On paper, this Stanley Cup final series between the Detroit Red Wings and the Carolina Hurricanes is a mismatch. (Of course, you didn't need me to tell you that).

During the regular season, the Red Wings finished with 16 more victories and 25 more points than the Hurricanes.

The Presidents' Trophy-winning Wings also completed the 2001-02 season with 34 more goals scored and 30 fewer goals allowed than the Southeast Division champion Hurricanes.

But, fortunately for the upstart Hurricanes, the series won't be played on paper. It will be played on ice, where -- as they've discovered -- anything is possible.

There is no single point that will turn this series toward the underdog. Rather, the Hurricanes will need to maintain a strong-willed belief that they can beat the heavily-favored Wings and they'll have to get stellar performances from their entire team.

Most importantly, goaltender Arturs Irbe must continue his sensational play. Irbe, who backstopped the Sharks' upset first-round playoff win over the Wings in 1994, brings a postseason-best .947 save percentage and a stingy 1.41 goals-against average into the series.

Irbe, who's at his best when he's out of the net challenging the shooter, will have to match or better those numbers if his team wants to compete with the high-octane Wings. If he doesn't, Maurice must not hesitate to throw backup Kevin Weekes back into the fray. Weekes, who came off the bench to shut down the Devils in round one, also sports some impressive numbers (1.62 GAA and a .939 save percentage).

Goaltending aside, the Hurricanes must adhere to their strong defensive system. Clearly, the 'Canes won't benefit from engaging the Wings in a shootout. Instead, they must own the middle of the ice surface, forcing the Red Wings to the perimeter.

Versatile Detroit center/wing Sergei Fedorov, who almost became a Hurricane in 1998 when the club offered him an offer-sheet as a restricted free agent (which Detroit matched), has been a particular problem for Carolina in recent regular season games. Fedorov has four goals and eight points in the last five meetings between the clubs. To make matters worse, Fedorov has been playing at a high level during the playoffs.

Carolina coach Paul Maurice would likely try to match center Rod Brind'Amour against Fedorov. But, he'll have to wait and see how Detroit coach Scotty Bowman deploys his Russian sniper. For much of the playoffs, Bowman has used Fedorov on a line with Brendan Shanahan and Steve Yzerman. If that continues, Maurice may ask his BBC line (Brind'Amour, LW Bates Battaglia and Erik Cole) to tame this trio of future Hall of Famers.

It will be interesting to see which of his three defensive pairs Maurice uses against Fedorov's line. The Hurricanes' top pair has been Sean Hill and Glen Wesley. That veteran duo would seem to be the logical choice. However, thier other two pairs -- Bret Hedican/Aaron Ward and Marek Malik/Niclas Wallin -- have played extremely well and get significant minutes.

If Maurice wants, he can re-insert young David Tanabe, who lost his lineup spot to Wallin after suffering a broken wrist in the first round. Tanabe has been cleared to return to the lineup. But, with things going so well, Maurice hasn't wanted to shake-up his lineup.

Carolina must continue to focus on little things -- like winning face-offs, good line changes and smart dump-ins -- if it wants to pull the upset. In the earlier rounds, the Hurricanes were particularly good at moving the puck quickly out of their end.

Against the Red Wings' left-wing lock defensive system, the Hurricanes can't afford any sloppy play in the neutral zone. The Wings' strong transition game can turn neutral zone blunders into scoring opportunities faster than you can say Brett Hull.

In the offensive zone, Carolina needs to hit and harass the Detroit defensemen as much as possible. Those guys are good, but they will turn the puck over on occasion. When they do, the 'Canes must capitalize. (That means you, Jeff O'Neill and Sami Kapanen.)

Finally, Carolina must gain at least a split in the first two games at Joe Louis Arena. In 1998, the underdog Caps squandered an opportunity to win Game 2 of in Detroit. The Wings won the game and swept the series. Like those Caps, the 'Canes can't come home down 0-2 and expect to win the series.

If recent history is any indication, it will be a very difficult split for Carolina to pick up. The Hurricanes/Whalers are a dismal 0-10-0-1 in their last 11 Motown appearances dating to Nov. 14, 1989.

Carolina nearly snapped the Detroit jinx on Feb. 14, 2000. The Hurricanes blew a 3-0 second period lead en route to a 4-3 overtime loss. Fedorov netted the OT game-winner on the power play -- the result of a too-many men on the ice penalty against Carolina.

The Hurricanes won't be able to tolerate those types of mistakes now.

Yes, on paper, this series is most definitely a mismatch. But, if Carolina can keep its winning focus, it has a chance to make this a series. Maybe, even, a memorable one.

E.J. Hradek writes hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.