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11
May

Let The Game Begin

By Daniel 2 Comments
Categories: 07 Playoffs, Conference Finals, Ducks, Former Ducks, Hockey, Players and Pre-Game

Today is the day, the day that everyone online can shut up for 3 hours and take in what should be the start of an awesome first to four slugfest. This wont be the soft Wild team with reigning goon champ Boogard or a Vancouver squad who didn’t look like they wanted to start the physical game with the Ducks. Detroit will bring it and you know they will drop the gloves if it does come to that, but more likely just get togethers in front of the net and in the corners. Face washes, slashes to the shin guards, pushing, shoving…hockey damnit! There are no Sean Avery’s to piss people off and not get in it, anyone who starts something will finish it. Detroit has seen this in both of their series, so this shouldn’t be anything new to them.

All the players are saying the first ten minutes are the most important, eight days is a lot of time off after all. I would expect a minor bit of rust, but once that first shift is over at Joe Louis, everyone will be dialed in. I will bet a lot of money that the team that shows up tonight will be the team that showed up in game one of the Vancouver series. The team that came at you to boot up your ass, that kind of attitude. Bet your ass that Anaheim will not come out flat in this game, Randy Carlyle and the veterans will simply not allow that. They will stress the fact these Wings are slightly crippled. Finish every check, if you have support and can get away with it, lay down the big hit. Beauchemin will take that opportunity, he would love to change the attitude of a game with one shift. He has had a decent hit in each series, no reason to think that changes here.

The majority of media types are picking the Ducks. Not because they hate Detroit, media doesn’t pick against the Yankees, they just say they don’t like them. When someone makes a prediction on a game or a series, they want to be right, not because they dislike the other team. Anaheim was built for this moment and everyone knows it. They wont fizzle out in crunch time like past Ottawa teams. Top to bottom, they are the most complete team remaining in the playoffs and beg someone to argue that. The other three teams may have an edge in something like third defensive pairing or fourth line scoring balance, but when you can interchange guys on different lines double them up, it balances out.

I really hope that Todd Bertuzzi shows up in this series, Holmstrom can not take all that beating himself. This is his opportunity to get back at anyone who said he was done. I really don’t know what happened to that guy. I know he was hurt most of this season, but damn, he is so big and so gifted. He also looks really good in Detroit, bit pricey, but I still think he is a good fit if he can produce. But I am not up on my Red Wings knowledge, so I will be quiet.

Lets go Ducks, lets go out and get this, then wait for Ottawa!

09
May

Get Your Red Hots!

By Daniel 4 Comments
Categories: 07 Playoffs, Conference Finals, Ducks, Former Ducks, Hockey, Players and Pre-Game

I have this really bad habit of taking after my dad, he is a huge St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams fan, has been his entire life. But my dad also seems to think it’s the Rams year, every year. He was right once and then they fizzled out. While I don’t think the Ducks will win every year, I do think this year is their year. So that means they have to beat Detroit, which I think they can do in six games. But I also said that I would give the Red Wings some time, so that is what I will do. I will go against my religion and point out things about the Ducks that I think Detroit can exploit, Babcock, take notes. So here we go…

I am not from Detroit, I have never been to Detroit and I will probably never go to Detroit but if I know one thing, it is that the city adored Steve Yzerman. The man was given a key to the city and has an official Steve Yzerman day, January 13th, in the state of Michigan. Sports Illustrated gave him a special cover, they never cover anything in hockey, just that little one page run down at the end, so you know he was special. I don’t think any athlete was as cherished by a city as he was in Detroit, very classy Detroit, that makes me feel good about being a fan of this wonderful game.

Now that era is over, this is Nicklas Lidstrom’s team now, if you want to go through Detroit, you have to go through him. Sheer talent, the mold of what a two-way defender should be, he is the best. I say that being the Ducks fan I am with both Pronger and Neidermayer on the team. If he were a little bigger and nastier, he would be the blend of Pronger and Neidermayer. So is he enough to carry his team this year, especially with Mathieu Schneider gone for the playoffs? Time will tell that story, lets keep rambling on. But, lets keep on the same track and talk about the defense and the last line of defense.

Chelios, Lebda, Lilja, Markov and Quincy all played in game six against San Jose, so those are the ones I am going to go off of. Combined they are a +13, Quincy and Lilja are the only minus players and that is -1 for each, that is pretty impressive (Chelios is tops with +7). In contrast, the Ducks “D” is +8. That is good for the coaches to know, that way they can get the matchups they want. Detroit knows it has its best chance of scoring when Kent Huskins and Joe DiPenta are on the ice, but if Randy Carlyle is smart, he wont dick around this series. A steady diet of his at least one of his other four defensemen should be on the ice at any given time, playing with DiPenta or Huskins. Babcock should salivate with the last change if he sees both of those players paired together, rolling out Zetterburg and company.

