Defending Lord Stanley: Ducks vs. Stars Preview
By Marie Stiles | Drop the Puck, Anaheim Ducks, Column
The 2008 NHL Playoffs began on Wednesday. And while one Southern California team didn’t dare deviate from their “Golf Season Starts in April” tradition, the other is trying to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. The Anaheim Ducks will kick off their first round series with Dallas Stars Thursday night at Honda Center. While the Ducks come in as perhaps the NHL’s hottest team, this series is a toss-up; both teams have strong depth at forward, solid third and fourth line players, an excellent blueline, and a highly skilled number one goalie.
It should make for a fantastic series. So with that in mind, here’s a quick guide to why the Ducks will win… and another for why they won’t.
Why the Ducks Will Win
Before Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne decided retirement wasn’t really their cup of tea, Anaheim’s chances to repeat as Cup champs seemed bleak. It wasn’t that Anaheim dearly missed Dustin Penner (or as the ladies like to call him, Pennersquee), it was that the absence of the Finnish Flash left a vast void the young talent (Andy McDonald, Ryan Getzlaf, Chris Kunitz, Corey Perry) couldn’t adequately fill.
The Ducks acquired Matthew Schneider as a replacement for Niedermayer but even with Chris Pronger still there, the
Ducks were missing something. You know, one of those little things it’s tough to put a finger on…
…oh yeah. Scott Freakin’ Niedermayer.
But then the 2007 Conn Smythe winner returned, and Selanne was soon to follow. Once both were in the lineup, the Ducks went 20-5-1. That’s just sick. Had the Ducks been fully intact all year, they could have challenged Detroit for the President’s Trophy. could have been if Selanne started the season with the team. Or, maybe Selanne gets injured, and the whole thing goes to hell. Regardless, with Scotty and Teemu in the lineup the Ducks are not only solid at back, but also are a scoring threat. Throw in the rest of the roster that includes only four guys under 6′0″ and the Ducks are a team capable of manhandling the opposition.
In net, J.S. Giguere is still a top tier goaltender and newcomer Jonas Hiller provides a solid backup in case Jiggy suffers the sort of brain farts that have periodically plagued him through the playoffs (explaining why former Ducks backup, Ilya Bryzgalov earned some well deserved playing time in last season’s run).
As a girl who’s ultimate loyalty rests with the Kings, it does sadden me a little (maybe jealousy is a better word?) to acknowledge the Ducks are as complete a team as can be created… again.
Beyond their rock solid roster, there are other reasons the Ducks should beat Dallas. First, nobody wants to see Brett Hull win a Cup as a GM, especially since he didn’t deserve the ring he won with the Stars during his playing days. It’s really a shame he won’t be doing NBC broadcasts this year, because there’s nothing better than hearing Ray Ferraro accuse him of having his skate in the crease, all but blatantly saying his Stanley Cup winning goal was a fraud that should have been nullified.
Second, Dallas will be short defensive stalwart Sergei Zubov, who recently had sports hernia surgery, leaving a big question mark on his playoff status. Even though the injury bug has plagued the Russian all season and Dallas still managed to end the season in the fifth spot, a Zubov-less roster in the playoffs makes Dallas a saaaaaaad panda.
Third, goalie Marty Turco and his mates are notorious for squelching their Stanley Cup hopes in the first round so it’s very likely the tradition will continue.
Fourth, the Ducks have home ice, and were a whopping 29-8-4 in their own building.
Why the Ducks Will Lose
Start with karma, of the negative variety. Todd Bertuzzi successfully alienated the last five fans he had by suing former coach Marc Crawford, claiming negligence contributed to his attack on Steve Moore. (That storyline seems more ridiculous every time I read it.) Or, if you prefer, the bad juju surrounding Chris Pronger, who just served his eighth career suspension. The vast and enthusiastic Pronger Hater Nation would likely riot if they had to watch him raise the Cup again with his Pinocchio nose and gap-toothed smile.
It extends to the GM, too. Hockey pundits are tired of Brian Burke trying to change the rules to benefit his team. The semi-retirement ploy by Niedermayer and Selanne could entice other veterans to follow suit, thus transforming hockey. Outside of Orange County, the Ducks are quickly becoming, if they’re not already, one of the most disliked teams in the league, if not the most hated, and can a team holding that title win two years in a row?
