FROM PITTSBURGH — The last coach to win a playoff series against the Detroit Red Wings takes pride in that distinction, and he should. With Detroit poised to win its second straight Stanley Cup championship tonight with a victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Mellon Arena, Randy Carlyle might hold on to that honor for a while.
Carlyle's Ducks defeated the Red Wings in the 2007 Western Conference finals before defeating Ottawa to win the Cup. The Ducks didn't face Detroit in the 2008 playoffs but caused anxiety in Hockeytown during the second round this spring.
After avoiding elimination at home in Game 6, the Ducks pulled even early in the third period of Game 7 at Detroit but fell short when Daniel Cleary scored with three minutes left. That was the fifth one-goal game in the series, making it the toughest test the Red Wings have faced.
"The thing about Detroit is that the depth they've got throughout their lineup is starting to be the difference-maker in the games and inside the games," Carlyle said by phone Monday.
"Pittsburgh seemed to have them on the run in the two games they won in their building, but the other night it seemed after the first seven minutes it was all Detroit."
The Penguins won Games 3 and 4 at home and strung together some good shifts early in Game 5 but dissolved into a puddle of goo in a 5-0 loss. Even if they can recover -- they did erase a 2-0 series deficit against Washington in the second round -- to win the Cup, they will have to win at Joe Louis Arena on Friday.
Not only are they 0-3 in Detroit, wunderkind Sidney Crosby has been scoreless with a minus-3 defensive rating there and regular-season scoring champ Evgeni Malkin has a goal and an assist and a minus-3 defensive rating.
In their better moments, the Penguins have taken pieces of the Ducks' strategy against the Red Wings and recycled it effectively.
At their best, the Penguins -- like the Ducks -- have initiated an aggressive forecheck and maintained a quick tempo. They've also tried to pressure Detroit's defense by dumping the puck behind the defensemen and making them chase it while targeting them for punishing hits.
"I thought at times, especially in Pittsburgh, they really were able to get the body on them," Carlyle said. "But again, you've got to put the puck into areas and skate off of it."
