Ducks Gameday—If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them…

Round Three, Game Five: (2) Anaheim Ducks at (1) Detroit Red Wings
(Series tied 2-2, JavaGeek ‘odds’: DET 56%)

The Ducks find themselves in the same position as Calgary and San Jose did in rounds one and two: a series tied 2-2 going back to Detroit for a best-of-three. How did those previous two teams fare?

• The Flames proceeded to lose both G5 and G6, outscored by a combined 7-2.
• The Sharks proceeded to lose both G5 and G6, outscored by a combined 6-1.

They both got steamrolled. Yikes.

Well, I think the Ducks can take some pointers from a squad that’s quite used to winning when the chips are down and the stakes are high—the A-Team. The Ducks, like the A-Team, will need solid contributions from four of its key members if they want to win one more in Detroit. If I'm Stephen J. Cannell, here's how I'd cast this episode:

Scott Niedermayer—John “Hannibal” Smith:
Hannibal is the determined leader of the A-Team, the mastermind of all their high-risk maneuvers. He carries supreme cockiness and poise no matter the situation, and is an escape artist to boot. Scott’s play has been up-and-down all this series, but he’s kept his composure and has brought confidence to an aggressive blueline. He’s played more postseason minutes than any other Duck, and brings an offensive element to all situations. Scott's definitely a proven winner; I could have sworn after his OT goal in G2 I heard a faint, “I love it when a plan comes together!”

Teemu Selanne—Templeton “Faceman” Peck:
Faceman is an expert at scamming whatever the A-Team needs, especially in tight and desperate situations. He’s a sneak, a thief, and an opportunist. Teemu’s got that deceptive ability to get opportunities behind defenders and cash in on his chances; his ability to produce while being covered will be key. Teemu picked up two power-play helpers in G4 (he only had one in the 13 previous playoff games), so perhaps his offense is waking up; the Ducks might consider leaving an "A" on his jersey for G5. Plus it is really funny when he takes a shot to his pretty-boy face.

Sammy Pahlsson—H.M. “Howling Mad” Murdock
Murdock is the institutionalized pilot for the A-Team, providing both relief and support to the squad. Though he is quite insane, in key situations he still manages to be right where the team needs him. Pahlsson is the odd-yet-reliable forward for the Ducks, skating against the top opposition offense in order to buy easier-minute time for his teammates. He’s crazy enough not to be intimidated, and is persistent enough to drive his opponents mad, as well.

Chris Pronger—B.A. Baracus
The violent-tempered muscle for the group, B.A. provides the extra edge in any scrap the A-Team gets themselves into. He’s tough and stubborn, and also provides the metal-armor-welding that keeps the team safe. Pronger’s already shown he's capable of angry violence, but aside from the loose temper, he has also provided the team’s strength; Detroit has yet to score an even-strength goal or a power-play goal with Pronger on the ice in this series. Pronger's going to have to find a way to bring the muscle in G5 without the rage.


"I love it when a plan comes together!"
Prediction: Ducks 4, Red Wings 2. Goals by the A-Team.

Go Ducks.

The Jackmans and their Feral Rage

Listen, I know I am overstating Ric Jackman’s G4 heroics, as the guy played less than 7 minutes, but isn’t it nice to have a feel-good story this late in the playoffs? From SLAM.ca:

Jackman - playing his first ever playoff game - scored his first goal on his first shot on goal while replacing Chris Pronger for his one-game suspension.

That of course was also Anaheim’s first power play goal of the series as well as Teemu Selanne's first point of the series, and was instrumental in creating a 1st period lead that would help the Ducks win a Prongerless G4.

Here’s a vote to keeping Jackman in the lineup for G5, mostly for spot-duy power play time. This year on the Ducks, he has scored 2 goals and 5 assists in some 55 minutes of power play time (7.7 PP points/hour). That power play scoring rate leads the team.
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As I was perusing the blogs, I saw a Pronger-reaction piece by Two for Elbowing (written after G4), and noticed this tidbit:

Anyone else looking forward to seeing this series go 7 games? And do you doubt that it will? the only problem is one we worried about from early in the season: that whoever comes out of the west will be exhausted and beat up, and easy fodder for whatever eastern team makes the cup final.

Well, chiqui, it just so happens I was looking into this very concept the other day. Here’s how the last 10 cup finalists have done in their conference final series:

Year	Cup winner	Cup loser
2006	CAR over BUF, 7 games	EDM over ANA, 5 games
2004	TBL over PHI, 7 games	CGY over SJS, 6 games
2003	NJD over OTT, 7 games	ANA over MIN, 4 games
2002	DET over COL, 7 games	CAR over TOR, 6 games
2001	COL over STL, 5 games	NJD over PIT, 5 games
2000	NJD over PHI, 7 games	DAL over COL, 7 games
1999	DAL over COL, 7 games	BUF over TOR, 5 games
1998	DET over DAL, 6 games	WAS over BUF, 6 games
1997	DET over COL, 6 games	PHI over NYR, 5 games
1996	COL over DET, 6 games	FLA over PIT, 7 games

Now take this with a HUGE grain of salt, as many of these cup finals featured a Cinderella team, but it has been eleven years since a team with more rest has won a Stanley Cup. The last four cup winners, in fact, have all played 7-game conference finals, while the cup loser has finished their conference finals series in fewer games.

I’m not saying it’s not going to happen, or that it shouldn’t happen, but if this series goes seven games, I don’t think we should take it as a given that a long WCF series cost the winner the Cup.

Anyway, food for thought.

Go Ducks.

Cricket sounds in the locker room

Not to steal Anaheim's thunder from the game today, but I saw this on Paul Kukla's site. From the Buffalo News:

Drury issued a challenge to his teammates going into Game Four. He said they had two choices: The Buffalo Sabres could curl and cry their way home or they could come back fighting like dogs. He was speaking in his usual hushed tones, but you better believe it came across loud and clear to his teammates. Stop moaning and quit feeling sorry for yourselves. Show a little resiliency and maybe, just maybe, they could get things turned around before it was too late. Maybe they could strike fear into the Ottawa Senators. Maybe they could do what seemed impossible and win four straight. Maybe there was a little hope after all. “It was the whole locker room, not just me,” Drury said. “Everybody understood what we were up against. It relaxed us. At some point, I don’t know when it was, but some weight was lifted off our shoulders. It was as loose as we had been in a while.”

Would any of the Sharks be able to stand up and say that? This isn't another "Take the C from Patrick Marleau" argument because I'm talking about group leadership here. Chris Drury's not exactly an intimidating Mark Messier-type, but apparently he knows when and what to say. Marleau may have that in him or he may be as quiet as his public persona is. We really don't know because we're not in that locker room. Joe Thornton may have that in him or he may just be a laid-back dude, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but there's a difference between roll-with-the-punches and get-really-flaming-mad. Whatever the case may be, good leadership should be a combination of elements. It's obvious that the Sharks are missing this crucial element, and whether that comes from the TEAM mentality of talking but not executing or whether that comes from a lack of an individual like Drury to take charge, well, that's up to the Wilsons to figure it out.

