Stars vs. Red Wings preview

A rested, top-seeded Detroit Red Wings team opens the Western Conference finals on Thursday night with seemingly everything on its side against the sixth-seeded Dallas Stars; thus, Detroit is a -235 series money line betting favorite on WagerWeb.com.

First off, Wings goalie Chris Osgood has won all six games he has started since Dominik Hasek got the hook in the first round.

Osgood has a 1.52 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage in his six straight wins, and he has had a week off to rest.

"The time off was good for our team," says Osgood of the week off since clinching against Colorado. "We feel refreshed. We're raring to go."

Second, Wings coach Mike Babcock suggests that his players, having disposed of Nashville and Colorado, are about to kick it up a gear.

"We're prepared, we're rested and we're excited," says Babcock. "We're a focused group, we're a determined group. Only time will tell."

Third, Detroit has the hottest non-goalie in the league right now in Johan Franzen, who had a whopping nine goals against the Avs (two hat tricks) and is the co-leader in the league with 14 playoff points overall. What’s even scarier is that he doesn’t even play on the top forward line.

Fourth, Dallas goalie Marty Turco has struggled at Joe Louis Arena: He has not won a game in 10 professional appearances at the Joe.

"Someone said, 'It makes a great story line,' " Turco, 0-7-2 with a .882 save percentage in Detroit, said. "I said: 'Well, I'm not a reporter. So do whatever the hell you guys want.' There's not anything that was done in the past, positive or negative, that really affects you going into the playoffs. Our focus is about the next save, the next shift.”

Detroit is the only Western Conference city that has held Turco winless. He has found very little success against the Red Wings at home, either, with a lifetime record of 2-10-5.

That said, Turco is playing well in these playoffs, coming off an impressive performance in the four-ovetime win in Game 6 against San Jose on Sunday. He played for 129 minutes in the Stars’ series-clinching marathon, making 61 saves in a 2-1 win.

In 12 postseason games, the seven-year veteran is 8-4, with a 1.73 goals against and .929 save percentage.

Dallas captain Brenden Morrow has been stellar, scoring seven goals, including two overtime winners. Mike Ribeiro is tied with Franzen for the league in points with 14.

On the injury front, Detroit center Valtteri Filppula and defenseman Chris Chelios are expected to suit up tonight. Filppula aggravated a leg injury in Detroit's series-clinching 8-2 victory over the Avalanche last week; Chelios was a late scratch for the clincher vs. Colorado due to a leg injury, but the 46-year-old says he expects to play tonight.

For Dallas, which is in the West final for the first time in eight years, Philippe Boucher (hip) and Stu Barnes (concussion) are doubtful for Game 1.

The Red Wings won three of the four regular-season meetings with Dallas this season. The Stars found goals hard to come by in those contests, as they managed to score just five times.

Betting trends: Wings are  60-21 in their last 81 home games. ... Wings are 60-28-4 in their last 92 vs. Pacific. ... Stars are 2-7 in the last 9 meetings. ... Under is 12-5-1 in the last 18 meetings.