Starting fast key to series

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DETROIT -- One thing the Red Wings would like to do against the Ducks is get off to better starts.

They were able to do that, for the most part, against the Flames in the first round.

In Round 2, though, it was the Sharks taking an early lead and forcing the Wings to come from behind. Game 6, the series clincher, was the only game in which the Wings took the early lead.

That same formula -- coming from behind -- could prove much more difficult against a strong defensive team such as Anaheim.

"The start of the games, we have to play a little better," Henrik Zetterberg said. "We've been giving up a little bit too many chances from the start. That has to improve."

In three of the four Wings victories over the Sharks, they rallied from early deficits

"Even though we got down in every game, we managed to come back," forward Robert Lang said. "It's a good sign for a team. We just didn't lay down."

Hasek undecided

Red Wings goaltender Dominik Hasek saw the newspapers Thursday morning and got an earful from teammates.

General manager Ken Holland told reporters he'd like to have Hasek, 42, back next season if Hasek is interested in playing beyond this season.

"I heard about (Holland's quotes), but I don't want to talk about it during the playoffs," Hasek said. "Guys on the team have asked me about it, but I tell them we have to focus for the playoffs. After the playoffs we'll make a decision."

Ice chips

Defenseman Brett Lebda practiced Thursday and should be ready for Game 1. He missed most of the last series with a sprained left ankle but returned for Game 6.

Coach Mike Babcock enjoyed coaching in Anaheim but has taken to the Detroit area.

"As much as I miss the pool and the sun, my home in Anaheim, where I live in Northville is no slouch either," he said.

 

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John Niyo scouts the Red Wings-Ducks series



Young Ducks continue to fly

 So much for that sophomore slump, eh?

 Anaheim reached the Western Conference finals a season ago with plenty of help from a trio of rookies who spent time together with Portland of the AHL earlier in the season. This season, those Canadian-born kids -- Dustin Penner , Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf -- are together on the team's No. 2 scoring line.

 Already dubbed the PPG line -- their initials stand for points per game -- they've been clicking as a unit since late February, with 30 goals in the final 19 games of the regular season. They've combined for seven goals -- four winners -- and 10 assists in the playoffs.

 Getzlaf is the most complete player among the three, while Perry helps stir up trouble and Penner -- at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds -- plays a lot like a young Todd Bertuzzi .

 "We do have a lot of chemistry between us, and obviously me and Perry have played quite a bit," said Getzlaf, who, like Perry, was a first-round pick in 2003. "We're a strong cycling group, and as long as we can control that puck, we're a really effective line.

 "Last year we were kind of at the forefront, and we were more of an energy line. All we had to do was go out there and create something, whether it was a big hit or whatever. So this is a little bit different."

An infusion of experience

 Anaheim will have veteran center Todd Marchant in the lineup tonight for the first time since he underwent surgery for a sports hernia April 6. He hasn't played much in 2007, missing 26 games with groin and abdominal injuries.

 But while it might take him some time to adjust to the speed of the playoffs, Marchant's return could do wonders for the Ducks' depth. He'll likely center the fourth line with another proven veteran, Brad May , as well as Shawn Thornton .

 A strong two-way forward and penalty-killer, Marchant was the Ducks' second-leading scorer in last season's playoff run (13 points in 16 games) while leading the NHL in plus-minus rating (plus-11) in the postseason.

 "We're realistic about where he's at in this first game," coach Randy Carlyle said. "We think the addition of him into our lineup gives us more strength. People were critical of us, saying we're only a three-line hockey club. Well, we're not a three-line hockey club."

No time for a breather

 A look at the leaders in ice time (including OT) who are still playing:

Player Team TOI
Chris Pronger Anaheim 31:13
Francois Beauchemin Anaheim 30:01
Scott Niedermayer Anaheim 29:45
Nicklas Lidstrom Detroit 29:15
Henrik Tallinder Buffalo 23:10

Four on the floor

 Much will be made about the Wings' injury woes on the blue line forcing their top four defensemen -- Nicklas Lidstrom , Chris Chelios , Danny Markov and Andreas Lilja -- to play big minutes this series.

 But Anaheim won't play it much differently. Coach Randy Carlyle has gone with Joe DiPenta and Kent Huskins as his third defense pairing, but they have averaged about 10 minutes a game thus far in the playoffs. Ric Jackman , acquired by Anaheim in January, is another option, but he hasn't played since early April because of a back injury.

New kids on the block

 Anaheim is in the conference finals for the third time in four seasons. In the East, Buffalo and Ottawa are back for a second time in the last four seasons. Only Detroit is a newcomer, with its last trip coming in 2002 when the Wings won the Stanley Cup.

Conference finalists since 2003:

*2006: Buffalo, x-Carolina, Anaheim, Edmonton

*2004: Philadelphia, x-Tampa Bay, Calgary, San Jose

*2003: x-New Jersey, Ottawa, Anaheim, Minnesota

x-won Stanley Cup

Maggie May

 Maggie the Monkey gained fame in 2003 thanks to her prognostication skills on TSN -- Canada's version of ESPN -- as she picked the eighth-seeded Ducks to win every playoff round on their way to a surprise Stanley Cup Finals spot. Last season, the crab-eating macaque from the Bowmanville Zoo near Toronto spun her magic wheel and was the only member of TSN's panel to correctly predict a Carolina-Edmonton final.

 Maggie is 7-5 overall after two rounds, but she's one of three panel members -- Darren Dreger and Darren Pang are the others -- to pick Detroit in the first two rounds. All three are picking the Wings in the conference finals.

Making the calls

 It's not just the teams that are dwindling as the Stanley Cup playoffs progress. Seven referees made the conference finals. Bill McCreary and Don Koharski , both with more than 20 years of service, are joined by Don Van Massenhoven , Dan O'Halloran , Kevin Pollock , Rob Shick and Brad Watson .

 The four who didn't make the cut were Dave Jackson , Marc Joannette , Dennis LaRue and Kelly Sutherland . Each worked in the second round.