Now the goalie matchup is a clash of the titans in this round too. Giguere defeated Backstrom and Luongo while Hasek took out Kiprusoff and Nabokov. I don’t think you can say any team had the edge in that department, all four of those guys are top notch netminders. In this round it comes to a showdown, who can make that unbelievable save to keep the game tied or keep the lead for their team. The man with the age and all those trophies or the one who has something to prove, that 2003 wasn’t a flash in the pan. This will be the last great goalie dual this playoff season, so lets see how many times we get to see these two go at it.

Then there is the forward battle. This is going to be a pretty even matchup as well, but I have to give the edge to Anaheim on this one. The first two lines of both teams cancel each other out, but the checking line for Anaheim can actually produce a decent amount of points. They have given the Ducks 15 points and a +5 rating, while playing against the Sedins and Gaborik. Detroit’s checking line has 7 points and is a +6. I am not sure if they matchup against the opposing teams top line, only allowing them one more goal seems kind of fishy. Scoring will come down to who wants to get the dirtiest, who wants to crash the net the most and who can take the least amount of penalties. The Ducks will rub Hasek a lot, count on that. Can the Ducks keep Holmstrom’s stick tied up, clear rebounds and keep Todd “Mr Irrelevant” Bertuzzi from having a big series? Personally, I think yes to all of those questions, but I have my own biased opinion.

Ducks fans know Mike Babcock’s style of hockey, we know what to expect and we know why it works. Play solid team, defensive hockey, create a turnover and use your transition game for scoring opportunities. The Ducks used it because the team had speed up front and pretty decent defensive core, it worked obviously. The 2007 Red Wings don’t lack as much punch as the 2003 Mighty Ducks, so they can open it up a little more. Time will tell if it is enough to beat the Ducks four times though.

Who wants to step up in this series, who wants to make an impact? Can the Wings withstand the physical beating that they will take from the constant forecheck? Chris Kunitz, where are you? Todd Bertuzzi, please stand up. Detroit, you better stand up to the physical play, otherwise it’s over sooner then later.

08
May

Norris Conference Finals

By Daniel 2 Comments
Categories: 07 Playoffs, Conference Finals, Ducks, Hockey and Pre-Game

I finally get to start using my Conference Finals category, I am very excited.

This series has some decent plots to it, but I think my favorite is the fact that all the Norris finalists are in it. I don’t care too much about past series because how many players are really left over from 2003? Hell Mike Babcock is the other teams coach, so it really doesn’t mean anything. This is going to be one amazing playoff series, but would have been better if the Sharks could have pulled their heads out of their asses and shown some heart. I don’t think the more talented team came out from the San Jose-Detroit series, but the more deserving did. Now I sound like Darren McCarty after the Ducks swept Detroit in 2003, nevermind, lets just move forward before someone gets hurt.

 

Scott Burnside picked against the Ducks, citing the heroic efforts of Detroit in the last 3 games of their war with San Jose. Or…San Jose is a bunch of softies and let the series go. Detroit is no doubt a very good team, but don’t expect Anaheim to just let them back in games, this isn’t the regular season against Columbus. Detroit is injured, Anaheim gets back Todd Marchant and probably Ric Jackman. Lidstrom is awesome, but he isn’t that awesome, he can only play so many shift. The loss of Mathieu Schneider for 5-on-5 and power play situations will hurt. He was second behind Lidstrom for power play time, I bet that puts a damper in to the effectiveness with a man advantage.

With Marchant coming back, that means you have a fourth line of Marchant, May and probably Thornton. Scoring threat? Maybe one goal in the entire series. Defensive liability? I guess you could argue that, Thornton isn’t the greatest skater, but he hasn’t been a huge liability this year, he has been here most of the season. If Jackman comes back, you could even scratch someone like Thornton and have the extra defensemen, then throw any of the other nine forwards in that other slot to get them more ice time. You could also bench Huskins, who has looked a little uneasy at times, then dress Jackman. Adding those two players really gives Randy Carlyle a couple good options to juggle between each game.

