A Familiar, Formidable Foe

The Mighty Ducks begin their third playoff journey where their previous two ended: against the Detroit Red Wings.

The Ducks, who open in Detroit on Thursday, have never won a playoff game against the Red Wings. They were swept in the second round of the 1997 playoffs and the first round in 1999.

The defending champion Red Wings are the No. 2 team in the Western Conference and were a daunting 21-4-1-1 to finish the season.

“Every time we have made the playoffs we have played them,” Duck captain Paul Kariya said. “Obviously playing the defending champions is a huge challenge for us. Any time you are playing the Stanley Cup champion, they are going to be favored. That doesn’t mean anything once the puck is dropped.

“This is the best team we have had going into the playoffs. We have a lot of depth, three lines with the ability to score goals, two terrific goalies and our defense is much better too.”

The Ducks can be a formidable opponent, as they showed in a 4-1 victory over the Red Wings on March 9. They had a 1-2-0-1 record in four games against Detroit.

“The playoffs are why you play the game,” Mike Leclerc said. “It has taken us a little longer to get here, so we’re definitely hungrier.”

They can look to goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere for sustenance. He has been strong heading into the playoffs with a 1.95 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in his last 14 games.

Detroit goalie Curtis Joseph, signed as a free agent when Dominik Hasek retired, has been shaky at times, including in the Red Wings’ 4-3 loss to Chicago on Sunday that cost them the top seed in the Western Conference.

“The last couple weeks, we’ve been getting ready for this,” Giguere said. “We’re eager to get the playoffs started. A lot of us don’t have experience in these games and we want to find out what it’s all about.”

The Red Wings have that playoff savvy, as they are well-stocked with future Hall of Famers Sergei Fedorov, Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, etc. The Red Wings also have the NHL’s top power play.

“They have the grind line [Darren McCarty, Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby],” Coach Mike Babcock said. “How come they’re know as the grind line? It’s because of what they did in the playoffs. We don’t have any names for our lines. We haven’t done anything in the playoffs.”

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Kariya and center Steve Rucchin sat out Sunday’s practice, nursing minor injuries, Babcock said. Both will play Thursday. Center Andy McDonald and left wing Kevin Sawyer, both recovering from concussions, are not expected to make it back for the playoffs.