NHL West Finals Preview: Detroit vs Dallas - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Click here for more NHL playoff previews.

One team is supposed to be here. The other is probably (at least to some extent) using the "No one is giving us a chance" motivational ploy.

Throw the seeds out the window and forget who is favored. This should be a very entertaining series.

The Dallas Stars are probably not supposed to be here. It was expected that Anaheim would run them off to the golf course in the first round. That didn't happen.

But surely, the great San Jose Sharks weren't going to take Dallas lightly. In the end, it didn't matter how the Sharks took the Stars. Dallas won the series.

Detroit, meanwhile, is on a six-game winning streak since Chris Osgood replaced the ineffective Dominik Hasek in goal. Johan Franzen has scored 11 goals in the playoffs, putting him in line for the Conn Smythe should Detroit keep going.

(If you had Franzen in your Conn Smythe pool at work, I want to know what information you were acting on. I'd also like to know where you work, because it would be cool to have a Conn Smythe pool.)

The Wings have the firepower. Will Dallas try to get physical, or will they push the tempo and hope to wear down Detroit's veteran defensemen?

Offense: Not as easy a call as you may think. Yes, Detroit has Datsyuk and Zetterberg. Yes, Franzen is on fire. He was great against Colorado, and his presence will be an issue for Dallas. The Stars aren't blessed with big, Earth-moving defensemen (more on that in a bit), and Franzen is, well, a Mule. He'll cause problems in front of the net, and it's obvious that he knows what to do with the puck when it comes to him. Of course, we can't discount guys like Tomas Holmstrom, Valtteri Filppula, and Mikael Samuelsson, all of whom are capable of contributing offensively. Even Darren McCarty has a playoff goal.

Dallas, meanwhile, has the Ribeiro-Morrow connection, which has worked wonderfully so far. Morrow has eight seven goals in the playoffs (sorry, I'm still bitter about the disallowed goal in Game Five), and it seems like he's timed them all very well. Mike Modano, dismissed by many as just an old dude, has tallied four times for the balanced Stars. I like the potential dimension Steve Ott brings to this series. He's a big, physical guy who has the ability to create havoc in front of the net. He's the kind of player who can really help Dallas should this be a long series, because he has good energy, and he will drive at Detroit's defensemen and goalie Chris Osgood until someone makes him stop.

I like Dallas' balance, but I like the combination of grit and skill Detroit has, and they're also better at moving the puck and getting up the rink. Edge: Detroit

Defense: The Wings have experience and high skill level at the top. Niklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski are great puck-movers, and they're a hard pair to beat in their own zone. They are the key to a Wings system that depends on puck possession, and boy do they ever possess the puck. In addition, the Wings have gotten solid play out of Niklas Kronwall. Chris Chelios hasn't played much, and he has shown his age at times. No doubt, the key to this group is the play of Lidstrom and Rafalski.

Dallas has some depth, and they have some personnel questions entering the series. Sergei Zubov is back, and I thought he looked pretty good against San Jose. He will see pretty regular playing time in this series. Mattias Norstrom and Stephane Robidas are the other veterans Dallas has relied on in the first two series. Word is that Phillippe Boucher will make the trip to Detroit, but he won't play in the season opener. Of the youngsters, Nicklas Grossman has looked pretty good, Mark Fistric brings a hard-hitting dimension, and Matt Niskanen has three assists, but was a healthy scratch for Game Six against San Jose. Moving forward, I would expect to see a lot of Zubov, Boucher (if he can go), and Niskanen. They are the best puck-movers Dallas has on the blue line. Their job will be to funnel the puck to the forwards and allow them to pressure Detroit's defense. Because of Dallas' depth, I'll give them a slight advantage. Edge: Dallas

Goaltending: Two veterans here. Chris Osgood is 6-0 as a starter in these playoffs, but it's likely that he hasn't been pressured the way Dallas will try to pressure him. Marty Turco has faced tremendous pressure at times, and he's had to win a lot of close games along the way. It's hard not to be impressed with what Turco has done in these playoffs, and it could be argued he's been the league's best goaltender so far in the postseason. This matchup almost comes down to which goaltender seems to have the best potential for a meltdown. Turco has certainly been guilty of this in the past, but has shown no signs of it this year. Neither has Osgood. I keep coming back to Osgood's 6-0 record, and no matter the circumstances of those six games, it's difficult to dismiss. Turco has prettier numbers, but I'll wuss out and call it even. Edge: None

Special teams: Purely by the numbers, Detroit has a slight edge. They are plus-seven on special teams (combining power play goals for and against, and short-handed goals for and against), while Dallas is plus-three. It's not much, but it's something. If you watch the teams, that edge probably goes away. Dallas' power play has been lethal from the start, when they accounted for all four of the team's goals against Anaheim in their opener. The Stars haven't slowed down much. Detroit has been pretty strong on the power play, but they haven't scored the big goals Dallas has. The Wings have been strong on the penalty kill, making this a great matchup. Dallas' kill has been steady, but not spectacular, while Detroit has shown more ability to move the puck up the rink and create chances. I'm going to give the Wings a slight edge here, if only because I think their puck movement will cause Dallas problems, no matter who is on the power play. Edge: Detroit

Prediction: This should be a great series. Dallas is on a roll, already winning two series in which they were considered the underdog. The Wings stumbled in Nashville, but rallied to win the last two games of that series, and they weren't seriously threatened after Game One against Colorado. This Stars team, however, is in a much better position to beat Detroit than the Avalanche were. Morrow has established himself as the unquestioned leader, Ribeiro may be playing the best hockey of his career, and Modano can still make things happen. Getting Zubov back on defense is huge for them, especially if he can play 25-30 minutes a night and neutralize some of the advantages Detroit may think they have in Dallas' zone.

Dallas can win if they punish Detroit's defensemen by making them skate and fight for the puck in their zone for a long series. If this is destined to be a short series, I have little doubt Detroit wins unless Osgood melts down. I think we're looking at six or seven games, though. It's there that Dallas has a real shot. To win, however, Dallas has to show they can keep Detroit from owning the puck possession battle, as they have against their first two opponents. With so much inexperience on defense, I'm not convinced this is going to happen. The pick: Detroit in seven