WEST -- 1st Rd. - DET v CLB

Game	Date	Matchup/Result	Breakdown
1	Thu. April 16, 7pm et on TSN2	Blue Jackets 1, Red Wings 4	Recap/Highlights \| Box
2	Sat. April 18, 5:30pm et on TSN	Blue Jackets 0, Red Wings 4	Recap/Highlights \| Box
3	Tue. April 21, 7pm et on TSN	Red Wings 4, Blue Jackets 1	Recap/Highlights \| Box
4	Thur. April 23, 7pm et on TSN2	Red Wings 6, Blue Jackets 5	Recap/Highlights \| Box
Red Wings win series 4-0

* If Necessary

DETROIT RED WINGS

Team Page | Roster | Stats

Regular Season Record: 51-21-10, 112 pts
Head-to-Head Record: 3-2-1
Last Stanley Cup Win: 2008
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: 2008
Last Postseason Appearance: 2008
Players with Stanley Cup Rings: Pavel Datsyuk (2), Henrik Zetterberg (1), Brian Rafalski (3), Jiri Hudler(1), Johan Franzen (1), Nicklas Lidstrom (4), Nicklas Kronwall (1), Mikael Samuelsson (1), Dan Cleary (1), Valtteri Filppula (1), Tomas Holmstrom (4), Tomas Kopecky (1), Kris Draper (4), Brett Lebda (1), Andreas Lilja (1), Brad Stuart (1), Kirk Maltby (4), Aaron Downey (1), Darren McCarty (4), Darren Helm (1), Chris Chelios (3), Chris Osgood (3)

A reason to cheer for the Red Wings: No team has repeated as Stanley Cup champions since…well, the Red Wings in 1997 and 1998. Virtually every member of the team owns a Stanley Cup ring, the exceptions being offseason acquisitions Marian Hossa and Ty Conklin. Ironically, both played for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season and were on hand to watch the Wings celebrate their 11th Stanley Cup title in franchise history. If the Wings do end up winning it all again, will the ageless Chris Chelios retire?
What They Bring To The Table: Thanks to their victory last year, the Wings - more than any other team - know what it takes to win. Their veteran core of Datsyuk, Lidstrom, Rafalski, Holmstrom and Osgood all have multiple Stanley Cup rings. They are able to roll out four lines every night with every single player understanding their role on the team. Head coach Mike Babcock has done a fantastic job keeping his team focused this season when there could have been a serious Stanley Cup hangover. The Wings' forwards are as good a group as you will find in the league with no fewer than five 20 goal scorers. What truly separates Detroit from the pack is their defensive unit. Led by perennial Norris Trophy candidate Nicklas Lidstrom, the Wings blueline is absolutely stacked with a nice mix of puck movers and bangers. They are also battle tested thanks to last year's championship run. The Wings' one weak link may well be their goaltending, as starter Chris Osgood struggled through his worst season in recent memory. Babcock has stood by his keeper, even when he was being severely outplayed by backup Conklin. Babcock knows that 'Ozzie' has been there before and knows how to win. It remains to be seen if he can repay his coach's confidence in the playoffs.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Team Page | Roster | Stats

Regular Season Record: 41-31-10, 92 pts
Head-to-Head Record: 2-3-1
Last Stanley Cup Win: None
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: None
Last Postseason Appearance: None
Players with Stanley Cup Rings: Jason Williams (1), Fredrik Modin (1), Mike Commodore (1)

A reason to cheer for the Blue Jackets: If for no other reason, Columbus has qualified for the post-season for the first time in franchise history after entering the league in the nine years ago. Coming into the year, hopes were high that the Jackets would at least be in contention for a playoff berth. But thanks to the stellar play of rookie netminder Steve Mason and a career year from Rick Nash, Columbus has finally qualified for the big dance.
What They Bring To The Table: Having never made the playoffs before, the Blue Jackets have to prove that they are not simply just happy to be there. After clinching their spot in the post-season the team went into the tank in the last week of the season. Several of the Jackets key players have little or no post-season experience, but they do have an excellent head coach in Ken Hitchcock, who led the Dallas Stars to the Stanley Cup in 1999. "Hitch" will make sure that the young Jackets are mentally prepared for what they are about to face. Management did an excellent job this off-season in bringing in players who have had some success in the playoffs at the NHL level. One of their biggest acquisitions, R.J. Umberger, was spectacular for the Flyers during their Conference final run last season. Defenceman Mike Commodore, who enjoyed a career year, reached the final in back-to-back seasons with Calgary and Carolina. Deadline day pick-up Antoine Vermette also reached the final with the Senators two years ago, while Mike Peca was crucial to the championship hopes of the Buffalo Sabres in 1999 and the Edmonton Oilers in 2006. The Jackets' biggest strength remains in net, where Steve Mason has been a revelation leading the league in shutouts in his rookie season. A hot goaltender can single-handedly win a series for a team and few goalies have been as hot as Mason. While he has never faced the pressure of the NHL playoffs before, he has plenty of big-game experience having led Canada to a gold medal at the 2008 World Junior Hockey Championship - where he was named tournament MVP. If he is able to get in the zone, the Blue Jackets could really make some noise in the playoff picture.

Statistical keys to the series

- Detroit ranked first in the league on the power play, with a 25.5% success rate. Columbus ranked 30th at 12.7%.

- Detroit ranked 25th in the league in penalty killing, with a 78.3% success rate. Columbus ranked 13th at 82.1%.

- Brad Stuart (157), Tomas Kopecky (109) and Daniel Cleary (107) are the Red Wings' leading hitters.

- Mike Commodore (201), Jan Hejda (168) and Jared Boll (153) are Columbus' leading hitters.

- Kris Draper is the Red Wings' top face-off man -- 60.3%.

- Antoine Vermette is the Blue Jackets' top face-off man -- 57.7%. Vermette's totals include games with Ottawa.

- Detroit's Marian Hossa and Columbus' Rick Nash tied for fifth in the league with 40 goals.

- Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk ranked fifth in the league with 65 assists.

- Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk ranked fourth in the league with 97 points.

- Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk ranked third in the league at plus-34. Nicklas Lidstrom ranked seventh at plus-31.

- Columbus' Rick Nash tied for second in the league with five shorthanded goals.

- Detroit's Marian Hossa and Johan Franzen tied for seventh in the league with eight game-winning goals.

- Pavel Datsyuk led the Red Wings with eight points in five games against Columbus this year.

- Rick Nash led the Blue Jackets with six points in six games against the Red Wings this year.

- Detroit's leaders in power play ice time (per game):
Nicklas Lidstrom 3:55
Brian Rafalski 3:45
Henrik Zetterberg 3:28
Pavel Datsyuk 3:18
Tomas Holmstrom 3:17
Marian Hossa 3:03

- Columbus' leaders in power play ice time (per game):
Kristian Huselius 3:54
Fedor Tyutin 3:47
Rick Nash 3:38
Kris Russell 3:18
Jason Williams 3:13*
R.J. Umberger 2:54
* Jason Williams' totals include time with Atlanta.

- Detroit's leaders in penalty killing ice time (per game):
Nicklas Lidstrom 3:27
Andreas Lilja 3:20
Brad Stuart 2:49
Niklas Kronwall 2:30
Kris Draper 2:05
Daniel Cleary 2:01

- Columbus' leaders in penalty killing ice time (per game):
Jan Hejda 3:58
Mike Commodore 3:44
Rostislav Klesla 3:08
Antoine Vermette 3:01*
Manny Malhotra 2:49
Fedor Tyutin 2:37
* Antoine Vermette's totals include time with Ottawa.

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