Ducks Gameday—No Chris (again), but no excuses, either

Round Three, Game Four: (1) Detroit Red Wings at (2) Anaheim Ducks
(DET leads series 2-1, JavaGeek ‘odds’: DET 71%)

No Chris on the top line. No Chris on the blueline.

Does hope exist for these Ducks? Sure, so long as they're willing to forget any "poor us" thinking, play a simplified game, and come out in G4 the way they should have come out in G3. They need to make personnel a non-issue; the players that are dressed are the ones that are going to need to get it done.

If there's a blessing to the one-game suspension, it's that it falls on a home game. Coach Carlyle is going to have a whale of a time trying to fill in Pronger's 31 minutes, but at least he'll have some ability to control defensive match-ups.

It certainly won't be an easy transition, though, as Pronger has his hands all over the special teams (which certainly have not been very special this series). These playoffs, he averages 7 1/2 minutes per game on the power play and 4 1/2 minutes per game killing penalties. The PP time is not that worrisome, maybe even Getzlaf can resume his role as pointman, but the Ducks better be especially mindful of their penalties this game.

During the season, the Ducks were 6-7-3 without Pronger, but that includes a 2-5-2 stretch while missing Giguere and Beauchemin as well. When it was a relatively healthy squad less Pronger, the Ducks managed a 4-2-1 record. Of course, it will be imperative that Scotty Niedermayer and Frenchie Beauchemin have better outings than they did in G3 (-3 and -4, respectively).

It's certainly not an ideal situation, but the team's gotta remember: it's the final four, and they're one win away from being right back in this series. The Ducks have exactly the same number of playoff wins as they got last year; do they have the ability to improve on that tonight?

I wonder if this guy's available to play some minutes.
Prediction: Ducks 3, Red Wings 2. Goals by Selanne, Pahlsson, and McDonald.

Go Ducks.

Pronger suspended for G4

Quite a conversation we've got going in the previous drinky post (apologies for the language and hyperbole) on comparative fanbases, so I thought I'd create a quick post for people to talk about the other big news: Chris Pronger being suspended one game for his head-first board of Detroit's Tomas Holmstrom (assist: Rob Niedermayer).

Here's the hit, by the way.

Many issues here:
a) What do you think about the length of the suspension? Too much, not enough, or just right? (BTW: Read Matt's post at BoA for a really good perspective on suspensions in general.)
b) What do you think this means for the rest of the series? Can the Ducks negotiate a home game without the big blueliner, or does this pretty much cost Anaheim the series?
c) Given the outcome of last night's game, does it even matter?

So, Pronger suspension comments here, fanbase comments on the other post. Go nuts.

Drinky Post—wherein I swear a lot tonight and regret a lot tomorrow

stolen from Bizarro

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

Easily the worst game I have attended at the Pond / Honda Center in my lifetime, though I will note that I was pretty assured of the outcome by the end of the 1st period (Det 2, Ana 0). I was pretty sure it would unravel after that. Case in point—me and a guy from the 3rd deck were the two guys outside having a cigarette when that 5-minute major got called in the 2nd.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

I’m not so much upset at the final score; as I said, it was decided early. But I am really upset at the Ducks for not putting their bodies in Hasek’s crease for the last 30 minutes, when the game was out of reach. I’ll tell you what fans in my section were hearing: “If you’re not running Hasek, you’re not trying!”

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

I’m pretty glad, actually, that it was a 5-0 final. Had we lost 2-1, maybe there would have been no urgency for a G4 adjustment.

There’s probably a benefit to me being at the game as opposed to watching it on TV. Because of latecomers and my own spotty attendance, I only got to see the 2nd and 4th goals.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

I’ll tell you what was the biggest realization of the night: I might not really hate the Red Wings as much as I hate the fucking Red Wing fans. You want to know why “Hockeytown” is being harassed for its attendance (pricing) issues? Look no further than your asshole fans, who’ve been citing attendance numbers to discredit our franchise for years!

In all seriousness, you might be the best, most polite, quaintest Red Wing fan in the universe, but know this. You come from easily the worst fanbase in the western conference, from a tolerability standpoint. I won’t go into specifics about tonight, but know that at the end of the game I shook a guy’s hand for being a Wings fan and not an asshole.

And I had to go two sections over to find him.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

Well, in the end it is only one game. Sure it’s a message-sender, but there’s still room to respond. Ducks have got to get their shit together, that’s for sure.

But FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

Ducks Gameday—Kunitz breaks hand; Mayor of Anaheim asks, “Who’s Kunitz?”

Round Three, Game Three: (1) Detroit Red Wings at (2) Anaheim Ducks
(Series tied 1-1, JavaGeek ‘odds’: even-steven)

Anaheim top-line winger Chris Kunitz broke a bone in his hand late in G1 after scoring the Ducks’ only goal. He had surgery on it yesterday and will be out for the duration of the playoffs. It turns out he was hurt deflecting a Pronger shot, but here's how I had pictured the injury:

So what does this injury mean to the Ducks? Well, on the surface it sucks—the Ducks are not very deep at forward, and fourth-line goon left-winger Shawn Thornton was injured in G2 and may not be available either [EDIT: Apparently Thornton is available tonight.].

In a perverse sort of way, though, injuries to left-wingers are OK for the Ducks, as it is certainly their most versatile position. Randy Carlyle is fond of his pairs—McDonald and Selanne, Getzlaf and Perry—and has moved left wingers to move up and down throughout the year. Coach Carlyle certainly has his options for a top-line fill-in, whether there be a need for speed (Marchant, Shannon) or grit (Penner, May), and I think Teemu and McDonald can operate with most anybody crashing the net. Honestly, I don’t know if the top line will be ‘set’ anytime soon—there are some benefits to the rotation method as well.

Besides, we keep calling it the ‘top line’ to fool Detroit’s best checkers. Playoff scoring to date: C. Kunitz - A. McDonald - T. Selanne: 9 g, 10 a, 19 points
D. Penner - R. Getzlaf - C. Perry: 7 g, 14 a, 21 points
T. Moen - S. Pahlsson - R. Niedermayer: 7 g, 13 a, 20 points
Anaheim's real top line? C. Pronger - S. Niedermayer - F. Beauchemin: 8 g, 15 a, 23 points
But let’s not understate Kunitz’s role—2nd on the team in hits, a good skater, and a guy willing-and-able to occupy the front of the net. The players picking up the extra minutes are definitely going to need to step up and make up for that missing element, enough to at least distract Detroit’s checking line from the real scorers.
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The Ducks come back to Anaheim from a pretty successful trip, not only because they got a road win, but because they effectively were able to neutralize a lot of Detroit’s home-ice-advantage. Before the series, the Red Wings had played 47 home games (regular season and playoffs) and been outshot only 5 times. On average, Detroit outshot visitors by more than 12 shots per game.

The Ducks not only outshot the Wings in both G1 and G2, but manufactured two tie games with 5 minutes left in regulation—essentially they were able to turn both games into coin flips. Considering Detroit’s home record (now 35-5-9), that’s quite an accomplishment.

