The Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim begin their playoff matchup Tuesday evening in Anaheim.
The two sides have a huge playoff history with one another with the winner usually running all the way to the Stanley Cup finals. When these teams last met in the playoffs back in 2008-09, the Wings won the Stanley Cup. In 2007, Anaheim defeated the Wings before to the franchise's only Cup win and in 2003, the Ducks (then called the Mighty Ducks) stunned the Red Wings with a sweep in the first round before losing in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. In 1997, the Anaheim Ducks lost in the playoffs to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Red Wings.
"It's just another team, a good hockey team. Playoffs are all about who wants to compete more and who wants to play their system better. We have to be prepared to do both of those," said Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf about playing the Wings. "They belong [in the playoffs]. None of them happen overnight. They're not a group you're going to roll over. You've got to be ready for the long haul and play that even keel throughout the whole playoffs. This first round is very important for our group and a learning process, and a development for the next couple."
"Main focus for us right now is we want to do our things as good as we can, and go from there. It's time to raise the level a little bit, and I think we can do it," added Teemu Selanne.
Forward Corey Perry noted that home ice advantage was a key to success. "This is our building. We earned our home ice and this is why we're here for the first couple, to come out and have our fans behind us and jump on them. That's what we want to do. That's our game plan," he said. "We like being on home ice and we earned that right to be here. That's why we worked so hard in the regular season, for this opportunity."
Prediction: Detroit stuns Anaheim in Game 1; 3-1 Red Wings.
Start Time: 10:30 PM EST
TV: NBC Sports Network
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