View Full Version : Stanley Cup Finals: Ottawa vs Anaheim
Madferret
5-24-07, 2:05 PM
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How They Got Here
Ottawa Senators
Regular Season Record: 48-25-9, 105 pts
Head-to-Head Record: DNP
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: N/A
Last Postseason Appearance: 2006
Players with Stanley Cup Rings: Martin Gerber.
Team Analysis: The Senators have been the superior team in the East long before the playoffs began. They overcame a 17-18-1 start and have gone 43-10-8 in their past 61 games, including playoffs. Like the 1993 Montreal Canadiens (the last Canadian team to win a Stanley Cup), Ottawa's run has looked easy on paper. The Senators - like the '93 Habs - put together an impressive 12-3 record through the first three rounds. And they did it by shutting down Sidney Crosby and high-scoring Penguins, beating Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils and toppling the President's Trophy-winning Buffalo Sabres. That's no small task. Leading the way is captain Daniel Alfredsson, and for all the talk about the Senators missing out on Gary Roberts - a veteran who could bring leadership to a Cup contender - Ottawa had 'the ruby slippers' on the whole time with their own captain. He leads the team in goals and game-winning goals and anchors the best line in the playoffs with Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza. If the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP was awarded right now, there is no question that he would be going home with it. There's some concern that the Senators need more scoring support for their top line, but the great thing is that their top line hasn't stopped scoring! They have been held off the scoresheet just once in 15 postseason games. The team's defence has also been impressive, with Ottawa's penalty killers holding Buffalo to just two goals on 29 chances. The tandem of Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov have effectively shut down the league's best stars in Sidney Crosby, Patrik Elias, Chris Drury and Daniel Briere, while Wade Redden leads all skater in minutes played. In goal, there is no more worrying about guys Patrick Lalime or even Dominik Hasek. If Alfredsson wasn't such a shoo-in for the Conn Smythe Trophy, Ray Emery would certainly get a lot of support.
Anaheim Ducks
Regular Season Record: 48-20-14, 110 pts
Head-to-Head Record: DNP
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: 2003
Last Postseason Appearance: 2006
Players with Stanley Cup Rings: Scott Niedermayer (3)
Team Analysis: It's rather ironic that the Ducks are facing off against a team coached by the very man who played a good part in building Anaheim's Cup-contending squad. Senators head coach Bryan Murray served as general manager of the Ducks from 2002 to 2004, and acquired cornerstone players like Rob Niedermayer (trade in 2003), Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf (both drafted in 2003). But that shouldn't take anything away from the job that Brian Burke has done - signing Scott Niedermayer last summer, acquiring Francois Beauchemin and Todd Marchant (for Sergei Fedorov), bringing in Chris Kunitz and Dustin Penner and acquiring blueliner Chris Pronger. With Burke's moves, the Ducks were dubbed a Cup contender going into this season and they have lived up to that billing. Up front, the tandem of Andy McDonald and Teemu Selanne have been solid, even without injured linemate Kunitz. The addition of Marchant up on the top line should give them plenty of added speed against the Senators. On the second unit, Getzlaf has been most impressive, among the team leaders in in playoff scoring and slowly establishing himself as an elite power forward. He leads the Ducks with three game-winning goals. Defensively, the Ducks can play a tight game with any team in the league. While the Senators boast the top scoring line of Heatley, Alfredsson and Spezza, the Ducks have the top checking line in Samuel Pahlsson, Rob Niedermayer and Travis Moen. It will be very interesting to see how these two lines match up on the ice. Despite missing Game 4 because of a suspension, Chris Pronger has been playing the same great hockey he did last year in Edmonton's postseason run. He can set the tone with his physical play or make you pay on the scoreboard with his power play contributions. The strength on the blueline doesn't end there, with Scott Niedermayer, Francois Beauchemin, Kent Huskins, Joe DiPenta and Sean O'Donnell also contributing. Ric Jackman played for in place of Pronger in Game 4, and was rewarded with more playing time in the series. He could see even more time in the final. In goal, Jean-Sebastien Giguere has rarely had a bad game in the postseason. He returned to full duty in Round 2 to outduel Vezina Trophy candidate Roberto Luongo, and outworked future Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek in the Western Conference Final.
Madferret
5-25-07, 4:24 AM
Dreger: Sens are creatures of habit
Darren Dreger
The Ottawa Senators may have had eight days off between games but they are far from days of rest.
The Senators are slaves to routine, as most teams are this time of year, but it is a dedication to off ice training that is most impressive when you look at the Ottawa Senators.
Despite the fact that they had no games this week they started out Monday with a hard aggressive workout. They had an off day on Tuesday but you don't want to give your team too many as the break in action tends to drive players crazy. The Sens will skate for the remainder of the week and it has been mapped out very carefully so to keep the routine the team has had over the course of the regular season and the playoffs.
Players around the NHL might mock the Senators for their post-game interviews on the stationary bike but that is part of their regime. It is a commitment to overall conditioning that has greatly helped players such as Dany Heatley who has vastly improved his fitness since coming from the Atlanta Thrashers. Mike Fisher who has had a number of injury concerns in the past has stayed relatively healthy this year thanks in large part to the routines.
It's the players who ask for these workouts as the routines help keep them focused on the task at hand.
Secondary Scoring
The Ottawa Senators are about to face their toughest test from a physical standpoint so far in these playoffs. The Anaheim Ducks have proven that they can be a very physically punishing team so far in the post-season and the Senators have not faced that type of team to date.
The Senators are going to need some secondary scoring as the numbers don't lie. If you look at the Sens, the Alfredsson line is leading the way. They've scored 23 times as compared to 17 for the remaining eight Ottawa forwards. If you look at the Ducks, the Getzlaf line has 11 goals but the so-called checking line featuring Rob Niedermayer, Samuel Pahlsson and Travis Moen have 10 goals. If you want to analyze this you could give the edge to the Ducks in terms of secondary scoring.
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Madferret
5-26-07, 12:00 AM
Senators ready to battle with Ducks
Canadian Press
OTTAWA (CP) - The Anaheim Ducks may be widely regarded as one of the NHL's toughest teams, but the Ottawa Senators are no longer the 97-pound weaklings they were often accused of being at playoff time.
That should make for a physical series when the Stanley Cup final opens Monday night at Anaheim's Honda Center.
"I think our toughness is underrated a little bit," Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson said Friday morning following practice. "(And) I haven't really seen them to know how physical they are, but I'm sure playing against us, it's going to be their thing. They're going to try to hit everything."
After getting past the Pittsburgh Penguins, the New Jersey Devils and the Buffalo Sabres en route to their first Stanley Cup appearance in the modern team's history, the Senators are expecting a much rougher ride from the Ducks because of Anaheim's reputation for being big, strong and tough.
"You have to be prepared and know those guys are going to come after you now," Ottawa's Christoph Schubert said. "Right now, you have to be ready to keep your head up and know that somebody's going to come after you."
While Anaheim's checking line centre Samuel Pahlsson leads the playoffs in hits with 57 so far, the Ducks' lineup is peppered with big bodies like Chris Pronger and Francois Beauchemin on defence.
Up front, the line of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Dustin Penner all stand at least six-foot-three and over 200 pounds.
General manager Brian Burke and coach Randy Carlyle like to see the Ducks play an aggressive style that, although it's resulted in the most penalties in the playoffs, it's also produced results.