Analysts are quick to point out that the Ducks have scored 5 even-strength goals and zero special-teams goals, while the Wings have scored zero even-strength goals and 5 special-teams goals. Personally, I think that’s a bit of a fluke, but if it remains the case the Wings could be in trouble going into Anaheim. To date the Ducks have scored 56 pp goals in Anaheim and 42 on the road, while the Red Wings have scored 47 pp goals in Detroit and 35 on the road.
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For a good read, check out one of my new favorites: Interchangeable Parts. Though Schnookie and Pookie are (GRRRRR!) Devils fans, these two teddy-bear sisters have been keeping diligent journals of both the conference finals. They don’t profess to be well-versed in the western conference teams, but their commentary is irresistible. Here’s their WCF G1 and G2 journals for your enjoyment.
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Prediction: Ducks 4, Red Wings 2. Goals by Perry, Getzlaf, Pahlsson, and Beauchemin.

p.s. I'll be at this game. I didn’t get the Row B seats, unfortunately, but I’ll still be in the lower bowl, behind Giguere for the 1st and 3rd periods—Sec. 201, Row N. I’ll be the guy in the green t-shirt acting entirely too drunk for 6 in the afternoon. You can come by say hi, but I reserve the right to reflexively defend myself. Oh, and just to keep the tab running, the Ducks are 8-0-1 when I've been in attendance this year, outscoring opponents 38-15.

Go Ducks.

Ducks Gameday—A face only a mother could love

Round Three, Game Two: (2) Anaheim Ducks at (1) Detroit Red Wings
(DET leads series 1-0, JavaGeek ‘odds’: DET 68%)

Anyone else inspired by Teemu Selanne’s playoff face lately? This notorious pretty-boy has not only been hit in the head by a puck from a Wild player (during pre-game warm-ups, no less!), but he’s picked up facial cuts from Wild sticks, Canuck sticks, and even Chris Pronger’s stick over the last few weeks. Certainly we’re seeing a more driven Selanne than in years past; no way you’d ever use “Teemu” and “battle-tested” in the same sentence a few years ago. And maybe the best part? He still seems to be loving it.

Teemu’s cut-up face is 80% inspiring and 20% hilarious, which I figure is about the right balance to encourage a series comeback tonight.

Other than the final score, I like the game the Ducks threw at the Wings in G1—they skated and anticipated well, pulled the crowd out of the game for stretches, and got pressure in front of Hasek. The Ducks really need to keep up that effort and discipline tonight, because Detroit will certainly be coming out better—the Wings are great at smelling blood and goin’ for the kill.

Special teams execution, of course, will be critical, as Detroit in G1 scored a pair of power play goals to the Ducks’ none, despite Anaheim owning the majority of power play time. It had been 15 games since Anaheim had its power play outscored by its opponent’s; over that stretch the Ducks had scored 17 power play goals and allowed only 3, amassing an 11-1-3 record. Anaheim needs to keep its power play ledger even-or-better if it hopes to pull a win out; that’s really its bread-and-butter.

(Sadly, Sammy Pahlsson’s penalty-killing streak came to a halt last game also. Fellow Swede Zetterberg became the first player to score a power-play goal with Pahlsson defending on the ice in nearly 8 weeks, spanning 20 games and 86:29 of penalty-killing time, including 3-on-5s.)

For a bit of added pressure, I’ll add this historical warning. In Anaheim’s playoff history, they are 8-0 in series where they win at least one of the first two games and 0-4 in series where they do not.

Prediction: Ducks 3, Red Wings 1. Perry, Pahlsson, and Pronger score the goals, while Teemu adds an assist and another playoff scar.

Happy Mother’s Day! Go Ducks.

Red Wings Shooting Guide

Stolen from Mike Babcock's playbook, page 34:

Figure 1: Where to shoot to beat J.S. Giguere


Losing G1 2-1 is not the worst possible outcome for the Ducks, but it certainly is not the best. There are some things to take solace in: the Ducks outshot the Wings 32-19 and carried a lot of the play--Detroit at home this postseason was averaging a +17 shot differential and hadn't been outshot yet. Plus I can't really fault Giguere for either goal that went in.

The Ducks not only played a really good road game (they had a tie game with 5 minutes to go), but it was also a really good set-the-tone G1. Positives abound.

But damn, I'd rather have the win.

Ducks Gameday—Wings logo: Separated at birth?

Round Three, Game One: (2) Anaheim Ducks at (1) Detroit Red Wings
(JavaGeek ‘odds’: DET 55%)

Now that we’re down to four teams, there’s literally dozens of writers covering the Ducks, so I’m not going to add too much today. I’ll get a much better feel for this series after watching G1.

In the meantime, I’ve been running this “Separated at birth” feature every series, so here goes: Which of these three candidates is the long lost twin of the ol' Winged Wheel?

You can vote in the comments, or recommend one of your own. (Previous ‘separated at births’: Minnesota and Vancouver)

Actually, I was so inspired by the Paratroopa that I went ahead and modified it a bit.


Nice smash, Mario!
Good sign for the Ducks: For the third series in a row, both Maggie the Monkey with her spinwheel and Forechecker with his spreadsheets are picking against the Ducks. I've got issues with both their methodologies, specifically as it pertains to biases against Anaheim, but I'm assured in the fact that they've each been wrong twice before. Maggie, in fact, picked against California every single chance she had this year--maybe a bad move, considering she's 6-2 in her other picks. Forechecker is 9-1 when not picking against the Ducks.

Prediction: Ducks 4, Red Wings 2. Goals by Selanne, Getzlaf, Pahlsson, and Marchant (empty-net). Amazingly, Brad May keeps up his astonishing streak of playing really good hockey only in the calendar month of May.

Go Ducks.

Uh oh

I stumbled on this (surprisingly) angry interview with Willa Ford. I could just picture Mike Modano whispering all of those things in her ear.

In fact, one part of the interview was especially amusing:

Q: How did you two meet?

Answer from Modano in the background: You picked me up on the Internet.

Willa Ford: Yeah, I stalked him. Shut up! Oh please, you wish! Basically, we met through friends doing a charity event. So, friends set us up.

Whether the ex-pop signer was being fed everything in this interview, it still should raise some red flags for Stars fans.

Q: What was it like watching Mike play in what was the most dramatic first-round series -- that seven-game series loss to the Canucks?

A: It was tough, lots of ups and downs. There are some holes in the system when it comes to the Stars right now. There are some changes that need to be made and I think everyone is pretty aware of it. Within the coaching staff, you know that "too many cooks in the kitchen" thing; there's a bit of a struggle. One head coach is saying one thing and then you have another coach saying another. They either need to come together on that or see eye to eye because it's a little confusing to the guys, I think. This is all stuff I noticed firsthand. You can clearly see it on the ice, but when you live it like I do, it's tough. I know everything that goes on.

But here's the biggest bombshell dropped by that blonde bombshell:

" ... And last year, when they didn't make it past the first round of the playoffs, it was like, "Oh, let's throw it on Mike's back because he's the captain and make him an assistant captain now." I mean, that was the cheesiest thing. That was the most classless thing the organization has ever done."

