What to look for as the Ducks and Stars prepare for a probable first-round playoff matchup that begins next week:

How they match up: At one time it would have been hard to imagine, but the Ducks have become much more defense-minded than the Stars. Dallas has scored 38 more goals than the Ducks, but the Ducks have given up only 186 goals -- second-best in the league behind Detroit. The Stars have gotten a 27-goal career season from Niklas Hagman and are much deeper offensively with Brenden Morrow, Mike Ribeiro, Mike Modano and newly acquired Brad Richards. But they’ll be dealing with an Anaheim defense that’s battle-tested: Chris Pronger, Mathieu Schneider, Sean O’Donnell -- oh, and Scott Niedermayer.

Goaltending: Unlike last season, the Ducks have no question about who will be in the net for Game 1. Jean-Sebastien Giguere’s postseason record is impeccable (31-13, 1.96 goals-against average) and the veteran again appears to be peaking. The Stars’ Marty Turco was terrific against Vancouver in the first round last season but has yet to lead Dallas deep into the playoffs during his five seasons as the No. 1 goalie. Anaheim has an edge in reserve with Jonas Hiller, but the Swiss native has never been in an NHL playoff game.

What to watch for: Dallas pest Steve Ott is a chatterbox and has been effective at getting under the Ducks’ skin and drawing retaliatory penalties. Pronger, given his recent eight-game suspension and his two suspensions during last season’s playoffs, will have to keep his cool when the action gets hot. Dallas won five of eight this season by being dominant on the power play. The times the Ducks killed off penalties, they won. There probably will be an overtime game or two (or three) in the series and Giguere’s 12-1 record is a major advantage.

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-- Eric Stephens