Ducks Are Facing Double Trouble

There are two powerful entities the Mighty Ducks are going to have to handle when they take the ice against Detroit in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday.

The Red Wing power play. The Red Wing crowd.

Both can be intimidating. It’s a tough call on which can be more devastating, but the 20,000 fanatics that will be in Joe Louis Arena, many of whom drift over the border from Canada, do make their presence known. .

“That’s a hostile place,” said Duck center Steve Rucchin, who played against Detroit in the 1997 and 1999 playoffs. “You can be easily mesmerized by the surroundings if you don’t know what to expect. But it can also be a fun atmosphere.

“It’s great to have so much excitement in the building.”

The Red Wings had a 28-6-5-2 home record this season, tying Ottawa and Dallas for the most victories at home. They are 32-14 at home during the playoffs since 1997, when they won the first of their three Stanley Cups in a six-year span.

Defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, center Adam Oates and right wing Steve Thomas are the three Duck players who have been on teams that beat Detroit in the playoffs.

Ozolinsh played on Colorado teams that won in 1996, 1999 and 2000. Oates was on a St. Louis team that won in 1991. Thomas played on the Chicago team that won in 1989.

“I have been on some teams that lost too, so I’ve seen both sides,” said Ozolinsh, who also lost to Detroit in 1997. “You know they are going to come out and be aggressive offensively from the start. You have to weather that when it comes.”

That offensive talent is most dangerous when it is on the power play.

The Red Wings had the NHL’s top rated power play at 23.8%. They have four players who have scored 10 power-play goals for them, Brendan Shanahan (13), Brett Hull (12), Tomas Holmstrom (12) and Sergei Fedorov (10). And that doesn’t included defenseman Mathieu Schneider, acquired from the Kings, who has 11 power-play goals.

The Ducks were second best in penalty killing at 87.4%

“We are definitely confident in our special teams,” defenseman Keith Carney said. “Those are the type of things you need going well coming into the playoffs. They are going to win or lose you hockey games. There is more on the line in the playoffs. We have to be more disciplined.”

Coach Mike Babcock has his concerns. “The penalty killing is more of a concern than the power play,” Babcock said. “If you make a mistake on the power play, you’re still even. If you make a mistake on the penalty kill, you’re down a goal.”

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Paul Kariya and Rucchin, who sat out Sunday’s workout, returned to practice Monday.... Al Coates, former Calgary general manager, was officially named the Ducks’ vice president for business operations Monday.