Is it possible that a doorway into the future of Modano's career lies in what looked at first to be nothing but a puff piece?

There's clearly still some hurt feelings since Modano lost the 'C' to Brendan Morrow. We'll see if Modano ends up out of Big D.

This is the first year I wouldn't be surprised if he left.

CSI: San Jose

The lockers are cleaned and the injuries have been revealed and the whole San Jose Sharks meltdown still stinks to high heaven. Some panic-attack fans and media are in "Trade Patrick Marleau/Fire Ron Wilson/The sky is falling" mode, but those extreme tactics probably won't be taken by GM Doug Wilson.

So, what the hell happened and what will happen in the off-season? Let's review.

Patrick Marleau: So the captain had a separated shoulder since mid-February. I'm not in the "it heals after three weeks" boat; while separated shoulders can get back to normal after a few weeks for most mere mortals, we're not taking the rigors of NHL hockey bashing our shoulders. Marleau wasn't 100% at the end of the season, looked pretty good but still not all there against Nashville, then looked awful against Detroit. Maybe something popped his shoulder against Detroit, maybe not. Bottom line is he didn't go into the boards as hard as he did during the first 2/3 of the season, his stickhandling ability was consistently inconsistent, and he didn't shoot nearly as much as he normally did. That's fine and that goes with the injury. However, brain farts about playing out of position don't. Owning up to this in the media is good on Marleau's part, and it's good that he's not blaming the injury for that, but he's got to consider why his defensive game dropped off.

Trade him? If I'm Doug Wilson, I would say 99% no, but I'd be curious to see if you could get a #1 defenseman in his prime. The ONLY way I'd trade Marleau is if that was possible and you knew you had a good chance of wooing Scott Gomez or Chris Drury to replace him. Otherwise, I'd absolutely keep him.

Ron Wilson: When Wilson gets his team to play his system at 100%, the Sharks proved they could roll over anyone. Problem is motivation, and the question boils down to whether or not that responsibility lies more on the bench or behind the bench. I'd keep Ron for now, but if the Sharks show the same inconsistent play that plagued this season by Christmas 2007, I'd be silently sending out feelers to see who's available. Maybe they could get Mark Messier's DNA and splice it into Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton.

The goaltending: While the platoon system worked for most of the season, both goalies demonstrated over the past two seasons that they can take the #1 position and run with it. So, now you have a dilemma. It's obvious there are holes to fill in the team and the goaltending is a significant trade asset. Do you try and move Evgeni Nabokov (consider his no-trade clause) and his locked-in high salary or do you try and move Vesa Toskala knowing that he could ask for Nabokov's or more when he becomes a free agent at the end of the 07-08 season? There's no easy answer to that one because so many factors are involved, including the fact that most teams that need goaltending don't have a lot of tradeable assets that the Sharks need.

Scott Hannan: It's reported that Hannan wants Chris Phillips-type money around $3.5 million. Unfortunately, Hannan's not as good as Phillips. Sure, Hannan's a great shut down guy, but he has a huge tendency to turn over the puck in the neutral zone and isn't as consistent as Phillips. If you take Hannan's salary and combine that with other cap space on a #1 defenseman, that'd be my first choice. Which leads to...

The power play: All of the elements are there. The problem is that the Sharks have a one-trick pony power play. It's really effective when a healthy Patrick Marleau is running the point. However, when Marleau can't shoot, stickhandle, or keep the puck in as well like we saw down the stretch, it turns to inconsistent Christian Ehrhoff, Matt Carle, or (shudder) Kyle McLaren. Now, Ehrhoff may be reaching his peak as a 35-40 point guy, and Matt Carle should only get better, but it'd sure be nice to try and get a true power play specialist out there. The big-money free agent options? Sheldon Souray and Brian Rafalski. Neither are natural leaders in the Scott Niedermayer mold, but that can be addressed elsewhere. The only way I think something like that would be possible is if the Sharks clear cap space by trading Nabokov.

Secondary scoring: Steve Bernier, what happened to you? Joe Pavelski, will you get better or drop off? A big part of the Sharks success next season will be if Steve Bernier, who never recovered from lost conditioning due to a foot problem, and Joe Pavelski can prove to be true second-line scoring forwards or if they are a pair of flash-in-the-pans. In the on-deck circle, highly touted Devin Setoguchi, who may become the next contestant in the "Find a winger for Patrick Marleau" game. Between Bernier, Pavelski, and Setoguchi, if just ONE of them can put up a fairly consistent 20-goal/60-point effort next season riding next to Marleau, the Sharks will be in much better shape.

Mark Bell: Holy jebus, did Mark Bell suck. Well, that's not totally true. He was decent in October and decent for the last four weeks or so of the season. In fact, when the Bill Guerin/Bell/Marleau line came together, we saw glimpses of the Bell the Sharks thought they'd be getting -- hard hitting, strong on the boards, and perched in the slot. Ron Wilson has defended Bell to some extent by saying that he's had hip/back/groin problems all season, and if that's true, that may explain why Bell looked slow and awkward all the time. So, if that was the case, maybe there's hope that an extended recovery period followed by a rigorous conditioning/power skating program could give the Sharks a player similar to the 25 goal/60 point guy they saw in Chicago. Honestly, I watched Bell quite a bit in Chicago and he didn't look anywhere near as inept or confused as he did in a Sharks jersey. Perhaps health, confidence, and conditioning can help him put this season (and his DUI) behind him. Otherwise, he's a black hole of $2.5 million in cap space.

Defense: It's obvious that the Sharks philosophy of hoping that youth would overcome and prevail was flawed. The deer-in-the-headlights look of Matt Carle from the second half of the season onward showed the problems involved with putting a lot of your eggs in one basket. Re-signing Craig Rivet and his right-handed shot would be a good idea, but it depends on how much money he'd want. $3 mil might be too rich for the Sharks' blood.

Leadership: Does Patrick Marleau deserve the captaincy? Maybe, but maybe not. He wouldn't be the first captain to disappear in a playoff series (hello Ottawa fans and Daniel Alfredsson), and there's no reason why he couldn't redeem himself later (hello again, Daniel Alfredsson). Just because you're quiet doesn't mean that you can't lead -- ask Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman about that. On the other hand, some players aren't meant to be captain, like Mike Modano and Brian Leetch. Still, leadership is a group thing, and even Mark Messier had his lieutenants in Leetch, Adam Graves, and Mike Richter. The problem may lie in the fact that both Joe Thornton or Marleau are fairly laid back, happy-go-lucky guys. A player like Mike Grier certainly is a boost in the leadership department, but signing a veteran player who's won at least one Stanley Cup, even as a third liner, could prove to be a calming influence to a team that seems to panic in the face of adversity.

For fans who think the team should be blown up and put back together, take a deep breath and try to be as objective as possible. So many of the elements are in place, and there are moveable assets and some cap flexibility (minus the Vladimir Malakhov cap hit, the Sharks finished the season with about $3.5 million available). Doug Wilson's priorities should be a power-play specialist defenseman and a veteran who has Cups on his resume.

