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Ducks begin title defense against Stars

Apr 10, 2008 - 1:54 PM Dallas at Anaheim 10:00 pm EDT Western Conference quarterfinals

ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) - The Anaheim Ducks are determined to defend the Stanley Cup. The Dallas Stars are just trying to win a playoff series.

The Ducks and Stars begin their respective quests on Thursday when they meet in Game One of the Western Conference quarterfinals.

Anaheim is trying to become the first team to win back-to-back championships since the Detroit Red Wings accomplished the feat in 1997 and 1998.

"It can't enter our minds," Anaheim's Rob Niedermayer said. "(Coach) Randy (Carlyle) won't let it enter our minds either.

"I think we're playing good hockey, but we could always play better. You always want to move your game up another notch (in the playoffs). It's going to be a tough task."

Defenseman and former captain Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne were cornerstones of last season's Stanley Cup team and gave Anaheim a shot in the arm when they decided to forego retirement and return to professional hockey this campaign.

The Ducks went 32-12-4 following the return of Scott Niedermayer and posted a 20-5-1 record after Selanne rejoined the lineup in early February.

"I feel great," Selanne said. "I highly recommend (to teammates) that they play only 25 games before the postseason starts. I've never felt this good at this time of year. The break was really good for me. Hopefully I can take advantage of that."

The Stars won five of the eight meetings against the Ducks this season and posted a 2-2-0 record on the road. However, Dallas has won just two playoff series in the last six seasons and have been ousted in the conference quarterfinals each of the last three.

"It's of the utmost important, if you can't win the first series then you can't win the second or third or fourth series," goalie Marty Turco said. "Anything that's happened before is in our mind.

"There's a few of us that know how hungry the fans are and how hungry this team is. It's human nature to want to prove people wrong and erase those memories."