A well-rested Detroit Red Wings team opens the National Hockey League playoff semi-finals Thursday against Dallas with relaxed confidence while Pittsburgh and Philadelphia face a bitter battle.
Tensions will mount in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference and Western Conference because the winners meet later this month in the Stanley Cup final, but how the teams got to the semi-finals could prove critical as well.
Detroit swept Colorado in the second round and will face the Stars on six days of rest while Dallas ousted San Jose in six games, beating the Sharks 2-1 Monday in a grueling four-overtime thriller that went five hours, 14 minutes.
"It's always an advantage for the team that played more recently in the first 20 minutes," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "After that, it is definitely good to have the rest.
"We had a bunch of bumps and bruises last series, and this gives us the opportunity to feel fresher. We will be prepared. But in the end it's going to be will and determination and being relentless."
Chris Chelios, a 46-year-old Red Wings defenseman, missed the final game against Colorado with a leg injury but said he is ready to face the Stars in game one Thursday.
"I've always felt with a layoff like this, if you go into a series a little further, deep into the series, I think that's when hopefully it'll pay off a little bit," Chelios said. "They had some tough games against San Jose."
The Red Wings, who had the NHL's best regular-season record to take a home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs, will look for more scoring punch from center Johan Franzen, who set an NHL record with nine goals in a four-game series.
"It could be both good and bad, resting this long," Franzen said. "You get out of the rhythm a little bit. But at the same time, you heal up your body."
Detroit won three of four regular-season games against Dallas, outscoring the Stars 12-5, but the Red Wings must solve goaltender Marty Turco, second in the NHL with a 1.73 goals-against average.
The Eastern Conference semi-final pits Pennsylvania rivals Philadelphia and Pittsburgh against each other, each side of the Keystone state backing its best in a grudge match of division foes.
Philadelphia won five of eight regular-season games over the Penguins, but Pittsburgh played better when Canadian star Sidney Crosby was off the injured list and alongside Russian 47-goal scorer Evgeni Malkin in the lineup.
"He matured and is a better player than before," Flyers coach John Stevens said. "He has worked hard to get better and he was a great player last year."
Crosby, the NHL's youngest team captain, noted how Crosby was criticized for how he handled himself on the ice as a rookie.
"You see him and how mature he is getting," Richards said. "Now he handles himself real well on the ice. He respects everyone. He gets along with the referees."
Flyers defender Kimmo Timonen will likely be asked to mark Malkin, who takes hits and keeps on coming.
"Malkin plays pretty hard," Timonen said. "You hit that guy, and he keeps going."
The Flyers, paced by 37 goals from Vaclav Prospal, needed a goal in overtime of game seven to subdue Washington in the first round and defeated Montreal in round two, eliminating Canada's last hope to claim the Cup for the nation.
No major Philadelphia sports team has brought a title to the "City of Brotherly Love" since the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association some 25 years ago this month.
The Flyers have not claimed the Cup since back-to-back titles in 1974 and 1975. The Stars won their only Stanley Cup in 1999 while Pittsburgh's only titles came in 1991 and 1992.
The Red Wings have won the NHL title 10 times, the most of any US franchise, and most recently claimed the Cup in 2002.