Ducks/Wings: Cautiously Pessimistic

On Tuesday, I gave some reasons why I’m cautiously optimistic about the Ducks facing the Wings. Today let’s look at the other side of the coin: why Detroit scares the crap out of me.

The “but they play in the Central Division” argument is fundamentally weak

Look, I think it’s about time someone other than a Detroit blogger came out and said it, but the abuse of this argument is nuts. Yes, in the two seasons since the division-heavy schedule started, the Red Wings have accumulated 81 standings points from its weak sisters CBJ, CHI, and STL (84% of the 96 points possible).

But the mere fact that the Red Wings beat weak teams does not mean that Detroit is overrated—it means that Detroit could be overrated—and that’s a key difference. Beating bad teams doesn’t reveal a lot about a team, but beating good ones does. The Red Wings have done very well eliminating both Calgary and San Jose, two impressive series wins, and I think they’ve shown throughout the year that they are more than soft standings points.

Lidstrom and Hasek, two guys I’m kind of wishing were dead or severely limping

Lidstrom, plain and simple, deserves the Norris Trophy—I’ve never been exactly clear on what criteria to use, but I would trade either Pronger or Niedermayer straight up to get Lidstrom, so I figure that’s enough of an argument. His play in his own end is a thing to marvel, so much so that any offense he provides is gravy. And yeah, he gives shitloads of gravy.

Strangely, I don’t think it’s going to be a big key for the Selanne line to score that much against Lidstrom and the checkers. Rather, I think it will be important that the Selanne line occupy that defense for as many minutes as possible to free up some Nick-less shifts for Getzlaf & company.

But even then there’s the Dominator, Mr. Effing Hasek. Detroit fans have been reminding me that Hasek has never lost a series for the winged wheel, and I don’t think he intends to start that now. While the Ducks have dispatched some pretty awesome goalies already in Backstrom and Luongo, one key difference is that neither of those goalies had any previous playoff experience. It was a new gig for them, and though they both were really impressive, they couldn’t pull of the Giguerian debut needed to stay alive.

Hasek has no such problems. The guy has been stopping playoff pucks since ’91, and this will be his 110th playoff appearance (36th for Detroit). This will be the first time the Ducks have faced Hasek in the postseason. He’s the kind of goaltender that keeps me up at night seething—and he might have that effect on a few Duck players, as well.

The long layover has killed the Ducks in the past

• In 2003, the Mighty Ducks swept the Minnesota Wild in the WCF, earning an 11 day break before the Stanley Cup Finals. Anaheim dropped both G1 and G2 of that series to New Jersey, scoring zero goals in the process, and would eventually lose the series in seven games.


• In 2006, the Mighty Ducks swept the Colorado Avalanche in Round 2, earning an 8 day break before the WCF. Anaheim dropped both G1 and G2 of that series to Edmonton, scoring two goals in the process, and would eventually lose the series in five games.


• The Ducks last played a week ago Thursday, eliminating the Canucks in G5 and earning an 8 day break.

See the ol’ “rust” pattern? Now to be fair the Ducks have done well after some layoffs (8 days after sweeping Detroit in ’03, 6 days after beating Minnesota in ’07), but those have always happened in the first round. Later round layoffs have really killed this Anaheim team in the past; here’s hoping they rediscover their game sometime early in G1 this time.

Karma will be the death of me

Towards the end of the season, one of my buddies checked the standings and reported, “The Ducks are only two points behind Detroit for first in the west.”

My scolding reply: “That’s not important—how many points we got on the Sharks? What is critical right now is that the Ducks hold the Pacific; what is not critical is that we catch Detroit. First or second, we are going to have home ice against tough opponents. The only time 1 vs. 2 will matter is if both top seeds survive to G7 of the western conference finals, and what are the odds of that?”

Dammit, mouth!

I can feel the karma coming, too. This has all the makings of last year:

• The Ducks and Sharks both advanced the 2nd round of the playoffs, and both had leads in their series.
• The Ducks won their 2nd round quickly, while the Sharks self-destructed and ruined a WCF Battle of California.
• And hell, the Kings even missed the playoffs again, too!

But there may just be one key difference this year, hopefully one strong enough to sway the winds of inevitability. This time Pronger’s on our side.

Go Ducks.

Final DET-SJ handshake photos

A few photos of the team handshakes after Detroit's 2-0 win to clinch a WCF berth in San Jose on Monday:









There are a few notes and photos from the game here, there will be more up soon.

The bottom line is that San Jose's very productive power play and blueline dried up in the second round. The secondary scoring that should have picked up the slack from an injured Guerin, Marleau and Cheechoo did not, and the Wings did an excellent job of shutting down Thornton and Michalek. Late period meltdowns handed Detroit a few games in this series, most notably in game 4, but a strong defensive performance and playoff intensity by the entire Red Wings team were big factors in their series win.

The Wings were without 2 of their top 6 defenseman in Game 6 (Schneider, Kronwall), and they will not be back for the WCF against Anaheim as well. The result was 29:05 of ice time for Lidstrom, and 26:15 for Chelios, something that can not continue indefinitely. Combined, their age is closer to 100 than it is to 50. The Ducks are just about as large and as quick as San Jose, and they have more of a mean streak. From the SJ-ANA games I saw this season, the Sharks tried to dictate the play physically to wear the Anaheim Ducks down. The Ducks tried to hit people because they are there, and if something positive happens offensively as a result, it is seen as a bonus. The fact that Anaheim lead the league in fighting majors during the regular season has not really translated to the playoffs, but it is just bubbling under the surface.

My prediction: Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg will be successful early, but Anaheim will be able to play the body and eventually slow them down. The Ducks are going to pound on the "4.5" Detroit defenseman, and the effects will be evident as soon as game 2 or 3. Corey Perry will flop into Domink Hasek from contact that happened 15-20 feet out, and Bertuzzi and Holmstrom will get an eviction notice in front of the crease from Chris Pronger (a.k.a. Beaker). Samuelsson will continue to score goals 5-on-5, and on the point for Detroit.

Hasek will steal two, but the Anaheim Ducks will win in six games.

Happy birthday, blog

Yeah, if you can believe it, one year ago today the mighty Mirtle came along and created this blog, mostly I think in karmic jest. Under the strength of the only nomination, I assumed the role of Ducks correspondent and what do you know? The joke continues.

At any rate, thanks to Mirtle and the Battle of Alberta crew (the inspirations), and of course Chen, PJ, James O’B, and RudyKelly for their part in all of this. And thanks to all the readers, commenters, and fellow bloggers for keepin’ us honest, fresh, and from time to time even humble.

Oh, and look! Jes Gőlbez, notorious Swede-hater, has even paid off our bet got me a present. I’ll definitely drink to that!

Ducks/Wings: Cautiously Optimistic

Looking ahead to the WCF, there are plenty of reasons for Duck fans to be optimistic about a match-up with Detroit, and plenty of reasons to be scared silly. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons for optimism, shall we? In a later post, I’ll talk a bit more about reasons to be terrified.

