Red Wings rested and ready for conference finals

One NHL team is eight victories away from winning the Stanley Cup. The Red Wings, veteran and well rested, might be the favorite.

BY GEORGE RICHARDS

grichards@MiamiHerald.com

GREGORY SHAMUS / GETTY IMAGES

Red Wings right winger Johan Franzen scores one of his nine goals against the Avalanche in the quarterfinals. In the playoffs, he has scored 11 goals, setting a franchise record, and has had two hat tricks.

NHL CONFERENCE FINALS

(2) PIT

(6) PHI

• Season series: Philadelphia won five of eight.

• The playoff road: Pittsburgh -- d. Ottawa 4-0 in quarterfinals; d. New York Rangers 4-1 in semifinals. Philadelphia -- d. Washington 4-3 in quarterfinals; d. Montreal in 4-2 in semifinals.

• About Pittsburgh: The Penguins have made this postseason look easy. In their opening round against Ottawa, the Pens trailed for fewer than five minutes of what turned out to be a four-game series. In nine playoff games (547:10 of playing time), Pittsburgh has trailed a mere 62:43 -- lowest of all playoff teams. Pittsburgh's big three of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marian Hossa have been doing the job offensively, each with 10 points or more this postseason. Goalie Marc-Andre Fluery hasn't been tested too much, but he has passed so far. Fluery, 23, has started all nine playoff games, stopping 240 of the 256 shots he's faced.

• About Philadelphia: The Flyers are 3-0 against Pittsburgh in playoff series since the two joined the league during the 1967 expansion. This is the first time, however, the two have met with a conference title on the line. The Flyers have been a nice surprise this postseason, especially since a few weeks before the regular season ended it didn't look as if Philadelphia was even going to make the playoffs.The Flyers are getting contributions from all over, although Daniel Briere (eight goals) and R.J. Umberger (nine) have been clutch performers.

• Did you know? These two teams know what it's like to be at the bottom of the barrel. In 2005-06, Pittsburgh -- despite having rookie Sidney Crosby -- finished last in the Eastern Conference, with 22 victories and 58 points. In 2006-07, it was the Flyers at the bottom of the east, their 22 victories good for 56 points.

• Schedule: Friday @ PIT (Versus); May 11 @ PIT (Versus); May 13 @ PHL (Versus); May 15 @ PHL (Versus); May 18* @ PIT (NBC, 3 p.m.); May 20* @ PHL (Versus); May 22* @ PIT (Versus).

• The pick: Pittsburgh in 7. The Flyers have the grit, the talent and the goaltending to take out their cross-state rivals, but the Penguins have all that -- and more. The Pens are just playing at a different level right now.

(1) DET

(5) DAL

• Season series: Detroit won three of four meetings.

• The playoff road: Detroit -- d. Nashville 4-2 in quarterfinals; d. Colorado 4-0 in semifinals. Dallas -- d. Anaheim 4-2 in quarterfinals; d. San Jose 4-2 in semifinals.

• About Detroit: The last time these teams met, Detroit ran Dallas out of the 1998 west finals in six en route to a second consecutive Stanley Cup championship. The Wings, gunning to be the first team since the '02 Detroiters to win both the President's Trophy and the Cup in the same season, are firing on all cylinders after sweeping rival Colorado in the semifinals. Detroit is getting great goaltending from '98 Cup winner Chris Osgood and an unbelievable dose of scoring from Johan Franzen, who had two hat tricks against the Avs. Franzen's 11 goals are the most ever in a Detroit postseason, topping the 10 goals scored by Brett Hull in 2002.

• About Dallas: The Stars have been playing terrific hockey in disposing of the reigning champion Ducks and the homestanding Sharks this postseason. Dallas has been great away from the Metroplex, although Marty Turco has struggled in Detroit, going 0-7-2 in his past nine starts at Joe Louis Arena. He's going to have to win at least one there if the Stars want to move on this series. Captain Brenden Morrow is becoming the heart of this Dallas team, and he's a workhorse, too. Morrow's average ice time of 23:32 is the most of any forward left this postseason -- and second only to Washington's Alex Ovechkin overall.

• Did you know? Detroit's Chris Chelios, 46, is older than three of the four remaining coaches in the 2008 playoffs -- including Detroit's Mike Babcock. Dallas' Dave Tippett is five months older than Chelios (whose first game in 1984 came 12 days before teammate Valtteri Filppula was born).

• Schedule: Thursday @ DET (Versus); Saturday @ DET (Versus); May 12 @ DAL (Versus); May 14 @ DAL (Versus); May 17* @ DET (NBC, 1:30 p.m.); May 19* @ DAL (Versus); May 21* @ DET (Versus).

