job (Dan ) Cleary , (Mikael ) Samuelsson and (Johan ) Franzen have done. Franzen was a tough matchup for our team this year.
The key for the Wings in this series is Todd Bertuzzi . This is a guy they got at the (trade) deadline specifically for a series like this. Anaheim will be physical, so it's up to a guy like Bertuzzi to be physical, too. From what I've seen so far, he hasn't done much in the playoffs. But this is his opportunity right here. A lot's riding on it. If he wants to get a pretty good contract from someone this summer, he'll have to pick it up.
(Pavel ) Datsyuk and (Henrik ) Zetterberg are givens, although it looks to me like Zetterberg still isn't 100 percent. There were questions about Datsyuk entering the playoffs, about how effective he is this time of year, but he's been good.
Ducks: You know who I like a lot is those kids they have on the second line. (Corey ) Perry , (Dustin ) Penner and the best is (Ryan ) Getzlaf . That Getzlaf kid killed us. And Penner, he's impossible to defend down low. All three of them have size, speed. They could give the Wings some problems.
(Teemu ) Selanne has been a revelation. Before the lockout, he was about 10 pounds overweight, his knees were shot, he wasn't moving. He got healthy and suddenly the guy is a star player again. He doesn't look like the same player.
They don't use their fourth line very much. The Wings keep rolling four lines. That could be a factor.
Coaching
Red Wings: Both of these coaching staffs are very, very good. (Mike ) Babcock did a great job in Anaheim, and you have to give him credit for what he's accomplished in Detroit. It hasn't been easy keeping this team up in the standings the way they've done the last two seasons. He's got them playing a tougher brand of hockey, maybe, than before.
Ducks: Carlyle is the same as Babcock, in that both of them are very demanding of their players, but the players respond to it. I like that. You don't see much of that around the league. Well, the successful teams, anyway, you see it quite a bit.
Special teams
Red Wings: The power play has been up and down. Like I said before, this is a big series for Bertuzzi and he has an opportunity to break through here. You know what you'll get from (Tomas ) Holmstrom . He's the best in the league at what he does (around the net). They have a good penalty kill because Hasek is back there.
Ducks: San Jose didn't pose much of a problem for the Wings, but the Ducks' power play should be much better. Pronger on the point is a menace. That Getzlaf kid is tough. (Andy ) MacDonald is creative. You have to watch for Selanne. It's a dangerous (power play) unit. On the penalty kill, well, I know Vancouver was struggling a little bit in the last series, but the Canucks couldn't generate anything against the Ducks. I consider this matchup one of the big keys. The Wings' power play against Anaheim's PK. I'm not saying it's going to decide the series, but, maybe.