First off, just as sort of a playoff recap, here’s a look at the western conference regular season, and the best records since Christmas:

Rk	Team	GP	Record	Pts	GF/gm	GA/gm	Win Pct
1	Vancouver	46	32-8-6	70	3.00	2.24	.761
t-2	Minnesota	47	30-11-6	66	2.85	1.94	.702
t-2	Detroit	47	29-10-8	66	3.26	2.49	.702
...
10	Anaheim	44	21-15-8	50	2.77	2.59	.568

A few things to note here: while the playoffs thus far have gone smoothly enough, it should be noted that the Ducks have been playing against pretty much the NHL’s best teams over the latter part of the season. Nobody had more points since Christmas than the Canucks (the Wild and Wings’ 66 points tied for fourth in the league), and over this stretch Minnesota and Vancouver were 1st and 3rd in the league, respectively, in goals-allowed per game.

So while some might say that the Ducks haven’t been scoring enough in the postseason (2.6 goals per game), I think considering the competition they have done very well (they also managed to pot 9 power play goals in 10 games while facing the regular season’s top two penalty killing teams). And if you recall, at the time when the ANA/MIN series started, Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom hadn’t allowed more than two goals in a game in over a month. At the time when the ANA/VAN series started, Canuck goalie Roberto Luongo hadn’t been pulled in a game in over four and a half months.

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But really, the key thing to note in the table above isn’t how good the competition was; it’s really how bad the Ducks were after Christmas, easily the worst of the playoff teams (worse than Colorado and St. Louis as well). Of course, there is a pretty simple explanation: injuries.

Back in late December, the Ducks transformed into the Anaheim Sucks, losing J.S. Giguere, Chris Pronger, and Francois Beauchemin to injury all within a three-game span. This sparked an 11-game slump where the Sucks went 2-7-2 (including 1-1-0 against Detroit), allowing the Wings, Predators, and Sabres back into the President’s Trophy race. Ignoring those 11 games of suckitude, the Ducks went 46-13-12 (.732), which projects out to a 120-point season--7 points more than Detroit or Buffalo ended up with. I don’t really point this out as a reason why the Ducks should be favored in any sense, but certainly the Ducks (when reasonably healthy) still belong among the elite.

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The last time these two teams met was back on March 26 in Detroit, when Dominik Hasek stopped all 25 Duck shots en route to a 1-0 shutout victory. While that doesn’t scream optimism for the Ducks, it is noteworthy that in the month-and-a-half since then, the Ducks have only lost in regulation once (G4 at Minnesota), and that was another game played without Beauchemin dressing or Giguere starting.

Overall in the head-to-head season series, Hasek has some pretty good numbers (2-2, 2.02 GAA, .923 sv%), but they aren’t as impressive as Giguere (1-1, 1.02 GAA, .960 sv%) or even Bryzgalov (1-1, 2.03 GAA, .938 sv%). Still, Hasek has one thing going for him that neither Backstrom or Luongo had; he’s actually beaten the Ducks in the regular season.

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Hm, I should really mention the penalty-killing of the Ducks, also, leading all postseason teams with a whopping 94.6% PK rate. While it's true this is pretty built up by exclusively playing Minnesota and Vancouver, it's still a commendable (if not dangerous) achievement.

The most impressive player here is Selke finalist Sammy Pahlsson, who by the time this series starts will have gone nearly 8 weeks without surrendering a power-play goal (nearly 90 straight shorthanded minutes, including 3-on-5s).

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So there's probably a lot more that could be talked about (Giguere's playoff savvy, Selanne's playoff-scarred face, Detroit's depleted blue line), but it's enough for a start.

This is the third time in the past four postseasons that Anaheim has reached the western conference finals. Prior to this year, the Ducks had qualified for the playoffs four times (never in consecutive postseasons, and never with the same coach twice). They have lost once in the first round, once in the second round, once in the third round, and once in the fourth round.

This franchise has paid its dues, and I think it's got as good a chance as any of the four remaining teams. No matter what, though, this promises to be a tough and epic final four--a rarity in this day and age. Should be a real treat. Go Ducks.

The aftermath

Well, that sucked. I'm not going to make a full judgment until we get a full list of which Sharks were injured and to what extent, but my fears at the beginning of the season were realized:

1) The young defense wilted under pressure.
2) The lack of a #1 defenseman hurt the power play.
3) The overall inconsistency was maddening. I thought they'd overcome it with the last 20 games or so, but I was wrong.

There's a lot of other places to point to: secondary scoring in the form of Steve Bernier and Mark Bell were non-existent all season, and the team had trouble adjusting when the opposition figured out what their break out was.

There's a lot of people jumping on the "Fire Ron Wilson" bandwagon. I think Ron's a great tactician but can be very stubborn on execution. In terms of being a motivator, well, just compare how Ted Nolan's troops are willing to run through walls for him whereas Ron's stay on the perimeter. That being said, Ron has a great analytical mind and has good hockey instincts. At this point, though, I'm beginning to think that Ron would work best with a naturally fiery team that he can teach tactics to. This is the opposite situation; you've got a naturally skilled team that seems to lack passion. Let the debate begin. I'll do a more thorough post-mortem once we get the full injury report.

In the mean time, I begrudgingly tip my hat to the Red Wings. They knew how to exploit a team's weakness, then drive them batty with it, allowing for their own self-destruction.

From the recycling bin, Part 2

(Cartoon originally posted May 17, 2006.)

Sorry I keep re-using cartoons from last year, but why go through the same trouble again? In the meantime...

#1 Detroit Red Wings vs. #2 Anaheim Ducks
(all times Pacific per BoC rules)

Fri., May 11, 4:30 p.m. @DET
Sun., May 13, 4:30 p.m. @DET
Tue., May 15, 6:00 p.m. @ANA
Thu., May 17, 6:00 p.m. @ANA
* Sun., May 20, 12:00 p.m. @DET
* Tue,, May 22, 6:00 p.m. @ANA
* Thu., May 24, 4:30 p.m. @DET
* - if necessary

Isn't this postseason starting to get awfully familiar? Last year, both the Ducks and Sharks went up 2-0 in the 2nd round, ready for a WCF Battle of California, but while the Ducks won their next two games, the Sharks proceeded to lose four straight. This year, both the Ducks and Sharks went up 2-1 in the 2nd round, ready for a WCF Battle of California, but while the Ducks won their next two games, the Sharks proceeded to lose three straight.

Here's a case of deja vu from both of San Jose's 2nd round exits, courtesy of KK reader arice:

Of course, I'm hoping that this pattern ends soon. Things went sour for the Mighty Ducks last year after the Sharks fell on their faces.

But hey, at least I won't be changing the sidebar links. Some storylines:

• In 1997 and 1999 Detroit swept Anaheim. In 2003, Anaheim swept Detroit.
• Babcock vs. Giguere.
• Bertuzzi vs. Burke vs. May.
• Lidstrom vs. Niedermayer vs. Pronger.
• Chelios vs. his grandchildren.
• Pahlsson vs. the greater population of Sweden.
• And the biggest rarity of them all, an honest-to-goodness 1-seed vs. 2-seed.

More to come later. For now, Go Ducks.