• The pick: Detroit in 6. Dallas is playing its best hockey since its Stanley Cup title days, but the Wings have just too much and are playing with a mission.

-- GEORGE RICHARDS

Fans of the Detroit Red Wings have been known to toss slimy, gigantic octopi onto the ice at Joe Louis Arena during the playoffs to honor an old tradition that dates to the team's Stanley Cup championship run in 1952.

Back then, eight victories in the postseason brought the Cup.

Which is where we stand today.

Four teams remain in the hunt for the Stanley Cup this season, with the Red Wings looking like one of the true favorites.

The Cup is only eight victories away for one lucky team.

''I don't want to talk about the records,'' record-setting Detroit winger Johan Franzen said on a conference call Wednesday. ``I just want to win eight more games this season.''

The league has tried to ban the tossing of octopi onto the ice -- even scolding and threatening to fine the franchise if Zamboni driver Al Sobotka were to twirl them above his head on the ice after retrieval.

Someone always seems to sneak at least one in, though, and it always seems to find a home on the ice.

Detroit opens the Western Conference Finals at home Thursday with a surprising Dallas team standing in the way of another berth in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Wings hope to see at least one octopus hit the ice in Detroit (and someone in Dallas will try as well).

''I think it's a great time of the year,'' Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. ``Sometimes we get so caught up in what's ahead that we don't enjoy what's gone on. I can tell you that our players and myself have enjoyed winning two rounds, and we've enjoyed the time when it's time to play.

'When you're watching the other teams play and you're done, you always say, `Gee, are they ever good. Are they ever good.' You can't believe it. You don't watch yourself like that, and so we're prepared.''

PLENTY OF REST

The Red Wings have been rumored to be on the decline in recent years, although the results certainly do not back that up.

Detroit is still humming along, winning eight of 10 playoff games -- with the losses coming in the opening round to Nashville.

The Red Wings are in the conference finals for the second consecutive season, and, since beating the hated Avalanche in Denver, they haven't played since May 1.

Some teams might worry about getting rusty, about reveling in what's already been accomplished with too much time off. Detroit, with all it has won in the past decade-plus, obviously isn't one of those teams. And with an average age of 32.1 years, the Wings aren't going to complain about too much rest.

''I think it's good for our team, actually,'' goalie Chris Osgood said. ``I mean, you want to close quickly. We did that in Colorado. . . . You never know what's going to happen. We relished the time off. It was good for our team; we feel refreshed. What happens is you get excited to play again because you kind of get sick of practicing. We've had some time off here, and we're ready and raring to go.''

Said Babcock: ``I can tell you right now we're rested. We're excited. But now you've got to execute, and now you've got to play hard and with determination. And we're a focused group, we're a determined group, and only time will tell.''

OSGOOD UNBEATEN

Osgood is one of those feel-good stories for the Wings, having been cast off and unmercifully booed in the past, only to be welcomed back and be successful. Osgood was a big part of Detroit's 1998 Stanley Cup championship victory over Washington and is unbeaten in six starts since taking over for Dominik Hasek in the middle of Game 4 at Nashville.

''Even when I wasn't playing, I felt confident I could do the job,'' said Osgood, who is 27-10-3 lifetime against the Stars.

``The team's playing really well. I don't feel like I need to go in there and steal games. I just have to play solid and play sharp, and make the saves when I have to. I feel like I'm capable of doing that.''

FOCUSED ON FRANZEN

Dallas has plenty of offense this year, but goalie Marty Turco (2-10-5 versus Detroit) has been the difference this postseason. One target the Dallas defense will key on is Franzen, the Swedish scoring sensation.

Since March 2, Franzen has 26 goals and seven assists. It's no coincidence Detroit rediscovered its winning ways in March, winning 20 of 26 games since beating Buffalo 4-2 on March 2.

Detroit suffered through a terrible February, losing 10 of 11 games from Feb. 7 (to lowly Los Angeles) until Feb. 29.

The Wings won five in a row to open March and get back to business and eventually win the Central Division, finishing with the best record in the NHL. That earned Detroit its sixth President's Trophy -- no other team has won it more than twice. Detroit is the last team to win the Trophy and the Cup in the same season, back in 2002.

''I kept it going from the last month there in the regular season,'' said Franzen, whose 11 goals this postseason already are a franchise record. Nine of those goals came against the Avalanche.

``It's the confidence. Winning and scoring a lot, the confidence grows. Every time you get the puck it seems a little bit easier to put it in the back of the net. It feels like you've got a little extra time with the puck, and everything just gets easier.''