Philadelphia at Pittsburgh (7:30 p.m. EDT). The Flyers, who had the worst record in the NHL last season, are trying to get back to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1997.

FOR STARTERS

NHL-leading Detroit opened the Western Conference finals with a convincing 4-1 win over Dallas on Thursday night. The Red Wings are 3-0 in three postseason matchups against the Stars, most recently winning the 1998 conference finals en route to hoisting the Stanley Cup for a second straight year.

SEARCHING FOR PAST SUCCESS

Dallas goalie Marty Turco fell to 0-8-2 in his NHL career at Detroit after falling to the Red Wings 4-1 in the opener of the Western Conference finals on Thursday night. As a college netminder for Michigan, Turco was 18-5 at Joe Louis Arena.

SOARING WING

Detroit's Johan Franzen scored his 12th goal in 11 playoff games this postseason, helping the Red Wings beat Dallas 4-1 in the opener of the Western Conference finals. He is the first player to score that many goals in two years.

DEPLETED DEFENSE

Philadelphia defenseman Kimmo Timonen will likely miss the Eastern Conference finals against Pittsburgh because of a blood clot in his left ankle. Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said Timonen was hit by a shot by Montreal's Andrei Markov late in Game 4 of Philadelphia's second-round victory over the Canadiens. Timonen said the doctor told him if the clot improves in the next two weeks, there would be a small chance he could play again this season.

SIGNED

Swedish prospect Fabian Brunnstrom agreed to sign with Dallas on Thursday. The 23-year-old forward starred in the Swedish Elite League last season and was regarded as one of the top free agents available. Detroit, which is playing Dallas in the Western Conference finals, was also in the running for Brunnstrom.

SUIT

Former Buffalo enforcer Rob Ray is suing the NHL Players' Association for a second time over money owed him during the NHL lockout, accusing the union of deceiving him into settling his initial suit two years ago. Ray is seeking $2 million in punitive damages and back pay in a suit filed in State Supreme Court in Buffalo in January.

SPEAKING

"I'm not worried about how the Red Wings played. I'm worried about how we played." - Dallas coach Dave Tippett after the Stars lost the opener of the Western Conference finals 4-1 to Detroit on Thursday night.