Preview of the Versus Western Conference Finals promo

Here is a preview of the Versus Western Conference Finals promo that should air during the game tonight. Notes and photos from game 6 at HP Pavilion will be posted very late.

Adversity

Adversity's a funny thing. It either brings out the best in you or it makes you shrivel up like, well, like the Sharks have whenever they get a lead. There's not much to say except that the Sharks have put themselves in this position simply by being unable to properly execute and stay intense for a full 60 minutes. They've become flustered and self-doubting and are forcing awful passes.

So, if they can win Game 6 at home and take Game 7 in Detroit, then you'll know that you've just witnessed a turning point for this team. Otherwise, they'll continue to do their best impersonation of the Ottawa Senators of years past (not this season, apparently).

Some words of encouragement for the boys in teal from the one and only Stan Bush. If you're a child of the 80's, you know you know the lyrics, so sing along. YOU GOT THE TOUCH...YOU GOT THE POWER...YEAH!



Hell, if it worked for the Autobots way back in 1985, it's gotta motivate the Sharks.

“I’ve never wanted to smell like Pine-Sol so bad in my life!”

Here's a fun link for your playoff Saturday: Tonight Show comedian Harland Williams makes a Duck Call special, chronicling his day with the Anaheim Ducks.

Among the highlights:

• Rob Niedermayer gets to challenge someone for having less hockey skill than he does.
• Ilya Bryzgalov makes a pad save and gets fussy over his equipment.
• George Parros learns a new fighting tactic.
• Scott Niedermayer's children hate each other.

It's always nice to see NHL players let down their guard and show some actual personality--much better than using them as shower props to remind us that hockey is back. So check it out, and leave your favorite moment in the comments.

Happy Cinco, everyone!

Mike's Keys to Game 5

I have one very simple key to Game 5 for the Sharks:

Play a full 60 minutes.

That's it.

Well, also shoot the puck, play the body along the boards, and get scoring outside of the Joe Thornton line. But it really comes down to playing intense for that full 60 minutes like Game 5 vs. Nashville. You play like that, then you'll get a chance to close things out on home ice. You don't play like that, hang your damn heads in shame because you could have won this thing but you let up and went into a defensive shell -- and that NEVER works.

My proposed lines for Game 5 (with Bill Guerin out):

Clowe/Thornton/Cheechoo
Michalek/Marleau/Grier
Brown/Pavelski/Rissmiller
Smith/Goc/Bernier

The idea about moving Milan Michalek to the Patrick Marleau line is to try and get some secondary scoring. As I mentioned before, I'm firmly in the belief that Marleau is nursing a variety of injuries, and hopefully the extra day off can restore some spring to his step. Marleau and Mike Grier have played well together, so this should create a little more depth. My alternate configuration is this:

Grier/Thornton/Cheechoo
Michalek/Marleau/Bernier
Brown/Pavelski/Rissmiller
Smith/Goc/Clowe

Not that Steve Bernier's done much to impress me during the playoffs, but that trio had such great chemistry last season and for the first part of this season that maybe it'll work again.

From the recycling bin

Cartoon originally posted May 14, 2006:

For the second year in a row, the Ducks await the Sharks in the Western Conference Finals, eager to engage in the first-ever Battle of California.

Uh, do us a favor and make it this time, Sharks.

(Sleek's official stance: FIRST I am rooting for a game seven, and THEN I am rooting for the Sharks.)

Game 4 Thoughts From San Jose

Random thoughts from San Jose/Detroit Game 4...

• Anyone else tired of seeing the Sharks show up for about 1/2 the game? If they even amped that up to 2/3 or 3/4 of the game, they'd be up 3-1. If they showed up for the whole game this whole series, they would have won already. Way to shoot yourselves in the foot, guys.
• To the angry old dude who sits behind me at the Shark Tank: I understand your frustration, but punching the wall 10 times won't make the Sharks play better. It may, however, break your hand and make you feel really stupid. Try anger management and/or meditation. Or go the Mark Bell route and drink.
• Plenty of people are pissed off at Patrick Marleau for disappearing, but am I the only who thinks that he's injured? He was never 100% after he took a few games off about 3/4 of the way through the season, and has been up and down since then. Watch his shifts -- he's gingerly going into the boards and not shooting. His speed is missing too. Four or five years ago, I would have just figured that was apathy. The past two seasons, he's been too consistent to disappear that much. That tells me that there's at least SOME injury he's hiding. If it's a reoccurence of his back injury from earlier this season, that would make some sense, as that can affect both skating and how much strength you can get out of your upper body.
• But that still doesn't excuse Marleau for being out of position on that game-tying goal.
• And that doesn't excuse the D for being out of position on that game-tying goal.
• Neither team has put in a consistent effort throughout this series. Does that mean there's an ebb and flow to who's better or does it just mean that both teams are coasting from time to time? There's been huge amounts of apathetic and/or stupid play from both sides, which makes me think the latter.
  
• Ron Wilson likes to use video to motivate his team. Maybe he should show them clips of the Islanders going all-out for Ted Nolan.
• Please, shoot on the power play. Better yet, follow my keys to Game 3 and apply them the rest of the way.
• Even though it's a three-game series with two at the Joe, I'm not jumping off a bridge just yet. The Sharks have given these games away, meaning that they were in control for most of the time. They know they can win at the Joe and they know that when they show up -- such as the third period of Game 3 -- they're the better team. Two consistent efforts, that's all I'm asking for.

Ducks Gameday—Marine biologists discover a new disease

Round Two, Game Five: (3) Vancouver Canucks at (2) Anaheim Ducks
(ANA leads series 3-1, JavaGeek ‘odds’: ANA 93%)

SEATTLE—Marine biologists across the Pacific Northwest have issued an ecological alert this morning, as aquatic predators along the western coast of North America have recently suffered an outbreak of aquatus chokus, a rare respiratory disease that causes the animal to asphyxiate itself on its unkilled prey.

According to one doctor, the recent malady has been affecting sharks in the California bay area and orcas along the coast of British Columbia. “For whatever reason, these animals have lost their ability to finish off their victims; they get a few bites in but then manage to choke themselves before they can finish the deed.” Symptoms include a broken power play, an inability to recover or possess the puck, and extended stretches in the defensive zone.

“We have observed this epidemic in quite a few cases thus far,” added one biologist. “The disease follows a pretty strict pattern: an early 2-0 lead followed by a tangible shift in momentum. All of a sudden the predator’s immune system falls apart—it can’t shoot, it can’t score, and it has trouble doing the little things needed to finish its meal.”

Doctors are still researching this disease and whether it is related to avian flu scares from earlier in the year. “In all three cases we’ve seen, the choking is either on a webbed foot or a bloody wing. You have to give some credit to the avian survival instincts, but at the end of the day, these marine animals need to make the necessary adjustments to avoid extinction.”

Shark and orca supporters are urged not to fall into a defensive trap once they secure an early two-goal lead. “In every case, one more goal could have sealed the deal and saved these precious marine specimens. Unfortunately for them, their killer instinct disappears and they relax, even to the point of self-elimination.”

“And that is no way for a species to survive.”