"I think those are issues that when Brian Burke and Randy Carlyle took over Anaheim . Brian wanted them to be a hard-nosed team, a competitive team," Senators coach Bryan Murray said. "And it does pay dividends and gets you into the final."
Over the years, previous editions of the Senators have been knocked for their lack of toughness and physical play, something Murray and his coaching staff addressed with his players, and this time around they think they've found the missing ingredient.
For all the talk of Anaheim's size, the teams are nearly identical physically in average height (six-foot-one) and weight (at 206 pounds, the Senators are two heavier than the Ducks).
The Senators have four players who rank in the top 10 in playoff hits: Mike Fisher, Christoph Schubert, Chris Neil and Chris Phillips.
"For the most part during the playoffs, we've initiated our physical play," said Neil, who was the NHL's leading hitter during the regular season with 288 and has 41 more in the post-season. "You see guys like Daniel Alfredsson laying out Richard Matvichuk the very first shift of the opening game (against New Jersey). That set the one for the whole series.
"I don't think it's a matter that we're going to go into Anaheim and they're going to push us all around the ice."
The Ducks' aggression ran into trouble against the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference final and managed to survive thanks to some strong penalty-killing work.
"But we can't change our style to avoid penalties," Burke told the Orange County Register.
The Senators are banking on it since it may increase their chances. Anaheim is averaging 19.2 minutes in penalties per game and the Senators possess a power play that's firing at a 20-per-cent clip (14-for-70).
"We talked about it this morning," Schubert said. "We want to go after them as hard as we can and finish our check every time we can because we know they're going to take some penalties.
"This is our goal. If me and Neiler go in and run those people every time and every shift that we have a chance to, I think they'll get really frustrated with us."
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Madferret
5-28-07, 12:19 PM
Senators, Ducks ready for Game 1 clash
The Sports Network
(Sports Network) - The battle for Lord Stanley's Cup begins this evening in Southern California, as the Anaheim Ducks host the Ottawa Senators at the Honda Center in Game 1 of the best-of-seven Stanley Cup finals.
The second test of this series is scheduled to take place Wednesday night in Anaheim.
The Senators, who have only played 15 total playoff games en route to the franchise's first-ever finals appearance, have been off since wrapping up the Eastern Conference title with a Game 5 victory over Buffalo on May 19.
The Ducks were the late-comers in the equation and they haven't played since ousting Detroit in the sixth game of the Western Conference finals last Tuesday.
All that rest has given the clubs plenty of time to recharge their batteries as they prepare for what should be a competitive and highly-entertaining series.
Another thing that these teams have in common is that neither franchise has ever won a Stanley Cup title. A club known as the Ottawa Senators won the Cup 10 times in the formative years of professional hockey, but those championships are not a part of the current incarnation of the Senators.
The Ducks put together the best regular season in franchise history this year and have been able to maintain that momentum into the playoffs. Anaheim won its first-ever division title by taking the Pacific with 110 points, and the second seed in the West is the club's highest ranking in a postseason.
The Ducks have made it to the Stanley Cup finals for the second time in team history, making them the first California team to reach the final stage twice. They last made it in 2003, when they were ultimately eliminated in seven games by New Jersey.
Anaheim earned its trip to the final stage this year by defeating Minnesota in five games, Vancouver in five, and finally ousting the Detroit Red Wings in six games to earn the Western Conference championship.
Ottawa, meanwhile, made even quicker work of its opponents in each of the three rounds of this year's playoffs, as it needed just five games to dispose of Pittsburgh, New Jersey and Buffalo. That has given the Senators, the fourth seed in the East, an impressive 12-3 record in this postseason.
The strength of the Ducks club lies in the play of their two superstar defensemen, Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer, and the puck-stopping ability of goaltender Jean Sebastien Giguere, who already has a Conn Smythe Trophy to his credit as he was the MVP of the 2003 playoffs.
Pronger has a team-high 14 points on three goals and 11 assists in his first postseason for Anaheim, while Niedermayer has three goals and six helpers in this postseason. All three of Niedermayer's goals came at huge points of the game, as one tally tied the pivotal Game 5 against Detroit in the closing seconds of regulation and the other two goals were overtime game-winners.
Giguere is 9-3 so far in these playoffs with a 1.87 goals against average and .931 save percentage.
The Senators have what has become the most-feared top-line in the league at their disposal in the trio of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley. Alfredsson, the right wing and captain of the team, has set a team record with 10 goals in this postseason, but his 17 total points places him third amongst his linemates in scoring.
Heatley is leading the Senators with 21 points (6 goals, 15 assists) and centerman Jason Spezza is second with 20 points on seven tallies and 13 assists. The Senators record for points in a single postseason before this year was 16, a mark set by Marian Hossa in 2003.
The Senators and Ducks have never faced each other in the postseason and never met during this year's regular season either. Anaheim and Ottawa last played each other on January 19, 2006 and the Ducks posted a 4-3 shootout victory in that game.
Anaheim was 26-6-9 as the host team during the regular season and is 7-2 at the Honda Center in the playoffs. Ottawa was 23-12-6 on the road during the campaign and is 5-2 as the visitor during this postseason.
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Madferret
5-28-07, 12:53 PM
Tale of two cities: Fired-up Ottawa, laid-back Anaheim
Posted: May 27, 2007
Associated Press
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Ottawa has gone quite bananas over the Senators. Anaheim has been, well, considerably more laid-back about the Ducks.
Although there were a dozen or so fans lined up outside Honda Center to get Anaheim players' autographs as they arrived for practice Sunday, there aren't many indications elsewhere in Orange County that the home team is playing for the Stanley Cup.
Unlike Ottawa, where a pep rally drew some 15,000, and where there are signs plastered all over congratulating the Senators, to say nothing of a 60-foot banner with team captain Daniel Alfredsson's picture on it, the Ducks aren't getting much notice in Anaheim.
They do have a solid, hard-core base of fans, and the usual late bandwagon-jumpers are getting on board. When tickets for the finals went on sale Saturday, they disappeared in 10 minutes.
Anaheim general manager Brian Burke noted that the Ducks are in a crowded market, with their competition for attention including the Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Things are different for Ottawa, he said.
"Hockey is not a sport in Canada. Everyone knows that. It's a religion. It's not going to change," the Ducks' GM said. "So the coverage we get, while it's excellent, is obscure, camouflaged and often lost.
"It's different in Canada. First off, there's not this plethora of other teams to cover, and there's that cult following of the game of hockey -- which is a good thing for our league."
Defenseman Chris Pronger, acquired by the Ducks in a trade with Edmonton last July, said he believes the team is slowly but surely getting more recognition, and that he's being noticed more when he's out and about.
"We're certainly drawing a lot better this year as a product of a lot of hard work last year," he said. "And it's always going to be a process. Hopefully, we can continue to build on the buzz we have right now and the energy that's in the building.
"That's what's exciting about this market -- just waiting to find a winner and a team to root for, and hopefully we'll be that team."
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EMERY'S EATS: Ray Emery's style off the ice creates a lot more buzz than his fine play on it. Even his Ottawa teammates try to push him as far as they can.
One night in Carolina, Emery saw the cash on the line and stepped up to the plate -- or whatever a cockroach is served on.
"The boys had some money up who would eat the cockroach," the goalie said Sunday on the eve of the Stanley Cup finals. "So I ate the cockroach."
