Western Conference Quarter-Final Preview: Anaheim Ducks (4) Vs Dallas Stars (5)

As the clock ticks down to the opening faceoff of the NHL playoffs, there has been plenty of talk about all the first-round matchups in both the Eastern and Western Conferences. However, one quarter-final series is not getting the attention that it deserves.

With the Anaheim Ducks hosting the Dallas Stars on Thursday night at the Honda Center, it will mark only the second playoff meeting between these two Pacific Division rivals. As the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds respectively, this series is bound to be one of the closer tilts as the post-season gets underway.

After winning their first Stanley Cup last spring, the Ducks still have most of their core in tact (with the exception of Dustin Penner). If having experience on a team is crucial in the playoffs, the Ducks boast the best chance at winning and bringing the Cup back to the pond in June. They cannot afford to take any game lightly as it will require a team effort to repeat.

The Ducks' biggest asset is their defense, and their defense can bring them championships. All-star defensemen Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer and Mathieu Schneider can live up to the tasks of playing physical, adding in offensively or just simply shutting down all the Stars' snipers. Add former Conn Smythe winner Jean-Sebastien Giguere to that formula, and the Ducks have the strongest back end of any of the 16 playoff-bound squads.

Up front, the Ducks have the experience, grit and clutch performers that can grind it out with the best that the opposition has to offer. Lead offensively by Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry (who is injured for round one), the team has gotten help scoring goals from veterans such as Teemu Selanne, Todd Bertuzzi and Chris Kunitz. On the contrary, the team finished 28th in the league for goals-for, so they will be looking to heavily rely on the performance of their defensemen.

For the Dallas Stars, their story is not nearly as close to the one of their opponent.  The team finished off the regular season going 3-5-2, and not showing much signs of life. As the Stars have raised their goal-scoring through the regular season, they will be without the services of defenseman Sergei Zubov for the playoffs.

Zubov, 37, has been the Stars' most consistent player over the past four seasons. His defensive capabilities, along with his offensive upside, have been the backbone for the Dallas Stars for quit some time now. He will truly be missed by his teammates in their fight with the Ducks.

This season the Dallas Stars actually have noteable forwards who can provide the scoring touch in the playoffs. Mike Ribeiro has posted his best season as a pro, as he tallied 83 points (27 goals, 56 assists). Also putting up career numbers, captain Brenden Morrow lit the lamp 32 times this season, 12 of them were game-winners. Even though Mike Modano's year wasn't one to remember, he will be relied upon to be a better two-way player if they want to hold the Ducks at bay.

The two names that stand out on the Stars' roster are newcomer Brad Richards, and net-minder Marty Turco. Richards, a former Cup winner with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, won the Conn Smythe trophy that playoff for his tremendous contributions in key situations. All eyes will be on him to see if he truly has re-discovered himself after being involved in the 5-player trade between the Bolts and the Stars at the trade deadline.

If Marty Turco shows any signs of faltering, coach Dave Tippett will in fact hesitate to put in backup Johan Holmqvist. Holmqvist, acquired in the Brad Richards deal, has surrendered 5 goals on 25 shots as a member of the Dallas Stars. Marty Turco needs to be better than Giguere, and play the best playoff hockey of his career. The prospect of Turco putting on a poor performance in this year's playoffs could lead to his departure in the very near future.

As this quarter-final preview comes to a close, my prediction is that the Ducks will take the series in 5 games. With names of Turco, Richards, Ribeiro and Modano, the pressure is clearly on the Stars to pull through instead of suffering yet another playoff collapse in the first round. The Ducks are too powerful, and have the pedigree to beat the Stars along the blueline, between the pipes, and most especially, down in the corners.