ICE CREAM

By HELENE ELLIOTT

May 31, 1997 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

PHILADELPHIA — After a season dominated by goaltending and defensive drudgery, the Stanley Cup will be won by a team that is skillful offensively, decent defensively and good but not great in goal.

That could be the Detroit Red Wings, who failed in the finals two years ago as the favorites but have added heart and muscle in their quest to end a drought that stretches back to 1955.

That could also be the Philadelphia Flyers, whose captain, Eric Lindros, is poised to become the NHL’s premier player and is the same age--24--a gap-toothed center named Bob Clarke was when Clarke led the Flyers to the first of successive championships in 1974.

Unlike last year, when the Florida Panthers trapped their way through the East and were swept by the high-scoring Colorado Avalanche, the Flyers and Red Wings are an even and attractive matchup. The Flyers are bigger and the Red Wings may be faster, but they both play bruising games. They’re also similar in their goal-scoring ingenuity and ability to mix European flair with the in-the-trenches resolve considered unique to the North American game.

“I hope both teams will play traditional hockey: a lot of nice passing combinations, some nice goals, and some tremendous saves by the goaltenders. Both teams are capable of this,” Red Wing center Igor Larionov said Friday, between practices for today’s series opener at the CoreStates Center.

“There is so much talent on both teams. It will be nice to play this kind of hockey without any kind of traps or a defensive style.”

Said Flyer forward Rod Brind’Amour: “It’s going to be a dogfight. It’s not really going to be one system that’s going to beat the other. It’s going to come down to execution. I think it’s going to be great.”

Behind the steady play of veteran goalie Mike Vernon, who played so rarely early in the season he expected to be traded, the Red Wings hammered their way through the Western Conference. Unable to defeat the St. Louis Blues with finesse, they manufactured goals to win that first-round series. They wore down the Mighty Ducks in the second round, winning three overtime games, and rebounded from an ugly loss to Colorado in Game 5 of the conference finals to dethrone the defending champion in Game 6.

They have come far mentally and emotionally from their loss to New Jersey in the 1995 finals, when they were ensnared in the Devils’ neutral-zone trap. “Things came and went pretty quickly in the finals,” center Steve Yzerman said wryly when asked what he gained from that experience. “It was a thrill to get to the finals, but this time around, it wasn’t as big a thrill. The thrill is winning when you get there.”

They have used their depth to win, rolling over four lines that blend toughness with speed and clever puckhandling. They’re not big at center, with Larionov, Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov and Kris Draper, but Coach Scotty Bowman insists all his forwards be responsible defensively. The Red Wings’ offense ranked sixth in the NHL and their defense ranked second; in the playoffs they rank third in goals scored with 42 in 16 games and first defensively with a 1.85 goals-against average.

“The Flyers have a few giants and we don’t have a forward the size of Eric, but the majority of our players are 6-1, 6-2 and 200 to 215, which is pretty good size and strength,” said Yzerman, a 14-year veteran.

The task of stopping the 6-4, 236-pound Lindros will go mainly to defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov, called “the Vladinator” and other unkind names because of his brutal but effective hits and holds. “It doesn’t matter if other people don’t like me or call me dirty. I play for my team, and if guys from Detroit like it, I don’t care,” he said.

Lindros also has been called names, most recently by New York Ranger Coach Colin Campbell. But Lindros and the Flyers had the last laugh--and the Eastern Conference title. Third in goals scored and eighth defensively this season, the Flyers overwhelmed Pittsburgh, Buffalo and the Rangers with an offensive onslaught that compensated for the shaky play of goalie Garth Snow and the adequate relief work of veteran Ron Hextall.

“I’ve dreamed about being in this situation for a long time. Not just being here, but winning,” said Lindros, who is tied for second in playoff scoring with 11 goals and 23 points. “I guess you’ve got to dream dreams to live them, and we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Lindros and the Flyers are clearly on the ascent, although he downplays being designated the successor to Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux in the pantheon of NHL superstars. “Where’s that torch they’re supposed to be giving me? I haven’t seen that torch,” he said.

The Red Wings, however, are older and see this as their final chance to win together. Larionov and defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov, teammates on many great teams in the Soviet Union, are free agents after the season and one or both will surely be gone. “We have been friends for the last 20 years,” Larionov said. “It would be nice to finish our career with a Stanley Cup.”

Same styles. Same hopes. Same dreams.

“They’re talking about their speed being an edge for them and our size being an edge for us, but we have speed just like they have size,” Flyer defenseman Eric Desjardins said. “What makes the difference is if you sacrifice yourself to the team to make sure the team has success. That’s what we’ve done so far and I think we will continue to do.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

GAME 1

FLYERS VS. RED WINGS

Best-of-seven series

* WHEN: 5 p.m. today

* WHERE: at Philadelphia

* TV: Channel 11

* RADIO: KIEV, X1150

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

The Schedule

* Tonight--At Philadelphia, 5.

* Tuesday--At Philadelphia, 5 p.m.