Squeamish laughs filled the room as Emery was asked how it tasted.
"It was all right," he said matter of factly, cracking up teammates Chris Phillips and Mike Fisher. "I guess I'm a bit different. I'm interested in a ton of different things. I tend to kind of leave the game at the rink just because that's how I deal with things.
"When I'm at the rink, I enjoy being there. In order to appreciate it more I kind of try to mix it up a bit in what I'm interested in and what I do away from the rink. I guess I've gotten some attention for just being different with boxing or what I wear or different things like that."
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NIEDERMAYER AND NIEDERMAYER: Four years ago, Scott and Rob Niedermayer were also in the Stanley Cup finals together, only on opposite teams.
When Scott became a free agent before the 2005-06 season and had a chance to join brother Rob in Southern California, Burke stepped in to make it happen.
Scott, a Norris Trophy winner and three-time Cup champion with the New Jersey Devils, talked to Burke and was presented with a unique offer. Although the Devils offered more money than the Ducks, they just couldn't meet some very important terms.
"I met with Scott and I said, 'What's your list?,"' Burke said. "He said, 'I want to play in the West. I want to play on a team that has a chance to win. I want some privacy away from the rink. I want to play with my brother.' There's only one GM that can check off everything on your list and you're sitting with him. Let's get this done. So we did."
Niedermayer, the 2004 Norris Trophy winner, is a finalist for another this year along with defense partner Chris Pronger. Long gone are the tough memories of the handshake line following the 2003 finals when Scott had to console Rob after the Devils beat the Ducks for the Cup.
"It's been fun," Scott said of being his brother's teammate. "We've been apart since I went to play junior hockey when I was 16 and he was 15. We've been apart every winter since then. To get together and spend more time together has been great on and off the ice for sure."
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CORVO'S BACK: Joe Corvo is in Southern California playing for the Stanley Cup. Just not with the Los Angeles Kings.
"It's definitely weird to be back in California," he said. "It's exciting."
The defenseman signed with Ottawa as a free agent in July after spending parts of three seasons with the Kings.
"We never did anything special. It was a lot of disappointment," he said. "I wanted to put myself on a team that would make the playoffs."
Corvo scored the game-winning goal in double overtime against Buffalo in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Madferret
5-28-07, 12:59 PM
Sportsnet.ca picks a winner
May 28, 2007
By Jim Kelley, Sportsnet.ca
Amid all the talk of a failed franchise in Nashville and the possible relocation of the franchise in parts still unknown, the dumping playoff overtime hockey in favour of a pre-race horseracing show, the machinations of Rick Tocchet and his proclivity for sideline ventures and the unfathomable firing of Craig Ramsay, arguably the finest coaching mind in the game today by the Tampa Bay Lightning, we have this bit of news for you:
The Stanley Cup finals, the National Hockey League's premier event, is about to (finally) get underway.
Even more interesting is the fact that it promises to be a very good final.
Say what you will about the accomplishments of down-the-ladder teams like the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers advancing to the showcase event in recent years. Speak in whatever tone you wish about the stunning Cup success of Tampa and Carolina and the usually downtrodden Southeast Division in recent years.
What's perhaps most interesting regards this year's final is that it pits two of the very best teams in the National Hockey League -- The Ducks of Anaheim and the Senators from Ottawa -- in the final.
No real flaws in these two teams, just two clubs with good size, speed, talent, coaching and goaltending going head to head in a showdown that can, quite easily, go either way.
The Ducks feature most of the size, a good chuck of the speed, a defence with two of the better offensive-minded defencemen in the game today and a goaltender, J. S. Giguere, whose time may very well be right now. In addition their ability to find a way to win against the Detroit Red Wings, even when being outplayed for long stretches, was impressive.
But the Sens counter with good size of their own, great overall team speed highlighted by the most dominant line -- Jason Spezza centering Daniel Alfredsson and Dany Heatley -- in the playoffs this spring, a deeper defence overall and a goaltender who though still learning the position, has been in the nets for wins over Pittsburgh and the game's best player, Sidney Crosby; New Jersey and the game's most storied active goaltender, Martin Brodeur and Buffalo which just happens to be the reigning Presidents' Trophy winning team, emblematic of the best team in the regular season.
Anyway you cut it that's a damn fine match-up.
Picking a winner out of that is no simple task, but we here at Sportsnet always try. Heading into this match-up we have a record of 10-4 going 5-3 in the first round, 4-0 in the second and 1-1 in the third. What follows is a capsule preview of the series and, as always, a prediction.
Stanley Cup Final
West Conference Champion Anaheim Ducks (No. 2 in West, 48-20-14-110 points) vs. East Conference Champion Ottawa Senators (No.4 in East, 48-25-9-105 points).
The Ducks defeated the Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings. The Senators defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres.
Why the Ducks Could Win: Well, they are big, fast, strong, tough, have a nice blend of youth and experience, two towers on the back end in All-Stars Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer and are strong and experienced in goal in the form of J.S. Giguere.
Despite all the talk about the play of Pronger and Niedermayer and kids like Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry and veteran Teemu Selanne, Giguere is the key to the Ducks right now. He outplayed Dominik Hasek in the Western Conference final and he outlasted Roberto Luongo in the series with Vancouver. He's poised, technically very sound (although he can breakdown in that regard from time to time) and he's reasonably consistent. He also benefits from a good puck-handling defence in front, one that clears rebounds well (and covers mistakes and the shortcomings of Giguere which are largely an only fair glove-hand and not much skill in handling the puck). The Ducks have reasonably balanced scoring through the first three lines, but it should be noted that their production fell off a bit as the series went along and they had to rely heavily on their special teams play which is better than most, especially when the Ducks are on the power play. The Ducks take a lot of penalties, but they are largely the aggressive kind that tends to wear an opponent down. They do occasionally, however, take dumb penalties, but head coach Randy Carlyle has a way of clamping down on his squad when it gets too far out of hand and by and large the Ducks do play with poise in crucial situations.
The Ducks have a good shutdown line led by face-off king Sammy Pahlsson and Scott Niedermayer's brother, Rob and Travis Moen. They also seem to have what is a key ingredient in Stanley Cup play, the ability to make the right play at just the right time.
That sixth sense if you will was the key to their win over Detroit. You can outplay the Ducks for long stretches, sometimes even an entire game, but they never get so far down that they aren't in the contest and that's when they seem to turn things around and get the key play, key save or key goal that starts them back toward a win.
Why the Senators Could Win: They have balance in that they get just enough scoring, just enough defence, just enough excellent special teams play and just enough good goaltending to make a difference. To be sure, this will be the most physical test for the Senators in these playoffs, but that's no big deal. If you look at their wins over Pittsburgh, New Jersey and Buffalo, the Senators were the more physical team so that's not as big an advantage for the Ducks as many perceive. The Sens get most of their scoring off their top line of Spezza-Heatley-Alfredsson, but that's not a problem either because no team has been able to shut it down. If the Ducks do that, look for head coach Bryan Murray to move the big three around a bit to balance things out. The Sens also have strength in their second and third lines which play with a lot of grit and an edge. Mike Fisher has an edge to his game that Buffalo found disturbing. Others play with the same passion, embracing their role as support lines to protect the leads delivered by the No. 1 unit. True the defence doesn't have the cache that comes with having a Pronger or Niedermayer on the ice, but it has its own stars in Wade Redden and Chris Phillips and it is a tad deeper, just as strong and even better at shot-blocking when Anton Volchenkov is on the ice.
