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May 19--FRISCO -- The Dallas Stars won't come out and admit it, but they gave Detroit too much credit.
Perhaps, we all did.
After all, no team won more regular-season games, and the Red Wings entered the conference finals on a six-game winning streak. They were a wonderful blend of skill and toughness built around a collection of stars.
Niklas Lidstrom. Johan Franzen. Henrik Zetterberg. Tomas Holmstrom. Pavel Datsyuk.
How in the world could the Stars skate with those guys? Frankly, they couldn't. At least that's what I thought after the first three games -- so did you if you're honest -- when the Red Wings outscored Dallas, 11-4, dominated the faceoff circle and out-hit the Stars in embarrassing fashion.
But a funny thing happened once the Red Wings grabbed a 3-0 series lead: The Stars' attitude changed.
They quit worrying about Detroit and decided to play the tight-checking, hard-hitting defensive style that earned them a Stanley Cup in 1999 and has made them one of the league's top teams for much of the last decade.
And they won Game 4.
They played the same way in Game 5. And they won again.
"The last couple games, we've found a way to win," Mike Modano said. "It's been kind of ugly, but it's been effective."
Suddenly, we have a compelling series as the teams head into Game 6 tonight at American Airlines Center.
The Stars have all of the momentum. And though the Red Wings might not want to talk about, they are feeling the pressure of past playoff failures.
