If there is an adjective to describe the Detroit Red Wings, elegant comes to mind. For the last decade, few teams have been as aesthetically pleasing to watch on a nightly basis. But while elegance works in the regular season — especially when playing the likes of the Blackhawks, Blues and Blue Jackets — it doesn’t hold up well in the postseason.
The Red Wings have learned that the hard way the last few seasons and nearly had the lesson given to them again this year. They were about 30 seconds from falling into a 3-1 hole against San Jose before pulling out a victory in overtime.
They haven’t lost since, and that’s partly because they finally started to take on the persona of their sandpaper coach, Mike Babcock. The Red Wings who manhandled a bigger, stronger San Jose team in Games 5 and 6 were not the same ones who would take their white gloves off, finger by finger, and then slap an opponent across the face.
This was a team that was willing to get dirt under its nails and mix it up in an alley fight — which is what it takes to advance in the West this season. Can the Red Wings take care of themselves against the best bar-room brawlers in the NHL this season, the Anaheim Ducks?
History says that if the Wings get out of the first round, they go to the finals. History will be set aside this season, with Anaheim advancing in six.
In the East, the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators don’t like each other much. That’s good for the fans and, considering the regular-season history between these teams, should make for a hard-hitting series. The Senators need to break through after years of near-misses. This is the year. Ottawa in six.
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rfoltman@tribune.com
