Western Conference Quarterfinals: #3. Detroit vs. #6. Phoenix.

Detroit's shaky goaltending has been an issue all year with young Jimmy Howard at the reigns and Phoenix has been the surprise the past two years being a team that doesn't even have an owner to get into the playoffs. Here are my 3 keys to the series.

Number 1: Henrik Zetterburg Out

With Zetterburg out, the Red Wings will struggle to win game 1. They struggled to beat San Jose last year and in game 4 Zetterburg was the single reason they won. If he's out, they may not win game 1. If he's out longer, Detroit could really struggle in this series.


Number 2: Goaltending.

Ilya Bryzgalov is a huge help for the Coyote's chances and taking down Detroit with his excellent play this season being a top goalie. On the other side a young struggling goalie in Jimmy Howard goes between the pipes. If he struggles, it won't help anyway. Chris Osgood, the veteran backup, is still recovering from his sports hernia and will not be available. Grand Rapids Griffins goalie (the Detroit Red Wings AHL affiliate) Joey MacDonald will be the backup goalie.


Number 3: Last Year

Last year, the Coyotes and Red Wings went 7 games which was a huge shock. A team who had been to two Stanley Cup finals couldn't put away a young inexperienced team in less then 7 games. Now the Coyotes have that experience which can really hurt Detroit. They might not be able to survive this year.

Players to watch: Detroit: Jimmy Howard. Detroit will be Detroit. The offense will succeed. The defense will succeed. It all depends on Jimmy Howard. He can not give up juicy rebounds or easy goals. He also can't give up terrible goals like the one against Logan Couture last year. If he struggles, there is no question on who wins.

Phoenix: Ed Jovanovski. Coming back from an injury, this guy is a huge help defensively for the Coyotes. His veteran status gives the Coyotes experience to win this series and to shut down Detroit's offense.

Prediction: Phoenix has experience now and that will be the difference. This time Phoenix wins game 7.