2008 NHL Playoffs: Dallas Continues to Struggle Against Detroit in Hockeytown

As has been the case for most teams this season, Dallas continued its struggle to overthrow the 2007-2008 President's Trophy winning Detroit Red Wings yesterday.

In a game heavily hyped to be close and evenly matched, Detroit picked apart the Stars defense during the first two periods.  The Wings jumped to an insurmountable 4-0 lead, when Brenden Morrow got Dallas on the board late in the second period.

That would be how the game concluded.

In the first two frames, Detroit looked exactly like the team they were billed to be.  They were outplaying Dallas at every turn, forcing Dallas into unnecessary penalties, and capitalizing on them going 3-for-7 on the man-advantage.

Dallas couldn't keep up.

When Morrow got the Stars on the board, it turned into the series everyone expected.  It became a defensive struggle for position, and an outright chess match.

Sure, it can be argued that Detroit sat back, and didn't pressure Dallas as much, but it was obvious neither team wanted to let up, knowing what their opponents were capable of.

As the game entered the waning seconds of the third, Dallas began to up the physical play.  Behind Steve Ott and Brad Winchester, it was apparent Dallas was trying to send a message for game two: that they weren't going to go down without a fight.

Regardless of the score, both goaltenders were outstanding in game one.  The four goals notched by Detroit were setup by Detroit's excellent puck possession.  For Marty Turco, making those four saves wasn't a viable option.

On the other end, the "Wizard of Oz," Chris Osgood, shined for his seventh consecutive win in this postseason.  Osgood made 20 of 21 saves, and a couple of those saves are what kept Detroit at a comfortable three-goal cushion.

Game one was Detroit imposing their defensive prowess on yet another opponent here in the 2008 Playoffs.  Dallas knows they cannot allow Detroit to have a two-game lead on them going back to Dallas, so game two on Saturday becomes a virtual must-win situation.

If Dallas can start game two where they finished game one, the score will not be as one-sided as this one.  If the Stars want to have a legitimate chance to return to the Stanley Cup Finals, they'll have to find the weakness, if there is one, in Detroit's game, and exploit it.

For Detroit, they know they need to continue to play their game.  It is what has them here, and will ultimately be what can carry them to the Stanley Cup.