Ducks Gameday—Stars Logo: Separated at Birth?
Round One, Game One: (5) Dallas Stars at (4) Anaheim Ducks
(JavaGeek 'odds': DAL 53%)
Ah, good ol' Game 83, time to break out some playoff traditions. Last year I started a gimmick each series where I played "Separated at Birth?" comparisons with opponent team logos. It wasn't by any means a very serious exercise, but it worked out well enough to give it another go this year.
Here is last year's set: the Minnesota Wild, the Vancouver Canucks, the Detroit Red Wings, and the Ottawa Senators. So take a glance below; which image is most "Separated at Birth" from the Stars logo? Vote for your favorite in the comments, or feel free to suggest your own.
Image results from my 'Star' search... (sigh).
Last night was an interesting Day One of the playoffs. In 3 of the 4 games played, a team quickly lost home ice advantage, which is a bit frightening. I made a late-night PuckToon about it over at Fanhouse (a feature I plan on resuming now that I'm attached to a scanner again; also on a side note, starting next week I'm writing their Ice Sheet each Wednesday).
To tell the truth, I'm not that stressed about game one, but that's because I'll be tracking tonight's game on my cell phone. I'm caught in a prior engagement and can't watch the game live, but it's not the worst thing; generally it's less stressful to scoreboard-watch than it is to yell at the TV for three hours. By the time I do watch the game late-night on my DVR, I'll already know the outcome, so feel free to comment on any game observations—you won't be spoiling anything. [EDIT: Spade's got some good Turco strategies on his new blog, complete with diagrams!]
I do have tickets for game 2, though. More on that later.
One player to watch for tonight will be J.S. Giguere, just to see whether he actually plays. Two years now I've been fooled into thinking Giguere would start the playoffs, only to be surprised by Bryzgalov at gametime; would they dare trick me a third year in a row?
Prediction: Ducks 3, Stars 2. Goals by Selanne, Pahlsson, and Schneider. And so it begins.
Go Ducks.
15 comments:
chalk up super-mario star for me
1-0 Ducks. Bryzgalov with the shutout.
I went heavy Ducks in my pool Earl, which means they are doomed.
Make that 2 votes for the shine sprite (I only know the name because I have kids)
Nice work Sleek.
(I only know the name because I have kids)
That's a better excuse than I have, though I'm not ashamed. Mario 64 was possibly the most revolutionary videogame in my era.
I can't name the Squarepants dude in the bottom right, though. I've been calling him "Starfishy".
patrick!!...i have a kid...easy call
funny episode was when spongebob and patrick found a bad word spraypainted...and they kept repeating it and it bleep the audio...extremly funny..
for 100 bonus points whats the name of the squirral with the underwater gear?
Squirraly?
Sandy?
I'm not sure about that though, even though the theme song in ingrained into my memory my kids watch it so much. It's really going to haunt me when Alztimers sets in and thats ALL I remember.
Who lives in a pinapple under the sea.....
oh come one, you're not really nervous about this one, are you earl? looked at your preview and the knee jerk one (yes, i'm an "out-of-playoffs" canucks fan, who has nothing better to do than look at other teams' blogs). basically, stars' hopes rest on richards somehow having a ridiculously good series. the pahlsson line, and the whole D, is basically not going to let that happen.
besides, there's something about the ducks that screams "playoff team". there's only one true x-factor: the bad karma of having bertuzzi on your team. and this is aside from the pronger effect, who is generally good for the team when he plays mean. but, overall, i think the scott niedermeyer good karma will neutralize the bertuzzi bad karma.
btw, why have the ducks had so much trouble scoring this season?
btw, why have the ducks had so much trouble scoring this season?
Short answers:
(a) Injuries. There has been precious few games with what I'd consider a "full" roster.
(b) The Ducks lost a lot of depth when they couldn't produce a meaningful second line (one who gets easier defenders behind Selanne's line). Don't forget that last year, the top two scorers for the Ducks in the playoffs were Getzlaf & Perry. They've moved up this year, but nobody seems to be producing enough behind them.
Whether Giguere or Hiller plays doesnt really matter to me, though Giguere will definitely play. As you mentioned in your series preview, its the Ducks scoring that is an issue. There is actually something the Ducks can learn from the Kings, how to score on Turco.
You're right, Bryan, it shouldn't matter too much who steps in net for the Ducks; especially lately it's tough to pick which goalie has been playing better.
Still, the last time Giguere played the opening game of the playoffs he did win a Conn Smythe.
But yeah, Anaheim's ability to score goals will be the issue. Hopefully Turco's not a big jerk about that.
Don't forget to tack on four or five hours for overtime.
No kidding, Doogie.
I didn't really bring it up, but back in 2003 I had scheduling conflicts for G1 of each of the first three series.
I believe the shortest game in those G1s that I missed went into the 2nd overtime period. I can't say that my viewing habits are the cause of anything, but just in case, be prepared.
heh heh heh.
It's okay you missed tonight's game, Earl; the Ducks did too.
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