Ray Emery is considered the weaker goaltender here, but that was the case against Buffalo and New Jersey and he didn't let perception stand in the way of excellence. He's big, quick and aggressive; and though he lets a few too many rebounds loose and seems to have problems when the puck is close in at his feet, the defence seldom allows that to be a problem so it likely won't be even against the Ducks. Emery doesn't have the experience Giguere does but it hasn't hampered him so far and he doesn't seem to be bothered by criticism or even the ever-ascending pressure that comes with advancing through the rounds.
Ottawa doesn't have a shutdown line like the Ducks, but they do a decent job in terms of overall team defence, even when the Spezza line is out on the ice. They will need to keep that line away from Pahlsson's unit as much as possible, easier said than done since the Ducks have home-ice advantage.
Why we pick the Senators in six games: Little things mostly. The Sens seem to be a more balanced and focused team, especially at staying away from senseless penalties and damaging altercations. They have a deadly power play and better overall puck movement, a key element in that you need to get Giguere moving to beat him. They have the skill and experience to exploit weaknesses and the Ducks are exposed a bit on the back end in the few minutes per game that Niedermayer and Pronger aren't controlling the puck in their own zone. They excel at disrupting power plays before they have time to set up. Most importantly, they play with a controlled sense to their passion, something the Ducks haven't mastered yet. The series, truly is a toss-up, but if you take those various shadings into consideration, the Senators have just a bit more poise and have won out over teams that haven given them a much more difficult test than the Ducks have faced so far. That should be enough to give them the edge.
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Madferret
5-28-07, 4:28 PM
Ducks plan to pound Sens into submission
TSN.ca
Darren Dreger
The game plan of the Anaheim Ducks is to grind down and pound the Ottawa Senators in the final.
The Ducks have demonstrated the physical element of their game so far in the playoffs but I don't believe that we've seen the “junk yard dog” nastiness from them. The sense that I'm getting from the Anaheim players is that “meanness” is exactly what they intend to deliver in the first five minutes of Game 1 against the Sens. No one should be surprised if one of the Ducks bigger bodies such as Chris Pronger absolutely lays out a Senator in the early going just to send a message that says: “this is our series and we are going to run you out of the Stanley Cup final.”
Whether the Ducks are able to impose their will speaks directly to the leadership of the Ottawa Senators. At the start of the year, Bryan Murray did something interesting; it's the veteran aspect of the coach that he is. He has his designated leaders by letter in captain Daniel Alfredsson and associate captains in Wade Redden and Chris Phillips, however he also added Mike Fisher, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza to that mix as well. The group met three or four times over the course of the regular season which was an opportunity for the younger players, particularly Spezza to learn from the leaders and learn what being a leader is all about so that when you get to this point of the season, you are not overwhelmed.
Change on the Horizon for the Ducks
Anaheim may make a drastic change prior to Game 1 as forward Drew Miller could not only be in the lineup for his second game of the playoffs, he may well be on the top line.
For the past few days, Miller has skated on the top line with Teemu Selanne and Andy MacDonald, a move that is somewhat shocking in relation to Miller's lack of experience. The Miller name has been well represented in these playoffs as Drew's older brother Ryan faced the Senators last round with the Buffalo Sabres. There is no doubt that Ryan will provide heavy influence in terms of information about the Senators as the series unfolds.
Randy Carlyle and Brian Burke are not concerned with Miller's lack of experience one iota. They say that defensively this kid is very sound. His only flaw is that he has the same skinny physique as older brother Ryan. The Ducks faith in Miller speaks to the depth of the organization and their American league affiliate in Portland. A lot of that credit should go to Pirates head coach Kevin Dineen. The fact that Anaheim could throw the likes of Drew Miller, Ryan Carter and Joe Motzko into the playoff is incredible.
For TSN.ca, I'm Darren Dreger.
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Darsehole Tucker
5-28-07, 5:04 PM
I'm disappointed in the lack of 'knuckle-puck' or 'flying V' jokes....
You know it is going to go to seven games....................
I have only caught a few minutes of the game due to the fact that me and my beloved went for a walk.
To me both teams look kinda sluggish, but then again I have only watched a few minutes of it.
Darsehole Tucker
5-28-07, 11:57 PM
You know it is going to go to seven games....................
I have only caught a few minutes of the game due to the fact that me and my beloved went for a walk.
To me both teams look kinda sluggish, but then again I have only watched a few minutes of it.
You missed us get worked.
Did we get a shot through in the third period until the 6-4?
Rough start to the series, and a flattering Game 1 final score.
They'll come out stronger on Wednesday.
Like I said it will go to 7.
But just the fact that they have to go through Pronger and Niedermayer is going to be tough, and Giggy is looking good lately.
Newfie John
5-29-07, 8:52 AM
Pronger or Niedermayer rarely screw up, so Ottawa really has to watch all those risky passes they're making.
Anaheim also has to be careful of this "pound them into submission" strategy towards the Sens, because thats what every team has tried to do so far these playoffs, and we all know how that story went.
One thing is for sure in my mind, if Ottawa wins this series, it won't be because of the Alfie-Spezza-Heatley line, it'll be other guys stepping up.
Emery played well last night, he's been playing well beyond his years.
I picked the sens in 5 but after last nights game, I am not so sure now. What a great physical game by the Ducks, they will have to keep it up because if they don't their goose is cooked. Part of the second period was sens hockey, and the Ducks stopped doing what they do, but they came back in the 3rd.
There were 2 aspects in last nights game the that Ducks were guilty of and if this continues they will lose. 1: Penalties, and 2: Giveaways. But only if the Senators can capitalize on the opportunities.
Madferret
5-29-07, 12:13 PM
Moen plays hero as Ducks down Senators
Canadian Press
ANAHEIM, Calif. (CP) - The Moen homestead was the place to be in Stewart Valley on Monday night.
With family and friends gathered to watch Travis Moen play hockey on TV, the tiny Saskatchewan farming community's most famous son potted the goal that gave the Anaheim Ducks a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators in the opening game of the NHL's championship series.
''I know my mom had 15 or 20 people over watching so there were a lot of fans at the family home,'' he said after stripping off his pads. ''They're just really excited to see me in the Stanley Cup playoffs so it's pretty exciting.''
Brother Brant supplied the beer, he guessed, and his mom would have prepared the food.
There was only 2:51 remaining when the six-foot-two, 218-pound left-winger swung at a bouncing puck and sent it past goaltender Ray Emery and into a bottom corner of the Ottawa net, lifting most of the 17,274 cheering spectators out of their Honda Center seats and delighting everyone in Stewart Valley.
''I kind of got lucky,'' said Moen. ''The puck was bouncing but I got it on net and it snuck in.
''It was a great feeling.''
Moen skates on a checking line with Rob Niedermayer and Sammy Pahlsson. It shut down the most productive line in these playoffs - Jason Spezza between Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson.
''They're three world-class players so it's definitely a challenge to limit their space and play physical against them,'' said Moen.
Spezza had his worst outing of the spring.
Moen scored his fifth goal of the post-season - and his second winner. He had scored only 11 goals in 82 regular-season games.