For Detroit to become a real threat in this series, one guy has to show up for them, Todd Bertuzzi. Four points is not enough for a man his size and skill level. He HAS to have a big series, he has to be a whore in front of the net and he has to be nasty. Can he do all of this with his back? Who knows, Pronger leaning on him or Sean O’Donnell throwing those love taps on his hip, it will add up over time. One guy who we know wont have a problem being in that position, Holmstrom, will be himself. I really hate Detroit, but I absolutely love Tomas Holmstrom.

Further breakdown will come in the next day, I have to find something to do until Friday, but my lunch break isn’t enough time to research. Another food for thought moment, how about how Anaheim can roll two real scoring lines and two checking lines that have an OK chance of scoring? Sammy is a +4, playing against the best line almost every shift. That alone could sum up the series, but I will waste more time when I get home. Don’t worry, I wont be a total homer, I will try to write some good about Detroit.

08
May

Detroit Rock City

By Daniel Closed
Categories: 07 Playoffs, Ducks, Hockey and Misc

What is it? What is it?

It’s a series against the Ducks

OH NO!

Congratulations to the Red Wings, but I think the bus has made its final stop. I am going to do some reading before I make a real post about this, plus it looks like a busy day at work. Oh well, there is always lunch time.

04
May

What A Game!

By Daniel Closed
Categories: 07 Playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Ducks, Game Reviews and Hockey

I think we all have to look at Roberto Luongo and say WOW! He stopped a lot of pucks in this round, phenomenal performance in goal. Then look at the other end of the rink and say WOW again, because Giguere was no slouch himself. Very impressive on both ends and I hope that Vancouver will be smart and add some depth at both skating positions for next season, that would have really helped in this series.

Then we have to say thank you to Brad May, even though I still think he is an ass, he kept the puck in his skates setting up the entire play. He may not be the most gentlemanly hockey player, but you know he has the experience. Thornton, Shannon or Parros would not have been able to do what he did on that shift. I saw enough of him though, thank you for the one good shift, now please let that be all.

The 2nd line was awesome this entire game, they drove the Canucks defense crazy. On one shift they were even able to sustain pressure long enough to one-by-one change up. That is going to be a battle going to next round, who is going to want to go up against those guys?

Defense in this series was outstanding, especially from Anaheim, but you have to figure that would be the case anyway. It seems like the only time the Canucks got a sniff was when Pronger blew that one attempted chip along the boards in game 2 and when DiPenta and Huskins were on the ice. Randy Carlyle figured that out after the tieing goal and in overtime he split those two up and paired them with one of the other four. He should have his hands full in the next round trying to negotiate those situations.

The dueling Norris’ pretty much end up on the ice each minute of the game. It must be really nice to end a series in 5 games, because with each of them playing 30 minutes a game, they will have 5+ days between each series to rest, negating the fact that they play so much. Bad news for whoever comes to town next round.

Now that Anaheim is in the conference finals, the hockey media will HAVE to start talking about them. They love to ignore them even though the team is as good as it is. Southern California jealousy? Not a hockey market? Whatever, it may not be a hockey market, but we have a damn good hockey team in Orange County. Time to get to work, I will write some more later, but I will try to break down opponents for next round, giving them each a post. Enjoy the weekend, drink up, be merry, welcome to the Western Conference Finals!

PS: Sammy, good luck with the Selke, I am pulling for you. You deserve it and an even better contract then what you just signed!

03
May

Sleep Time

By Daniel Closed
Categories: 07 Playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Ducks and Hockey

I am tired and will not really write too much right now, I will save that for tommorow. As I suspected, the Ducks played the best game of the series, though the goals didn’t seem to go in. 63 shots and only 2 goals, my hat is off to you Roberto Luongo. Too much, too often though. Excellent series that was a lot closer then the final count will let on, this was a great goaltender battle. Goes to show you what kind of respect Anaheim gets huh?

03
May

Give It A Rest

By Daniel Closed
Categories: 07 Playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Ducks, Hockey and Pre-Game

My thought on tonight’s game is that the Ducks will come out and pound Vancouver like they did in game one. Why? To put a stamp on it and let the Canucks know exactly who the better team is. To let the next opponent know they are not really a weak team that can’t finish. To show themselves that if they want, they can run the table on anyone they see fit. From Ryan Getzlaf’s obvious cocky swagger, to Chris Pronger’s physical dominance, to the two goalies who can out duel anyone in the league. This team reminds me of how the Yankees think they are just the most badass team in the league. But they do it without making complete asses out of themselves, still preaching team play and 60 minutes.

Here is an honest question you should ask yourself, as long as you have seen a couple Ducks games this season. Can any team play its best 60 minutes and win if the Ducks also play their best 60 minutes? Top to bottom, I do not think it is possible.

