Detroit-Dallas: Not Quite a Family Affair

The Dallas Stars’ president, Jim Lites, formerly worked for the Detroit Red Wings and was married to Denise Ilitch, daughter of Red Wing owner Mike Ilitch. Three of the Stars’ top players, center Mike Modano and defensemen Derian Hatcher and Shawn Chambers, grew up near Detroit and were Red Wing fans as kids.

Lites and Denise Ilitch are no longer married, but the Red Wings’ strong influence on the Stars endures and will be evident when the teams meet in the Western Conference finals, starting today at Dallas.

“Everybody in the conference has altered their game and altered their lineup compared to Detroit because of their speed and their ability to check and score at the same time,” Modano said. “We have always had Detroit as a measuring stick for us the last couple of years . . . [and] I think now we are finally getting there.”

Dallas had the NHL’s top point total, 109, but Detroit was close behind with 103, third overall. Both teams emphasize defense and ranked in the top seven in goals-against average. Both are strong up the middle and have a good deal of skill but also have players who can grind with the best muckers in the NHL. And neither had anyone among the top 25 scorers: the Stars’ top scorer, Joe Nieuwendyk, and Red Wing leader Steve Yzerman tied for 22nd place in scoring.

“Dallas was the No. 1 team in the league. We know that. We had a chance [to pass them] at the end of the season but they beat us in our last game,” Red Wing Coach Scotty Bowman said. “They’re a very stingy team and everybody knows the success of their team is because they make it so tough for other teams to score.”

To continue the parallels, both were boosted by trades made just before the deadline. The Red Wings acquired defensemen Jamie Macoun and Dmitri Mironov to spread out the minutes and ease the burden on a defense that is older than most in the NHL. The Stars acquired defensive-minded forwards Brian Skrudland and Mike Keane to add character and experience.

“There are a lot of similarities between the two teams,” Yzerman said. “They became one of the top teams in the league over the last couple of years and even though they didn’t win last year, they rebounded and they’ve gotten stronger. . . . I would expect [the series] to be low-scoring. The way their defense plays it’s hard to get the puck to the net. They block a lot of shots and stand up. Dallas has good size on the blue line.”

One significant edge the Red Wings hold is they’re free of injuries except for a groin pull sustained by winger Brent Gilchrist. The Stars will be without Nieuwendyk, who had surgery on both knees and is likely to miss the start of next season. They got by Edmonton without him, but are likely to feel his absence more keenly now. Winger Jere Lehtinen returned from an injury during the Edmonton series.

“Detroit rolls four lines. Dallas has three lines and Modano double-shifts,” St. Louis center Craig Conroy said after the Red Wings eliminated the Blues in the conference semifinals. “If [the Stars] try to do that against them, they’re dead. Their fourth line could be the second line on another team.”

The enormity of the challenge doesn’t scare Modano, who didn’t have a goal against Edmonton. “There has been a little more pressure to score and pressure to put numbers up,” he said. “I think we all understand that as long as we play good defense, the opportunities will come.”

NO. 1 DALLAS (49-22-11)

vs.

NO. 3 DETROIT (44-23-15)

* Season series: Detroit 2-1-2.

* Top scorers: Dallas--Joe Nieuwendyk 39-30--69. Detroit--Steve Yzerman 24-45--69.

* Team goals-against average: Dallas 2.01 (second). Detroit 2.35 (seventh).

* Power play: Dallas 20% (first). Detroit 17.6% (sixth).

* Penalty killing: Dallas 88% (second). Detroit 86.4% (ninth).

* How they got here: Dallas defeated San Jose in six games and Edmonton in five games. Detroit defeated Phoenix in six games and St. Louis in six games.

* Top playoff scorers: Dallas--Mike Modano 3-7--10. Detroit--Steve Yzerman 3-13--16.

* Playoff power play: Dallas 12.9% (11th). Detroit 15.9% (sixth).

* Playoff penalty killing: Dallas 88.7% (fourth). Detroit 84.7% (eighth).

* Keys: Dallas Coach Ken Hitchcock sacrificed Modano’s offense against Edmonton and assigned him to neutralize Doug Weight. That worked, but the Stars can’t afford to give up Modano’s scoring touch against the balanced, plucky Red Wings. Dallas has gotten timely contributions from Benoit Hogue (a team-leading four goals) and grit from late-season acquisitions Keane and Skrudland, but the Stars scored only 11 goals against Edmonton and they’re averaging only 2.27 goals a game in the playoffs. Detroit is averaging 3.92. Detroit’s defense is older and less physical than Dallas’ defense corps, but the Red Wings are smart and play their positions well. One pivotal matchup will be in goal. The edge appears to go to Dallas’ Ed Belfour, who has a .937 save percentage and playoff-best 1.41 goals-against average, but he’s not considered a winner. Chris Osgood has had some shaky moments--such as St. Louis defenseman Al MacInnis’ 90-footer in Game 3 of Detroit’s previous series--but he and his team rarely have two bad games in a row. Bowman remains the master behind the bench, juggling his extra defensemen with uncanny efficiency. The Red Wings are resilient, talented and poised. Detroit in six.