Pregame: Red Wings @ Ducks – Game 1 – 4/30

The Red Wings open their Western Conference Quarterfinal series with the Ducks tonight in Anaheim.

The teams have met four times previously in the playoffs, with each team taking two series. Both teams have gone on to win the Stanley Cup once after a Detroit-Anaheim matchup.

Stupid stat of the day: Detroit is 3-1 in the first game of a series in Anaheim and 3-1 in a Game One against Anaheim. This is the first time the teams have opened a series in Anaheim, so that first set of games would all be Game Three.

The Red Wings will be going with the same lineup as won the last four games of the season to get them into the playoffs. This means that Todd Bertuzzi and Mikael Samuelsson will be healthy scratches up front while Ian White, Carlo Colaiacovo and Brian Lashoff are out on the blue line. Jimmy Howard gets the start in the Detroit net.

Game time is 10:30 PM on FSD.