Kids in the future will ask about the eventual extinction
of the once-mighty orca. And they will be answered with
angry stories of a third period collapse at GM Place.
Prediction: Ducks 3, Canucks 1. Goals by Norris, Selke, and Norris.

Go Ducks.

A Humble Request on Behalf of Anze Kopitar

Get your head out of your asses, NHL.

How in the name of holy hell does Kopitar not at least get nominated for the Calder Trophy? I’m fine with the fact that Malkin will win the Calder (I mean, he had 85 points this year), and Paul Stastny getting nominated is cool, too. (He played with Joe Sakic, but still, he’s pretty good.)

HOWEVER…

Jordan Staal getting nominated for the Calder over Kopitar is one of the greatest tragedies ever instituted in the history of the world. Not to be hyperbolic, but the Indians who sold Manhattan for beads think Kopitar got screwed over. People are made saints for suffering lesser acts. To the stats!

Kopitar had 61 points in 72 games. Jordan Staal had 42 in 81. That’s all you really need to know, so if you’re short on time, you can stop reading. (Make sure you tell your friends about my great Indian joke, though.) For those who have time, keep going.

Kopitar got beat out by this guy? Jesus...

Jordan Staal had 7 short-handed goals, which some people say probably gave him the nomination over Kopitar. I don’t want to hear that jibber-jabber. That’s like giving the Silver Slugger Award to the player with the most inside-the park home runs. It’s not like Kopitar didn’t play short-handed; he had 2 short-handed goals himself. Here’s a question: who led the league in short-handed goals last year? I rest my case.

Wait, no I don’t! There’s also the matter of assists. Kopitar had 20 goals and 41 assists. Staal? 29 and 13. That’s not a point total, that’s a pitching record. I would personally have a player on my team that was primarily an assist man (like Thornton or Crosby) than a person who primarily scores goals (like Cheechoo or Selanne). There are countless examples of guy who score a lot of goals one year (Petr Prucha, Glen Murray, Rick Nash, etc.) and then have trouble repeating their success the next year. Any asshole (read: Ryan Smyth) can stand in front of the net and score a few goals. This is all a round-about way of saying that a 19 year-old who gets 40 assists is much more impressive than an 18 year-old who gets 30 goals.

Furthermore, Staal played with Ryan Malone and Mark Recchi while Kopitar played with Dustin Brown and some guy. I love Dustin Brown, but anyone who’s watched him play knows that he’s basically a moron; he doesn’t know what the fuck is going on out there. Kopitar played against a team’s best opposition and quite often made them look foolish. He single-handedly fucked Chris Pronger in his first NHL game! I mean, God dammit!

I know how you feel, Al.

The only, and I mean only, reason Staal was nominated over Kopitar was the fact that Staal got more national exposure at the end of the season. (And you have to love a league where some dude from Pittsburgh gets more exposure than the star of a team in LA.) Kopitar got a lot of hype at the beginning of the season, and then he slowed down a little bit and got hurt at the end of the season. I’m sure the fact that Staal has a famous brother (and thus a cute little story for people to write about without actually having to watch hockey) helped too. Everyone seems to have forgotten about Kopitar in that time; apparently, the voters for the Calder are goldfish.

I can’t possibly describe how unfair this is. I can only hope that Kopitar uses this as motivation for next year; a guy who wears #11 after 10 teams passed him by on draft day has to have a little bit of a chip on his shoulder. Jordan Staal seems like a nice kid (if a bit of a doofus), but I officially hate him.

(In a completely unrelated note, the Canucks are sponsored by Smirnoff Ice? I bet the Sedin twins were thrilled when they found out.)

Ducks Gameday—Pahlsson is god! (part ii)

Round Two, Game Four: (2) Anaheim Ducks at (3) Vancouver Canucks
(ANA leads series 2-1, JavaGeek ‘odds’: ANA 77%)

Occasional readers to this blog should know that I carry an unhealthy amount of admiration man-crush for Sammy Pahlsson, the Ducks' stopper-line center and, if there were any justice, Selke-award winner.

But did you know that opponents have not scored a power play goal against Pahlsson in more than six weeks?!!

Seriously. Read it again. The last NHLer (and I use that term loosely) to score a PP goal against Pahlsson was Rob Blake! Back on March 18th, in Game 73 of the season.

It's unbelievable, but in the 17+ games since then, Pahlsson has played 80 penalty-killing minutes (53% of Anaheim's time, including 3-on-5s) without surrendering a single power play goal.

And remember, this isn't just killing penalties for a disciplined team; the Ducks consistently have been among the most penalized teams in the regular season as well as the playoffs. This playoff year, the Ducks have spent some 68 minutes on the power play and 87 minutes shorthanded, yet Anaheim's power play is still outscoring its opponents' power play 9-3.

Doug Weight chooses the key player for Anaheim's postseason:

"It's easy to pick [Scott] Niedermayer and [Chris] Pronger because of how great they are and their respective résumés, stats and ice time they put in. But if you're looking for a player who can set a tone for a series, it's [Samuel] Pahlsson.

"I like him because he's an in-your-face kind of player. He's 6 feet, over 200 pounds. He's one of the most underrated checkers in the league. He's like Sean Avery, but without the physicality. He comes at you at an angle, never allowing you to get open ice. … He reminds me a lot of Guy Carbonneau. [Pahlsson] shadows and frustrates the opponent's best player. He's on them like glue."

Did I mention he's playing this year for $650k? And that he has as many points this playoff year as the Niedermayer brothers combined? Go get 'em, Sammy!

(More Pahlsson love: Pahlsson is god!, Pahlsson for Smythe!, Ode to Pahlsson)
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Other than Pahlsson, there are only two Duck players born outside of North America: crazy Russian goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov and the Finnish Flash Teemu Selanne.

Teemu thus far has been pretty well-checked in the playoffs, particularly on the power play. Of the 9 power play goals the Ducks have scored, he has been on the ice for only 2 of them, and assisted on only 1, despite leading all Anaheim forwards in PP ice time.

I really shouldn't be that critical, though. He has been going against the regular season's #1 and #2 penalty-killing teams, and they certainly should be keying on him and his league-leading 25 power play goals. And Teemu is still getting it done at even strength; his 4 even-strength points and +2 are both team-leading.

Still, kudos to Chris Pronger for giving his annual 'superstar wake-up call' by high-sticking Teemu right below his right eye in G2. If you recall last year, Pronger challenged Ryan Smyth by knocking half his teeth out; this is no doubt a similar effort to toughen up Selanne for the playoff grind.------------------------------
Sure I know that the scrappy Canucks could very well win tonight's game or even win this series—any team willing to sacrifice in front of a monster goalie is capable of that (see also: 2003 Mighty Ducks). But this is really a chance for the Duck to press its webbed foot across the orca's throat and lay its deathgrip on this series, and I think the boys got it in 'em.

Ain’t that right, Señor Baracus?

"¡Claro que sí, sucka!"
Prediction: Ducks 5, Canucks 3. A veritable explosion of goals. Duck goals by Perry, Kunitz x2, Pahlsson, and Shannon.

Go Ducks.