(Sports Network) - The fourth-seeded Anaheim Ducks will begin the defense of their Stanley Cup title tonight, as they host the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals.

The Ducks became the first-ever West Coast team to win a Stanley Cup championship last year, as they defeated Ottawa in five games to also earn the first league crown in franchise history.

Anaheim is trying to become the first team to win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships since Detroit did it in 1997 and '98.

Dallas, meanwhile, was dominating the Pacific Division and held the top spot in the standings heading into the trade deadline. The Stars then seemed to have solidified their hold on first place with the acquisition of centerman Brad Richards from Tampa Bay.

However, Dallas began to stumble after the trade and San Jose eventually won the division with Anaheim finishing second. In the end, the Stars were fortunate they didn't fall further than fifth in the conference.

Dallas would have loved to have claimed home-ice advantage for this series, seeing as Anaheim went 28-9-4 at the Honda Center this year. However, the Stars were just as good on the road this year (22-14-5) as they were in Big D (23-16-2).

The Stars even split two games in Anaheim this year while taking three of four as the host in the eight-game series. The Ducks have faced Dallas just once in the playoffs and posted a 4-2 series win in the 2003 conference semifinals.

The Ducks opened this season missing two key members from last year's title club. Gone were both Conn Smythe Trophy Winner Scott Niedermayer and 48-goal scorer Teemu Selanne after both players decided not to return to Anaheim and were each pondering retirement. Meanwhile, the Ducks got off to a 15-15-4 start.

Niedermayer was the first to return as he rejoined the club on December 16. Since then, the Ducks went 32-12-4 on the way to securing home-ice advantage through the first round of the playoffs. Following suit, Selanne laced up his skates again February 5 to help guide the Ducks down the stretch. With the Finnish forward in the lineup, Anaheim went 20-5-1.

Selanne went on to net 12 goals and 11 assists in 26 games this year, while Niedermayer contributed eight goals and 17 helpers while turning in 16 power- play points.

Ryan Getzlaf, who led the Ducks this year with 58 assists and 82 points, was tops in the playoffs last year with 17 points (7 goals, 10 assists).

However, the Ducks will not have leading goal-scorer Corey Perry in the lineup for at least the first two games of the series as he continues to recover from a laceration to his right quadriceps tendon. Perry, who had 29 goals this year, has been out since the injury occurred on March 6, missing the last 12 games of the regular season.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere will man the pipes for the Ducks after a very good regular season. Giguere went 35-17-6 with a 2.12 goals-against average and .922 save percentage. He is also coming off of a great 2007 playoff run, as he went 13-4 with a 1.97 GAA. In 45 career playoff games, "Jiggy" has a 1.96 GAA and .929 save percentage.

Dallas won its first two tests following the pickup of Richards, but then proceeded to drop three straight and eight of its next nine on the way to a 2-7-2 March.

Richards did have two goals and nine assists in 12 games with Dallas and is a proven playoff performer who does his best work in the spring. The centerman is fondly remembered in Tampa for notching a club-record 12 goals and 26 points in 23 games of the Lightning's 2004 playoff run that ended with a Stanley Cup Championship and a Conn Smythe Trophy for Richards.

He had three goals and five assists in six postseason games last year with Tampa Bay.

Modano became the all-time leading point scorer among U.S.-born skaters this year, and is no stranger to the postseason. In 156 career playoff games, the Livonia, Minnesota skater has 53 goals and 80 assists, and helped the Stars capture the Stanley Cup Championship in 1998-99. Modano ended this past regular season with 21 goals, marking his franchise-best 16th 20-goal season.

Stars goaltender Marty Turco has struggled at times in the league's second season. After a 6-6, 1.88 goals-against run in the 2002-03 postseason, Turco went a combined 2-8 over his next two playoff series with a GAA over three. However, he was a lot better in last year's quarterfinals loss to Vancouver, posting a 1.30 GAA while recording all three of his wins by way of a shutout.

The Stars are uncertain if they will have defensive leader Sergei Zubov for Game 1. Zubov hasn't played since January 17 due to foot and groin injuries. Though he had been skating with the team, it is unknown when he will be able to return. The 37-year-old Russian has 14 goals and 52 assists in 103 career playoff games and is a minutes-eater at the back end.