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It wasn’t as though Bobby Ryan was coasting in Game 2 against the Detroit Red Wings. In fact, it was quite the opposite, leading Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle to move him off the top line, away from his usual linemates Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry.

“I was trying not to do too much,” Ryan said after Tuesday’s skate though he returned to the top line for Game 3. “I was holding the stick a little too tight. . . . I don’t know what it was. I think so focused on doing the right thing, instead of doing the things I’ve been able to do and have been able to do the last couple of months.”

Try thinking about relaxing. “It’s much tougher to do,” Ryan said, smiling.

There is one school of thought that playoff jitters for Ryan, a finalist for rookie of the year, might have kicked in during the first round, not the second. But it all has to do with the nature of the opposition.

His familiarity with the Sharks helped.

“I’ve played a lot against San Jose,” said Ryan, who has four goals and an assist in the playoffs. “I’ve known what they have and it’s such a rivalry with them. I knew what was coming. With Detroit, you’re going to get a different game every time.”

Carlyle didn’t say anything to Ryan when he took him off the No. 1 line.

“He just made a switch,” Ryan said. “He didn’t need to tell me anything. I knew it was coming.”

McNab eyed by Wild

The Ducks’ David McNab, renowned for scouting out gems in the college and youth ranks, interviewed for the Minnesota Wild’s vacant general manager’s job, said a source with knowledge of the situation but who does not have permission to speak publicly.

McNab and Ducks officials declined to comment.

Hello, NBC

It was tough to figure out what was a bigger surprise: Carlyle doing an interview with NBC on the bench during Game 2 at Joe Louis Arena, or that Carlyle appeared relaxed, even cheerful.

“I even smiled,” said Carlyle, who had been steadfast in not doing in-game interviews.

“You know the reason I did it,” he said after the morning skate. “There is a fine of a substantial amount . . . for refusing to do it. It’s as simple as that.”

The fine would have been $10,000.

Dubious honor

Sports Illustrated polled 324 players to determine their pick for dirtiest player in the NHL, and the answer wasn’t Sean Avery.

Topping the list were Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger and Dallas forward Steve Ott, each chosen by 13% in this highly unscientific poll.

“That’s their prerogative,” said Pronger, who has only eight penalty minutes in the Ducks’ first nine playoff games.

Teammate Scott Niedermayer, who laughed when told of the poll, said of Pronger: “I think he’s got a better reputation now.”

Tape an aspirin to it

Ryan Carter’s nose has a sizable bump it didn’t have before it encountered Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall in Game 1.

Carter said he hasn’t had it X-rayed -- maybe because he doesn’t want to confirm the extent of the damage.

“I’ve had a broken nose before and it’s [a] similar feeling,” Carter said. “If I were a betting man I’d bet it was. . . . It’s a little more difficult to breathe but it’s manageable.”

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lisa.dillman@latimes.com

helene.elliott@latimes.com