''You can never get too used to it,'' he replied when asked if he's getting used to being a scorer. ''It's definitely a good feeling.
''I had a chance earlier, kind of a half breakaway I wish I could have back, but all 20 of our guys battled hard. I was just lucky to put one in.''
Moen, 25, will be returning to the farm this summer to help cut and bale hay for winter feed.
The way the Ducks played on the U.S. Memorial Day holiday, the Senators may soon be cut and baled.
Andy McDonald of Strathroy, Ont., and Ryan Getzlaf, another Saskatchewan product - born in Regina - scored Anaheim's other goals.
The Ducks outshot Ottawa 32-20 and would have won by a greater margin had not Emery played so well.
The Ducks laid on 30 hits compared to 21 by the Senators.
''We used our forecheck and were physical,'' said McDonald. ''I thought as the game went along we wore their defence down a bit and I thought that was a factor.''
The persistent checking paid off as Anaheim committed five giveaways and Ottawa 14.
Ottawa scored first, Mike Fisher of Peterborough, Ont., connecting 1:38 in, and led 2-1 after 40 minutes on a blast by Lloydminster, Sask.-born Wade Redden past Montreal-raised Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Both were on power plays.
The Ducks refused to fold. They've shown for weeks now that they're a resilient bunch.
''We took some penalties we didn't want to take and got ourselves into trouble there on a 5-on-3 (in the second period) but we found a way to get out of trouble and we came back,'' said defenceman Sean O'Donnell, who grew up a kilometre from the Senators' arena in Kanata. ''That's one thing this team does, and we've showed it all along.
''We do have a lot of heart.''
The Ducks proved as much by rallying on Getzlaf's backhander from close range 5:44 into the third and winning it on Moen's big goal.
''They've been great for us all through the playoffs,'' Dustin Penner of Winkler, Man., said of the Ducks' checking unit.
He hadn't had the opportunity, yet, to tease Moen about being the next Wayne Gretzky.
''He doesn't get on the scoresheet as often as he likes but he's elevated his game in the playoffs,'' said Penner. ''You can't say enough about the guy.''
The only complaint the Ducks had about their effort was that they took too many penalties. It has happened often this spring but they again managed to survive. Ottawa was 2-for-7 on power plays while Anaheim was 0-for-4.
It was an exciting opener, and the first of four series openers lost by the Senators this post-season. Coach Bryan Murray wasn't the least bit happy about the playoff of Calgarian Heatley, Swede Alfredsson and Spezza of Mississauga, Ont.
''Their checking line played head to head with our guys and they ended up getting the winning goal,'' said Murray. ''So that's the whole game in a nutshell.''
He knows what his players have to do to get back into the series when it resumes Wednesday.
''We gotta get the puck deep more often,'' said Murray. ''We have to create some offence off of that and get their defencemen to gived up the (blue-) line once in awhile.''
Redden turnovers led to two of the Anaheim goals.
''They made our defence extra hard and we didn't retaliate the same way,'' said Murray.
The crowd was loud and into it from the start, which shot down some of the suggestions in the media leading up to the series that few sports fans in southern California cared about the Stanley Cup final.
''I'm hoping people will take notice of what it was like when we came out onto the ice to start the game,'' said O'Donnell. ''We've been taking a little bit of heat, especially from the Canadian media, on what the crowds are like here.
''I think anybody who was in the building felt the chills. That's the way it's been since Christmas time and they've stepped it up in the playoffs. It was great tonight.''
It was the 32nd consecutive sellout for the Ducks, who believe they can be better on Wednesday.
''Now that we have the jitters out of the way and we know what they're all about, we can really focus on our game and try to take it to them,'' said Giguere.
Notes: LW Oleg Saprykin was a healthy scratch for the second game in a row as Ottawa opted again to go with Patrick Eaves . LW Shawn Thornton got back into Anaheim's lineup in place of Joe Motzko, who had taken Thornton's place the previous two games . Players on both teams average six-foot-one in height and are nearly identical in average weight with Anaheim in at 204 and Ottawa at 206 pounds. The Senators are slightly younger at an average age of 27.4 years to the Ducks' 28.5 . Anaheim's Rob and Scott Niedermayer are the first brothers to appear in the final as teammates since Philadelphia's Rich and Ron Sutter in 1985 . Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger dropped the ceremonial first puck . Kelsey Scott, a longtime Ducks fan and season ticket holder, sang the Canadian anthem and Stephen Stills, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer/songwriter performed the U.S. anthem . The referees were Paul Devorski of Guelph, Ont., and Dan O'Halloran of Essex, Ont. Devorski glided over to shake Schwarzenegger's hand before the governor's photo op . Attention Ottawa fans: The Tampa Bay Lightning lost Game 1 in 2004 and rebounded to win the title . The Ducks are attempting to become the first West Coast-based team to win the Stanley Cup since the Victoria Cougars of the Western Canada Hockey League defeated the Montreal Canadiens in 1925 . Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller was on hand to watch his brother, Drew, skate for the Ducks . Only two players in the series own Stanley Cup rings: Anaheim captain Scott Niedermayer has three from his days with the New Jersey Devils, and backup Ottawa goalie Martin Gerber got one last spring with the Carolina Hurricanes . Celebrities in the crowd included Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer, actor Cuba Gooding Jr. and Five For Fighting lead singer John Ondrasik.
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Darsehole Tucker
5-29-07, 12:29 PM
Emery played well last night, he's been playing well beyond his years.
I actually thought that last night was one of his weaker outings. He made some good concentration saves, but the Getzlaf goal was weak. He needed to have that one. He had a Fleury-like night last night, heh.
Max Power
5-29-07, 1:12 PM
Sens biggest problem was some brutal giveaways during the attack and Mez being afraid of being hit making dumb mistakes. Ottawa's 3rd and 4th line need to play much better too and Heatly and Spezza have to get the puck in better.
For the first time Redden lost his mind telling Mez off for one of his giveaways last night. I say things stay the same for next game but if it doesn't go well I expect Schubs to take Mez's spot and Supreakin to come in.
Darsehole Tucker
5-29-07, 1:41 PM
For the first time Redden lost his mind telling Mez off for one of his giveaways last night.
Redden didn't have an impressive game either, despite the goal. He fumbled the puck a lot, and had a tough time clearing the zone. See: Goal#1.
Max Power
5-29-07, 2:12 PM
Redden didn't have an impressive game either, despite the goal. He fumbled the puck a lot, and had a tough time clearing the zone. See: Goal#1.
Agreed but I definitly think Mez is the weak(er) link. Redden might play better if he has a more solid partner.
This is what I feared with Wade Redden way back last summer when we signed him over Chara. I'm sounding like a broken record! As soon as he faces physical play in the post-season he folds....... this is the first true physical opponant we've had to face and lo' and behold #6 looks like he's lost. The three clubs we've faced thus far have been, without a doubt IMO, the top 3 teams the East has had to offer. But for all of their challanges: argueably the league's best offense in Buffalo, experience/goaltending/defensive system in Jersey, cinderalla and dark-horse team in Pittsburgh while being one of the hottest teams down the stretch with a killer offense featuring Sid Crosby........ none of them were all that imposing with the body. The Pens did have Gary Roberts causing a stir but he was useless at age 40 and with no one else pitching in physically on the Pens.