Anaheim has three wonderful forward lines and a fourth that Randy Carlyle throws out when he is bored and wants his boys to go down a man, just for a PK refresh. Defense…Well, I think the Norris nominations sum that up. Pronger and Neidermayer have great complimentary wing men in O’Donnell and Beauchemin to boot. Kent Huskins and Joe DiPenta look shaky at times, I will admit that, but they don’t play enough to really hurt the outcome of a full game. Alain Vigneault is smart though, he tries to get his gunners out on the ice when Huskins and DiPenta are out, but that obviously isn’t winning them very many games.

When Vancouver steps on the ice tonight, it will be the last time they do so this season. Watch for a determined team that wants to get its star right winger a rest. A team that wants to get Ric Jackman and Todd Marchant back in to the lineup to add even more depth and make that fourth line worth a damn. Watch as this team comes together like they want to actually win this game. Look out Canucks, just ask the Minnesota Wild what happens on elimination day.

29
Apr

Game Day Gut Check

By Daniel Closed
Categories: 07 Playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Ducks, Game Reviews, Hockey and Pre-Game

So which team is going to show up today? If the team that show up in game one comes to Vancouver, then we all know what can happen. You have to hope that Randy Carlyle will stress that to the team, then again the players in the locker room should be saying the same thing. Anaheim made one mistake that actually cost them in game two and it just happened to bbe Chris Pronger who made it. Luongo played his ass off as usual and kept his team in the series.

The one player who shines in every game, for me at least, is Ryan Getzlaf. This kid is simply a stud. He has an amazing slap shot, soft hands and a nasty edge to him. All of this while being a decent two way player. He sure can’t be blamed for not hustling and giving his all in every shift. Getlaf and his line mates need to be more of a factor in this series. They need to cycle like the Sedin’s in game 2 and use their size to dominate, so I guess that is two of the same thing huh?

But honestly, the only thing that needs to change for the first game in Vancouver is the power play. They peppered Luongo in game 2 and they need to continue that. Vancouver looks to be losing even more defensemen and they have called up a player. Lets see if Vancouver can be lucky again and somehow squeek out another win, reality says that they were plain lucky.

Nothing has to be said by anyone, you know the players know that they have to play better. Typical Ducks fashion, they took a day off after thinking the team they were facing was not a worthy opponent. Look for the Ducks to pound on the Canucks even more, because they didn’t last game. This is the kind of thing a team looks for to get itself motivated, lets hope that Vancouver stirred something up.

A little end note here. I was at the game on Friday and it was worth the price, except that whole loss thing. My favorite part of the whole night was seeing Garrett Burnett in attendance. If you don’t know who Garrett Burnett is, he was the Ducks enforcer for the 2003-04 season. On December 26th, 2006 he was assaulted outside a bar and was left in a coma after serious head trauma. The fact that the Anaheim crowd knew who he was before they even flashed his name made me smile a little.

26
Apr

You Sunk My Battleship

By Daniel Closed
Categories: Articles, Misc and Players

This should show you what I do on my 10 minute lunch break. According to this article,  Teemu Selanne is going to face charges in Finland for lending a boat to someone who was not licensed to operate it. You would think since he is a huge star in Finalnd that the Finnish media might get the team name right. Nice boat though, that sucks. I knew I would find something stupid to post today.

26
Apr

The Face Says It All

By Daniel Closed
Categories: 07 Playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Ducks, Game Reviews and Hockey

I think the Vancouver Canucks have started something they might not want to finish. Now I know that Kevin Bieksa and Sami Salo were not in the game last night, but come on, I don’t think that would have mattered one bit. The Ducks looked absolutely awesome from the second period on. I was unable to watch the first period because my DVR didn’t record Versus and not KDOC, so that ruined me skipping commercials and intermissions. But the last two periods were some great hockey if you are a Ducks fan.

Vigneault’s decision to pull Luongo didn’t do much except let Andy McDonald get his first hat trick on a soft third goal. I am sure it was more mental than anything, but you know it didn’t help his teammates, because Luongo is the Canucks silver bullet. He played damn good too, but you can’t just let people around the net like the Canucks did.

There isn’t really much to analyse about this game, it was very tilted. I hope that Vancouver can get all of its players back so no one has to listen to the argument of Vancouver missing key guys here and there.

Something that made me laugh today was an interview that Scott Burnside did for ESPN where he said that if the series could be over in three games,  it would be. Sad, but true. Maybe I can find something stupid to post about later in the day, but I get the feeling that this series is going to be boring and that no one will care until the Ducks play the Sharks in the conference finals.

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