Why The Wings Will Win

Detroit dictates the pace of the game better than any other team in the league, and that will hurt the Hurricanes, who prefer to clog the neutral zone and slow down the opposition....

One of the major reasons Carolina is in the finals is its man-to-man defense, which does an excellent job of taking away time and space down low. The aggressive Red Wings, however, are masters at picking off defenders in the cycle game, which will break down the Hurricanes' defense and lead to scoring opportunities....

Look for the Wings to incorporate their blueliners, such as Nicklas Lidstrom, Steve Duchesne and Fredrik Olausson, into their offense as much as possible to pressure the Carolina defense....

The Red Wings' forwards are the best group ever assembled, and Detroit could get scoring from each line....

This is the first time in the playoffs that the Hurricanes' top face-off men ( Ron Francis and Rod Brind'Amour had won 58% of their postseason draws) might not dominate in that category; Steve Yzerman and Sergei Fedorov had won 55% of their playoff face-offs....

Carolina must get more offense from its BBC line—Brind'Amour, Bates Battaglia and Erik Cole—than it produced in the conference finals (no goals). Expect physical defenseman Chris Chelios and grinding wing Kirk Maltby to match up against Cole, a power forward. Meanwhile, smooth defensemen Lidstrom and Olausson will face the Hurricanes' top line of Francis, Jeff O'Neill and Sami Kapanen, all finesse players....

Dominik Hasek has gotten better in each playoff round, finishing the conference finals with consecutive shutouts against the Avalanche....

Carolina goalie Arturs Irbe loves to challenge shooters, a tactic that plays into the hands of the experienced Wings. Expect Irbe to find himself out of position at times and to see that exploited by Detroit, which is more patient with the puck than any other team in the NHL. Don't be surprised if backup netminder Kevin Weekes plays in the series....

Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice had a difficult time when the Maple Leafs matched lines in Game 5 of the Eastern finals—things will get tougher against the master, Scotty Bowman....

Special teams usually play an important role in the playoffs, but don't expect that to be the case in this series. The Wings and the Hurricanes are disciplined and rarely take unnecessary penalties. When Carolina does have the power play, it must be wary of the aggressive Detroit penalty killers, especially Fedorov and Yzerman. Prediction: Wings in four.