Though it is worth noting Roberts still made Redden his b!tch at various times that series, resulting in one or two goals at least.
Meszaros may be the weaker link on the pairing as has been mentioned but there is no doubt in my mind Redden was the worse of the two last night. And as a 6.5M defenseman he should be making his partner look good anyway. I hope he's traded this off-season, Cup or not.
* I expected to lose going into that game given the lay-off etc but it doesn't make the loss any less crushing. And 3rd period leads - regardless of if you deserve them or not - have to be converted into wins in the SCF. Still, it's early. A win tomorrow puts Ottawa back in good position coming home to The Bank.
Max Power
5-29-07, 4:37 PM
As much as I don't mind the Redden whipping boy since it's mostly true I will say the whole team was at fault for the loss last night. The only good line was Fisher's.
Anybody notice that Redden looks like hell too. He looks like he hasn’t slept or eat in a week.
I'll go so far as to say that if Mucks gets rid of Redden this summer Meszaros will regain the lustre from his rookie campaign in a hurry. Playing on a pairing without Redden next year will no doubt see him return to form. Quite possibly a breakout year may be in the cards, much like we saw with Volchenkov under the same circumstances.
Max is right in that there is plenty of blame to go around. We gotta hope the Sens get 'em Wednesday.
Anybody notice that Redden looks like hell too. He looks like he hasn’t slept or eat in a week.
Maybe the timezone got to him? I have no clue why but I noticed it too last game. Pressure too much for him? Maybe it's the beard making him look as such? .............. cocaine lol?
Newfie John
5-29-07, 9:08 PM
I actually thought that last night was one of his weaker outings. He made some good concentration saves, but the Getzlaf goal was weak. He needed to have that one. He had a Fleury-like night last night, heh.
That Getzlaf goal was misleading I thought. I thought for sure he was going around the net.. How often do you see a player bring the puck to his backhand and shoot it in that situation?
Darsehole Tucker
5-29-07, 11:36 PM
Anybody notice that Redden looks like hell too. He looks like he hasn’t slept or eat in a week.
White powder is easier to acquire in LA.
Wait...who said that..... ;)
He seems to be skininer to me aswell lately. It would not surprise me to know Redden is more than a few pounds lighter now than he was say 2, 3 or even 4 years ago.
Truth to the rumours or not it's still a bit concerning. In this case where there's smoke I think there may be fire but we'll probably never know for sure.
charlio lemieux
5-30-07, 9:46 AM
Crystal Meth is very popular these days I hear. Ofcourse someone earning Redden's salary should be able to afford real Columbian Marching Powder.
If he starts tweeking out look for a couple of major penalties and maybe a suspension. :D
Max Power
5-30-07, 11:28 AM
Before anybody jumps all over this saying I told you the east would whine I just want to say it has nothing to do with me complaining about it.
I thought it was interesting that Scotty Bowman himself called Murray and told him to be ready for the ducks using "illegal tactics". I noticed the ducks where continuously interfering with players without the puck entering the zone or hammering on the D. Anyways I hate whining about the officiating and truly believe that if this is the hockey the officials want to let go then the Sens need to adjust.
MacGregor: Obstruction rears its ugly head again
ROY MacGREGOR
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
ANAHEIM — The East Katella Avenue Thugs?
They have no nickname — Ducks, surely, is bad enough — but Bruce Hood says he couldn't stop thinking that, somehow, the Broad Street Bullies were back in the Stanley Cup final.
Not the Ottawa Senators versus the Anaheim Ducks, as advertised. But the 2007 Ottawa Senators up against the Philadelphia Flyers, circa mid-1970s.
Hood is not as lost in time as it might appear. Something happened to the "new NHL" on Monday during Anaheim's 3-2 victory. It became the "old NHL." Or the "new new NHL," where obstruction appears to have been welcomed back.
Hood, who was on the ice for 157 Stanley Cup games in his 21-year Hall of Fame career as a National Hockey League official, couldn't believe what he was watching from his rural home northwest of Toronto. To him, it wasn't just the Anaheim defencemen holding up and interfering with Ottawa attackers at will, and without many calls, it was a return to the old intimidation tactics of the Bobby Clarke Flyers.
He saw Dave (the Hammer) Schultz back on the ice, staying in the Ottawa crease even after whistles had blown, continuing to hack away at the goaltender and daring any Ottawa player to try to stop him. He saw Ed Van Impe back on the ice delivering those short and painful in-close cross-checks to any Senator who happened to reach the Anaheim net. He saw Clarke jabbing with his stick in the corners and strategically slashing the hands of any Ottawa player trying to work the puck along the boards.
But it wasn't Clarke, Van Impe or Schultz. It was players not even born when the Broad Street Bullies briefly ruled, and some say briefly ruined, the NHL.
"It's just so frustrating to watch," Hood said. "They keep saying they want the game better, but then they let all this interference and rubbing guys out against the boards right back into the game."
Of particular concern to Hood is what now takes place regularly in front of goaltenders, where scoring chances look more like car crashes and, it seems, the goaltender is at the mercy of the hacking sticks and the whistle, often late, of the referee. The retired official is concerned that the goaltender is getting "crucified" the way the game is being played, with almost all attack — and defence now, as well — using the same strategy of piling up bodies in front of the net. Power plays now sometimes look like soccer penalty shots.
"They need a whole different look at the rules," said Hood, who made numerous suggestions about improving the game in his 1999 book, The Good of the Game: Recapturing Hockey's Greatness.
First, he would get rid of the two-referee system, saying it fails to allow individual referees to get "a feel for the game" and officiate accordingly.
"Why does the referee have to be there climbing up the back of the net when they have video replay?" he asked. "Maybe it looks flashy, or something, but it makes no sense to me."
Hood is adamant that he is not some curmudgeon yearning for "the good old days," but sees much of the "new NHL" changes of the past two seasons, with a certain amount of tweaking, producing a hard-played game of skill and speed.
"I can't understand why they can't see that putting people through the boards does nothing to sell the game," he said. "People want to see scoring and good plays. Not interference."
The Senators were clearly caught off-guard by the physical play of the Ducks and the apparent sudden slackening of the obstruction rules.
"The rules have to be made clear to me," Ottawa coach Bryan Murray said. "That's all."
"If they're not going to call it," Jason Spezza added, "then we're going to have to do it ourselves, I guess."
Which, of course, will mean more obstruction still.
"It just sickens me," said the man who sits in front of his television these days, wishing he still had a whistle to blow.
Madferret
5-30-07, 1:50 PM
Anaheim Net Crashers
Madferret
5-30-07, 1:57 PM
Sens slip, never fall
May 30, 2007
Sportsnet.ca
ANAHEIM, Calif. (CP) -- The Senators haven't stumbled very often in these NHL playoffs and when they have, they've quickly regained their composure.
A Game 2 loss to Pittsburgh in the opening round opened the door for some nervous feelings but the Senators responded with a huge Game 3 win before walking away with the series. A Game 2 loss at New Jersey in the second round was followed with a three straight Ottawa wins. And when Buffalo began believing in the potential of a miracle comeback in the Eastern Conference final, the Sens snuffed it out right away with a huge overtime win in Game 5.
"Adversity has been the strength of this team all year," Senators star centre Jason Spezza said Tuesday after practice. "As soon as we've felt adversity, felt like our backs were against the wall, we've brought our best.
