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   VS. 

2. DETROIT RED WINGS VS. 7. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

JOSH BREWSTER

CORE MATCHUP: 35 year-old Michael Peca is now seven years removed from his capturing the Selke Trophy, and shutting down Marian Hossa, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg will fall upon his shoulders, also those of Raffi Torres and Jason Chimera. On defense, Mike Commodore, Fedor Tyutin and Jan Hejda will get a crack at the Wings' top trio.

It’s a hell of a task. The Wings are tough enough in 5-on-5 situations, but their power play was tops in the league at 25.5%. The Blue Jackets were last, at just 12.7%. There’s the rub.

To make matters worse for Columbus, the Wings feature three defensemen-- Nick Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski and Nik Kronwall—who finished in the top 11 on the NHL’s defensive scorers’ list. Lidstrom will likely record his 1000th NHL point in this series (997 as of series start).

Columbus will be desperate for extra-man opportunities and the Mike Babcock-coached Red Wings will not often oblige.

Ken Hitchcock says that his club is tough enough defensively.

“The work you put in in the first couple of games might not feel like it’s doing much, but if the series stretches into six or seven games, it could pay dividends,” Hitchcock told the Columbus Dispatch.

If it’s a short series, it’s because a fine offensive Columbus offensive crew including some big players like Kristian Huselius (21 goals), R.J. Umberger (26) and Rick Nash (40) couldn’t match shots with a very deep Detroit lineup. Antoine Vermette’s arrival from Ottawa (7-6-13 in 17 games with Columbus) makes the Jackets very formidable, especially in a long series.

But it’s sheer power at hand in Detroit, despite the struggles of Chris Osgood. Viewers will soon find out, courtesy Osgood, that playoff goaltending ability is as much between the ears as it is from the neck down. Likely Calder winner Steve Mason’s 10 shutouts was outstanding, but he’s still a rookie.

POTENTIAL SERIES-TURNER: Rick Nash, Blue Jackets. 5 game winners and 5 shorthanded goals in a season during which the star scorer took a huge leap forward in the defensive aspect. Honorable mention to Nash’s teammate Raffi Torres, who scored six game winners (out of 12 total goals) this season.

Pick: Red Wings in a very tight 5 game series.

LEON RAFNER

Finally Columbus has arrived, only to be met by the giant GMC Truck that is Detroit. Unlike General Motors, these Wings have plenty of pluck left when it comes to Columbus. But don’t write off this young team yet. Captain Rick Nash has been waiting for this opportunity and isn’t about to let it go easily. he Blue Jackets will come up against a plethora of defensive powermen: Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom, Andreas Lilja, Nicklas Kronwall, and how about Johan Franzen, Valterri Filppula, and the incredible Pavel Datsyuk? The Jackets have no match here. Detroit is big, fast, powerful, and doesn’t lose often. Detroit Goaltender Chris Osgood is the only question mark, nothing else. Columbus will need all of its speed and youth to counter and Goaltender Steve Mason will need a brick wall in front of his goal to keep the Wings from scoring. Coach Ken Hitchcock can take some risks against the conservatively bent Mike Babcock, who is unlikely to send his team deep in the first. Wings sweep in 4.

DENNIS BERNSTEIN

Yep, the champs were lying in wait all season. From time to time, they’d play possum with the West, playing poor defense and letting teams think they were old and had a Stanley Cup hangover but the reality is they finished with 112 points. They put a late season scare into the Sharks and a run for their money for first overall seed. I have a vote for the Calder Trophy and mine goes to Jackets rookie netminder Steve Mason. He gives the Jackets a big edge in the net and don’t discount the fact that Columbus went 3-3 against Detroit in the regular season. Sure, the Red Wings are deeper but Rick Nash killed the Wings all year (six goals in six games) and Antoine Vermette was arguably the best pickup at the trade deadline. With absolutely no heat on the Blue Jackets, they win a Game 7 in the Motor City.

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