Tonight, the Stanley Cup Finals resume in Orange County, Calif., with the host Anaheim Ducks looking to take a 2–0 lead over the Ottawa Senators in the series. The last two Cup Finals also pitted a team from a warm-weather city in America against a Canadian club, and on both occasions, the American team won out.

But where the previous two Cup champions (the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Carolina Hurricanes) defined themselves with an up-tempo, attacking style, this year’s American representative is more reminiscent of the Scott Stevensera New Jersey Devils.

On Monday night, the Ducks got off to a very shaky start, giving up a goal just one minute into the game with captain Scott Niedermayer (a member of those Devils) in the penalty box. But they stuck to head coach Randy Carlyle’s game plan, focusing on matchups and tactical positional play. The final score in the game was 3–2 Ducks, and the Senators held the lead for most of the contest, but onlookers were left with little doubt as to whether the better team prevailed.

Constructed around two Norris Trophy finalists — Niedermayer and Chris Pronger — and goaltender J- S Giguere (a former Conn Smythe Trophy winner), these Ducks are a worthy successor to Stevens’s Devils as the NHL’s most fearsome defensive club. And as was the case with those Devils, the Ducks’ forwards are as important a part of the puzzle as their all-world defense and goaltender.

Heading into the Cup Finals, it was clear that the key to Anaheim’s success would be their ability to neutralize Ottawa’s potent first line of captain Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley, and Jason Spezza. Carlyle’s plan for Game 1 was to make sure that his shutdown line of Sami Pahlsson, Rob Niedermayer (Scott’s brother), and Travis Moen was on the ice against Alfredsson’s line whenever possible.

The strategy worked to perfection, with Pahlsson and his linemates shadowing Alfredsson’s line for approximately 80% of their total time on ice. With precious little time and space with which to work, the Sens’ stars’ effectiveness was severely reduced, and they combined to fire only five shots on Giguere all night.

Barring a sudden change of heart, Carlyle should be expected to employ the same exact game plan in Game 2, even if it means reducing the ice time for his offensive catalysts. During the regular season, Teemu Selanne (94 points) and Andy McDonald (78 points) were the Ducks’ top two scorers and received more ice time than any other Anaheim forwards.

But on Monday, Selanne (16:22) and McDonald (15:13) received the fifth- and sixth-most ice time amongst Anaheim forwards, the checkers’ capacity to play shutdown defense taking precedence over Selanne’s and McDonald’s offensive creativity. Although Selanne and McDonald combined for a first period goal, it was the grit of the checking line that led to Moen’s game-winning goal.

Back in 2003, the aforementioned Devils defeated the Ducks (sans Niedermayer and Pronger) in the finals. That series went seven games, with the home team winning each and every time. It’s conceivable that we’ll get a similar result this spring, with the Ducks’ home-ice advantage playing a critical role in the series’ outcome.

In order for the Senators to make the series that close — much less come out on top — head coach Bryan Murray will need to make some significant adjustments to his strategy. Throughout the playoffs, his top line has been without question the NHL’s most devastating. But by keeping them together, he’s playing right into Carlyle’s hands, allowing Anaheim’s tenacious checking line to control the pace and style of play.

Instead, Murray should consider splitting up his top scorers, if only at even strength and if only for Game 2. In the Western Conference Finals, Red Wings coach Mike Babcock did just that, separating his dynamic duo of Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. And though the Wings ultimately fell in that series, there was a point (following Game 3) where they were in control of their own destiny. In order to achieve a similar result, Murray will likely need to take a similar action.

Thus far in these playoffs, Spezza, Heatley, and Alfredsson have combined for 60 points. Among the forwards, the Sens’ next-leading scorer is Dean McAmmond (seven points), a clear sign that Ottawa’s top-heavy offense has little chance of survival — much less success — against the Ducks. The talent on the Sens’ second, third, and fourth lines far exceeds its production thus far in these playoffs, and Murray must find a way to get more out of the likes of Mike Fisher, Mike Comrie, and Antoine Vermette.

Just as the Sens’ offensive production has been extremely topheavy thus far, so too is the Ducks’ defense. Pronger, Niedermayer, and Francois Beauchemin have all averaged 30-plus minutes per game during the postseason, and are likely to tire if their focus is divided.

Even more important, separating Spezza, Heatley, and Alfredsson will minimize the effectiveness of Pahlsson’s line. With Ray Emery ably matching Giguere save-for-save — and with the Sens’ defense doing an excellent job of clearing away rebounds — it appears that the Ducks’ checking line will make the difference in this series. So it’s up to Murray to change that with some aggressive roster management … put simply, it’s time for him to split up his stars.

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.