"And I don't anticipate tomorrow being any different."
The Sens' confidence doesn't appear shaken heading into Wednesday night's second game of the Stanley Cup final against the Anaheim Ducks.
"I think they were all upset," said head coach Bryan Murray. "As I said to them today, this is the Stanley Cup final. This is the time to meet challenges."
Murray met with his players before practice and delivered his message. It was a one-sided conversation.
"We had a good meeting this morning," said Spezza. "Bryan did most of the talking and we did most of the listening."
The reasons for Monday's clunker are varied, with the nine-day layoff a leading factor. The Sens looked flat, nothing like the high-flying club that went 12-3 in the opening three rounds. They were also sloppy, committing 14 turnovers to Anaheim's five.
"We stunk," Sens GM John Muckler said flatly.
The Ducks know that wasn't the same Ottawa team they've been studying on video.
"They did some things uncharacteristic of the previous three series that they played," said Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle.
"We think that we had something to do with that obviously. But we know that we're going to have to play a better game than we played last night to have success, because I know in our minds they will come a lot harder and they will be a lot better."
There's nowhere to go but up for Ottawa's top line of Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson and Dany Heatley. They were a non-factor in Game 1. Spezza, in particular, drew the ire of Murray during the game with a few fancy plays -- drop passes -- that were intercepted for turnovers.
When asked by a reporter who was looking for an answer about Spezza's tremendous development this year, Murray couldn't resist.
"Well, he used to play like he played last night," he said to a room full of laughter. "... I think he's improved his game immensely. I'm not sure why it happened the way it did last night, whether it was the first game in the final, whether it was being off that long time, whether it was a variety of reasons."
Alfredsson called his star linemates in for a little three-man pep talk Monday night to make sure things would be much better in Game 2.
"It felt like after the game we made it too easy for them by not getting the puck in deep and working their D more," said Alfredsson. "We acknowledged it after the game, we talked about it, the three of us. And I'm sure we'll play smarter and be better tomorrow."
The temptation for Murray will be to break up his top line if the matchup with Anaheim's terrific checking line, centered by Rob Niedermayer, doesn't go any better going forward.
"Here's the decision I had last night," said Murray. "Our top line played so well in every series so far. I get into the first period or second period, see they're not going as good as they should be, do I, because of that, break them up in the first chance I get and then kind of show panic?
"So I decided, `stick with them, let them play.' ... I've got to allow them at least some time to have that challenge."
Murray also hopes his star forwards will be allowed to strut their stuff. For the second day in a row, the Senators coach questioned the non-calls on what he perceived was obstruction against his forwards from the Anaheim defencemen as they tried to go in the zone.
"I guess, we'll have to adjust our style to get back to holding up their forechecker better with our man, because it's obvious that it's not being called," said Murray. "And we have to encourage our guys to do it."
Murray said he planned to bring it up with the series supervisor.
"I think the rules have to be made clear to me," said Murray.
http://www.sportsnet.ca/images/daily/wed/ash_line_hor.jpg
For all of their good, hard, clean physical play the Ducks using illegal obstruction to gain an edge against teams entering the zone is something we saw them do all throughout the playoffs. It sucks butit is what it is. Surely, the team and coaching staff only saw this coming. The Sens will just have to find a way to come out with wins regardless.
Madferret
5-31-07, 12:11 PM
Pahlsson's late goal sinks Senators
Canadian Press
ANAHEIM, Calif. (CP) - The Anaheim Ducks shut down the Ottawa Senators, allowing them only 16 shots, to take a commanding lead in the Stanley Cup final.
Sammy Pahlsson's goal at 14:16 of the third period gave the Ducks a 1-0 victory Wednesday night and a 2-0 edge in the NHL's championship series.
''I shot it through the legs of the defenceman and somehow it went in,'' said Pahlsson. ''The most important thing is to win the game but of course it's great to score the goal.''
The scene shifts to Canada's capital for games Saturday and Monday, and history is firmly on the side of the Ducks: only once in 30 instances where a team has won the first two games of the final at home has it failed to hoist the Stanley Cup, and that was back in 1971 when Chicago lost to Montreal in seven games.
Anaheim is attempting to become the first West Coast team to win the Stanley Cup since the 1925 Victoria Cougars.
Ottawa's shot at becoming the first Canadian champion in 14 years has been relegated to longshot status. The Ducks have pushed them around and stymied their attack with strong forechecking and in-your-face aggressiveness all over the ice.
''We've won our two home games and, let's face it, you're supposed to win your home games,'' said Anaheim defenceman Chris Pronger. ''Now it's in their court.''
The Senators lost two straight for the first time since last December.
''Their D and their checking line have been the stories of the series so far,'' said Ottawa coach Bryan Murray.
On the winning goal, a Dany Heatley giveaway at the Ottawa blue-line allowed Pahlsson to gain control of the puck. The Swedish centre shot from the circle to the left of goaltender Ray Emery and, as Joe Corvo charged towards him to check, he let go a quick wrist shot through Corvo's legs and past Emery.
It was a tough break for the Senators' goalie, whose valiant effort had kept his team in the game.
The hard-hitting, fast-moving contest was played in front of another loud Honda Center sellout crowd of 17,258 including about 500 Senators fans who'd made the trip from various Canadian cities and towns.
Murray needed more from his big guns than he got in the 3-2 Game 1 loss Monday so he started the game by taking Daniel Alfredsson off his first line and using him with Peter Schaefer and Mike Fisher. Chris Neil took Alfredsson's place alongside Jason Spezza and Heatley.
The Ducks picked up right where they left off in Game 1 by hitting every red, white and black sweater that moved. Halfway through the first period, they had peppered 10 shots on Emery, while the Senators had managed only one on Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
So, Murray reunited Alfredsson, Spezza and Heatley. The Senators then got a two-man advantage for more than a minute and did everything but score. They played better the rest of the period, and Neil, Anton Volchenkov and Christoph Schubert finally started knocking some Ducks down.
Murray briefly reverted at the start of the second period to the line combinations he used to begin the game, but he quickly had Alfredsson back with Spezza and Heatley.
The line shuffling had little effect. The Senators couldn't mount much offence any way they lined up. Anaheim had a 12-7 shots edge in the first period and a 14-4 advantage in the second.
Emery, dropping to his knees to make many of his saves and sprawling in his crease as Ducks crowded him, kept his team in it.
Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle kept his checking line of Pahlsson between Travis Moen and Rob Niedermayer on Spezza and Heatley and whoever they were skating with.
Anaheim's line of Ryan Getzlaf between Dustin Penner and Corey Perry continued to give the Senators fits, but there still were no goals after 40 minutes.
''We knew that if we just continued to play the same way we were and get pucks in deep, keep playing physical and cycling the puck . . . we were getting a lot of chances and getting traffic in front,'' said Pronger. ''We were bound to get one by them.''
The Senators tightened their checking in the third and reduced the Ducks' scoring chances. It was their best period of the series so far but it amounted to a hill of beans when Pahlsson broke the scoreless tie.
''It was a great shot, a good play on his part,'' said Murray.
Pahlsson also scored the winning goal that knocked Detroit out of the Western Conference final. Pahlsson, Moen, who netted the Game 1 winner, and Niedermayer have combined for five winning goals in the 2007 playoffs.
''That line, right from the beginning of the year, has been able to give us quality minutes,'' said Carlyle. ''A lot of the time the spotlight is not directed at the but, right now, they're in it.''
