DETROIT, May 7 (UPI) -- With the number of Stanley Cup hopefuls having been whittled down to four, the NHL's conference finals begin Thursday.
The Detroit Red Wings, who had the league's best regular-season record and are the winners of six straight playoff games, will be at home against the Dallas Stars in the opener of the Western Conference Finals.
On Friday, Philadelphia will be in Pittsburgh to start the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Stars have been a significant surprise this year, winning the first two games in each of their first two series on the road. They closed out the San Jose Sharks last Sunday by winning the eighth longest game in NHL history.
Detroit's six-game, post-season winning streak began when Chris Osgood replaced Dominik Hasek in goal. Osgood backstopped the Red Wings to consecutive victories over Nashville to finish off the first-round series and then helped Detroit to a sweep of Colorado.
While Dallas will be trying to solve Osgood, the Red Wings will line up against Marty Turco, who has never won in nine trips to Detroit. Turco, however, made 61 stops in the marathon against San Jose that stretched into a fourth overtime period.