On the ice, while the Stars limped home with a 4-8-2 mark down the stretch, they’ve still got plenty of talent. Brad Richards, Mike Ribeiro (right), and Jere Lehtenen provide plenty of scoring punch, and the latter two have had some success against the Ducks. Mike Modano may no longer be Mike Modano, but he doesn’t suck, either. If they can find some space, the Stars are capable of putting some pressure on the Ducks.
And, at least until Anaheim finally beat Dallas in the final two meeting of the season, the Stars had their number for a while. Hot as the Ducks have been, to enter a series against a team that won’t be intimidated by their gaudy record of late could be significant.
In the end, all teams that make the playoffs have a shot at winning the Cup. Anything can happen over four rounds of seve game series. The most deserving team is not necessarily the most skilled or the most well-rounded. The most deserving team isn’t necessarily the favorite or the underdog, but is one that will still persevere and come out on top despite playing a team that may be better on paper.
Often times, the most deserving squad is the one that evolves into the best combination of fan support and a sense of destiny. Maybe this year it’s the Caps with Alexander Ovechkin carrying them. Sometimes it’s the team that simply needs to succeed more than their opponent, and there’s no question the Stars, who haven’t advanced out of the first round since the ’03 playoffs, desperately need to win. Ducks fans may not agree, but it’s hard to see Anaheim the most deserving squad, and they’re certainly not the most desperate.
If the red-hot, defending Stanley Cup champs are going to be eliminated, it could be these intangibles that drive Dallas to victory.
Me? I’m predicting the upset. Stars over Ducks.
Discuss:
8 Responses to “Defending Lord Stanley: Ducks vs. Stars Preview”
- 1 Pingback on Apr 13th, 2008 at 5:00 am
- 2 Pingback on Apr 28th, 2008 at 8:13 am
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Interesting.. the people that KNOW say the Ducks will win over the Stars and then we have a journalist such as yourself calling it the other way. I guess we’ll have to wait and see after the series ends who will be the survivor.
DUCKS IN 6!!
With all due respect DuxxGirl95 People don’t “know” who’s going to win. If they did there would be no reason to play the games. It’s a prediction & you throw yourself out there & you have a 50/50 chance of being right.
I too hope the Ducks win & i guess we’ll know soon enough.
First of all, your repeated mention of juju, karma, and destiny kind of discredit your opinion. I sure as hell don’t see any fairy godmothers floating above the ice, so lets leave that mess for the sorority girls and hippies, shall we?
Second of all…the “skate in the crease” goal was a goal–he had control, officials ruled Goal. Crying about it only highlights sore losers. Move on.
Finally, you can hardly call Hull undeserving:
He is tied for 1st in all-time playoff game-winning goals
He had 741 career goals, thats 3rd on the all-time list.
He scored 50 goals in 50 games TWICE, which is bested only by The Great One, who did this three times.
Oh, and it only took the Stars 6 years to win a cup…and it took the Ducks 14.
Devan, I’m not sure why you’re upset with this article. It is clear to me that you’re a Stars fan, and, in the end, this article stated that it wants to Stars to be the victors of the first round. You’re nitpicking here about the Hull issue and it’s very apparent that you’ve spent a lot of time previously defending Hull’s honor. I’m also not sure if you read the whole article and really digested what its message was, and if you’re annoyed with the writing style of this particular writer, I’ll kindly suggest some other sites for you to read instead of this one.
Duxxgirl - I’m not exactly sure who these people that “know” are either. You mean other Ducks fans? I’m also not sure you read the entire article either judging by your short comment that really didn’t say much. Maybe I’M just nitpicking now, I don’t know.
Devan – I’m not sure why you’re commenting in anger; in the end, this article is wanting the Stars to win. And it’s clear to me that you’re a Stars fan, which is why I’m not exactly sure what the point of your comment was. It’s also clear to me that you’ve spent a lot of energy in the past defending the whole Hull issue, which is completely not at the center of this article. This definitely tells me that you did not read the whole article and then digest what was written, which is always a good idea to do before one speaks. Also if you don’t like the writing style of this particular writer, I can kindly suggest other sites that you can visit instead of this one.
DuxxGirl – I’m not sure you read the article in its entirety either. “People that KNOW??” You mean other Ducks fan? Other critics who pick the Ducks? Even if that’s the case, it’s still an opinion, which everyone is of course entitled to, but that’s the beauty of the playoffs.
My apologies, the first post did not go up until much later in the day, so I wrote it again and posted it. So…two posts essentially saying the same thing.