2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs Blog - Conference Semifinals

If defending their Stanley Cup title is something the Detroit Red Wings are into, then at some point during these playoffs, centre Pavel Datsyuk is going to have to kick it into gear.

If winning Game 7 of the their Western Conference semifinal series with the Anaheim Ducks Thursday at Joe Louis Arena is something the Wings are into, then it would help significantly if Datsyuk began contributing immediately.

While he’s generated scoring chances and has been strong on the puck at both ends of the rink, Detroit’s Hart Trophy finalist is still looking for his first goal of the series.

“I want to play better,” Datsyuk said. “I want to score. I want to be the one coming through.”

Detroit coach Mike Babcock admitted he had a heart-to-heart talk with Datsyuk during Wednesday’s flight home from Anaheim.

Does he think it made a difference?

“We’ll see (Thursday),” Babcock said.

His teammates see Datsyuk doing the things he needs to do to succeed on the ice and believe it’s merely a matter of time before he breaks out of his slump.

“You can tell he’s trying hard, he’s making plays,” Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom said of his shifty Russian teammate. “He’s coming through the neutral zone with speed, he’s even beating some of their defencemen, too, but the puck’s not going in for him.

“But he’s creating a lot of chances by just driving hard to the net.”

Fair enough, but Datsyuk doesn’t get paid to create chances. His job is to finish them. Detroit’s leading scorer with 97 regular-season points has assembled paltry 1-3-4 numbers through 11 playoff games, though at least he hasn’t lost his sense of humour.

“That’s 101 (points) together, that’s good,” Datsyuk said, before getting serious about his offensive drought. “I’m always close, but I need scoring. I never give up. If it’s not this game, it’s next game.”

Getting better

Meanwhile, Ducks No. 1 centre Ryan Getzlaf looked to be clear of the flu-like symptoms that slowed him the two previous games, figuring in both Anaheim goals in the 2-1 win in Game 6.

“I’m probably 75-80 per cent,” estimated Getzlaf, who’s collected a club-record 18 points in these playoffs. “It’s progressing the way we want it to and everything’s moving ahead.

“The energy level is coming back.”

Seventh heaven

The last time the Wings faced a Game 7 showdown was in the 2002 Western Conference final, when they lit up Patrick Roy and Colorado Avalanche 7-0 at Joe Louis Arena.

“As I recall, as a group we were pretty calm,” remembered Detroit winger Kirk Maltby. “The cards are laid on the table. You know what’s at stake, there’s no sense in kind of making more out of it than what it is.

“We’ve hung our hat on the experience this team has gone through. A lot of guys here the last two-three years have been through a lot of ups and downs during the course of the playoffs, winning or losing, and I think that’s going to go a long way for us.”

The Ducks last experienced a Game 7 in the 2006 Western Conference quarter-finals, downing the Calgary Flames.

“It’s make or break,” Ducks defenceman Chris Pronger said. “You have to play your best game of the series in order to advance.

“You have your backs against the wall and need to come up with a big game. At this stage of the game, our stars need to outshine theirs.”

Cup fillers

This is the third time since the 1967 NHL expansion that the last two teams to win the Stanley Cup have faced off in a playoff series and each of three has gone the limit.

“It’s been exactly what we thought it would be,” Niedermayer said. “We knew we were playing a real good hockey club and it would be a tough grind and that’s what we’ve got.

“We’ve faced them before in the playoffs, the same core guys, the same coaching staff. It’s very consistent.”

The two previous meetings of this nature have gone in opposite directions. In 1991, the Edmonton Oilers (1990) capitalized on home ice to defeat the Calgary Flames (1989). In 1971, the visiting Montreal Canadiens (1969) skated into Boston Garden and knocked off the Bruins.

The slate

Overall, Anaheim is 2-1 in Game 7 competition and is 1-1 in seventh games played on the road. The Red Wings are 11-7 in Game 7 situations and are 10-4 in seventh games played on home ice.

“It doesn’t give you any guarantee, but if you have a choice you’d like to have it at home,” Maltby said, though not all of his teammates were in agreement.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a big advantage unless we come out and get the crowd going, use their energy to feed our energy,” Wings defenceman Brad Stuart said. “We can’t get complacent thinking we’re at home and things are going to be easy.”

Put up your dukes

In this corner, three-time Lady Byng Trophy winner Datsyuk. In this corner, Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer, one of the NHL’s all-time nice guys.

So what were they doing at the end of Game 6, dropping the gloves and swinging on each other?

“At first I didn’t know who it was, because he had me from behind,” Niedermayer said. “Then I saw who it was and it was obviously a guy who … I don’t know if he’s ever had a fight.

“It definitely wasn’t two heavyweights, that’s for sure. I’m pretty sure HBO won’t be calling to book the rematch.”

Datsyuk was much less verbose when queried about his fisticuffs. “I don’t want to talk about this,” Datsyuk said. “It’s not my priority.”

California dreaming

The last time the Wings fell in a Game 7 on home ice, it was to a team from California with an unheralded goaltender from a lesser-known European nation between the pipes.

That was in 1994 in the Western Conference quarter-finals, when Arturs Irbe of Latvia backstopped the San Jose Sharks to a stunning 3-2 victory over Detroit at Joe Louis Arena.

Three players who were with Detroit that night - Lidstrom, centre Kris Draper and goalie Chris Osgood - remain with the Wings.

This time around, it’s Switzerland Jonas Hiller of the Ducks who’s giving the Wings fits. Detroit has outshot Anaheim 262-166 over the course of the series, but has yet to put a permanent dent in Hiller’s armour.

Babcock felt the Wings only had themselves to blame for that during their 2-1 loss in Game 6.

“I thought we made it way too easy on their goaltender. So we’re going to have to be better (Thursday).”

He didn’t have much debate on the issue from his players.

“He’s a goalie that when he sees it he can stop it, like a lot of goalies,” Detroit right-winger Dan Cleary said. “You’ve got to get traffic and second chances. When you get second chances, you wear out their defence and stay in the zone an extra 10 or 15 seconds.

“Over the course of the game that can wear on you. We’ve got to stay at the net and be harder on loose pucks.”