Pahlsson obliterated Spezza on faceoffs, winning 10 and losing two, while Spezza won only three and lost 13 overall.
The Senators tried to force overtime and Schaeffer missed an open net with three minutes left.
Shots were 5-5 in the third period and Anaheim outshot Ottawa 31-16 on the night in winning its fifth consecutive game. It was the fewest number of shots allowed by the Ducks in their 18 playoff games (14-4). They outshot Ottawa 63-36 in the two wins this week.
''This game was very, very close all night,'' said Carlyle. ''Anytime you win a 1-0 hockey game in the Stanley Cup final, you've got to feel fortunate that bounces went your way.''
The Ducks improved to 9-2 at home during the playoffs, and Giguere appears to have entered the same zone he was in when he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2003 when Anaheim lost to New Jersey in a seven-game final. This Ducks lineup is better than the one four years ago, said Giguere.
''We have a lot more offensive power and a lot more size and those things make my job a lot easier,'' said Giguere.
Notes: Anaheim had a 36-28 edge in hits . . . Each team was 0-for-4 on power plays . . . Anaheim D Francois Beauchemin led all skaters in ice time with 30 minutes 55 seconds . . . LW Oleg Saprykin was reinserted by Ottawa in place of Patrick Eaves . . . The referees were Bill McCreary of Guelph, Ont., and Brad Watson of Regina . . . Ottawa's Antoine Vermette entered the game with the best faceoff win percentage (60.2 - 174 wins and 115 losses) of any player on the ice . . . Anaheim could become the first team since the 1975 Philadelphia Flyers to win the Stanley Cup the same season as leading the NHL in penalty minutes . . . Former Oilers forward Ryan Smyth, soon to become an unrestricted free agent, was in the crowd . . . Celebrities spotted in the crowd included actors James Caan, Ray Liotta, Cuba Gooding Jr., Josh Lucas and Jerry O'Connell, hip hop artist Snoop Dogg, Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer and former baseball player Mark McGwire.
Madferret
5-31-07, 12:13 PM
Well, as they saying goes..'the goalie with the bigger equipment won'.
Seriously, how do you score on this guy?
Congratulations on keeping home ice Anaheim....
Max Power
5-31-07, 12:31 PM
The rumor is that he wears two sets of pads under his jersey? Don't know if it's true?
It's BS if he does but right now it doesn't matter as you need more then 15 shots to win a game
Well now we find out if the Sens have what it takes. I think they do. They gotta take it to Anaheim in game 3.
Max Power
5-31-07, 4:15 PM
Yeah game 3 and 4 IMO are must wins or they're done
MadDevil
6-01-07, 12:26 AM
I think the Sens just need to avoid Scott Niedermayer. He helped crush their hopes in 2003 and is now 2 wins away from doing it to them again this year.
Darsehole Tucker
6-01-07, 3:01 PM
I think the Sens just need to avoid Scott Niedermayer. He helped crush their hopes in 2003 and is now 2 wins away from doing it to them again this year.
Nah, I think Scotty's injured. It's the Pahlsson line that's killing us.
Here we go fellas. Game 3 is everything. Time to get it done
Go Sens :)
Madferret
6-03-07, 12:38 AM
Great game. No quit. Go Sens
On to game 4!
Hopefully McAmmond is alright. Pronger's season should be over as a repeat offender but I'll be fine with two games given the NHL's standards.
Madferret
6-03-07, 1:54 PM
Senators rebound to beat Ducks in Game 3
Canadian Press
OTTAWA (CP) - There's life in the Ottawa Senators after all.
A disputed goal, an own goal and a nasty hit marked the Senators' rebirth in the Stanley Cup final with a rousing 5-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night.
Anaheim still leads the best of seven series 2-1 going into Game 4 on Monday night, but Ottawa showed it won't go down without a fight.
Daniel Alfredsson scored the tying goal off his foot at 16:14 of the second period on a power play and Dean McAmmond was awarded the game-winner when his pass was put into the net by Anaheim defenceman Chris Pronger's errant clearing attempt 2:20 later.
But while past Ottawa clubs may have wilted when Pronger dazed McAmmond with a forearm shiver to the head on a rush 2:03 into the third frame, these Senators hit back.
Moments later, when Ryan Getzlaf cross-checked Chris Neil from behind, a melee broke out that signalled Ottawa's determination to finish off a game in which they outhit the physical Ducks 32-26.
''We can play physical and we can play with the puck,'' said Alfredsson. ''We can handle any situation.
''It was a character game because we came back a few times.''
The status of both McAmmond, who could miss Game 4 with a head injury, and Pronger, who faces a possible suspension, may be determined Sunday.
The Ducks held one-goal leads three times, but the Senators, who managed only 36 total shots in two feeble losses to start the series in Anaheim, erased each deficit while outshooting the Ducks 29-22.
And after riding its top line for most of the playoffs, Ottawa had goals from all four lines - a must, with the Alfredsson-Dany Heatley-Jason Spezza trio managing few chances for a third straight game against strict attention from the Anaheim defence.
The Ducks' questionable discipline also was evident as the Senators spent 10:59 on the power play to only 2:23 for Anaheim.
Chris Neil, who hit every Duck in sight throughout the match, scored in the first period, Mike Fisher had one in the second and defenceman Anton Volchenkov scored an insurance goal at 8:22 of the third for Ottawa.
Andy McDonald, Corey Perry and Getzlaf scored for Anaheim, whose coach Randy Carlyle acknowledged his team was outplayed.
''They outworked us - it's as simple as that,'' said Carlyle. ''We played nowhere near our capabilities.
''But as poorly as we played, we still had a chance to win.''
Alfredsson's goal stood up after a long video review after he reached back with a skate to redirect Wade Redden's point shot past Jean-Sebastien Giguere. The goal was initially waved off, but replay officials saw otherwise.
Carlyle didn't dispute the call, although he felt it was kicked in.
Alfredsson said that ''to me, I felt I never kicked the puck. I was confident it was going to be a goal.''
More damaging was McAmmond's game-winner, the result of dogged checking in the Anaheim zone by the veteran fourth-line centre that left Pronger the goat.
''I can't worry about that,'' said Pronger. ''I'm in the right spot and it just bounced off me.
''It's not the first time it's happened and it won't be the last, but it certainly was not a good situation.''
Concerning his hit on McAmmond - which saw the Senators forward bounce his head off the ice before sliding to the corner and lying motionless for a few moments - Pronger said he was just finishing his check and added: ''I don't really know what happened after that.''
No penalty was called on the play, but it had the Senators calling for a suspenion. Pronger was suspended for Game 4 of the Western Conference final against Detroit for bouncing Tomas Holmstrom's head off the glass.
''I can't for the life of me understand how it was missed by four officials,'' said coach Bryan Murray. ''I don't want to complain, but it was an obvious call.''
It was yet another moment of high emotion for the sell-out crowd of 20,500, which witnessed a gripping match with end-to-end action and several momentum shifts.
The first Stanley Cup final game in Ottawa in 80 years saw the Senators skate out to their loudest crowd of the playoffs thus far.
There was plenty of energy, but also a case of nerves as Ray Emery needed to make a big glove save off Dustin Penner from the low slot only two minutes into the game.
McDonald scored on a power play at 5:39 when he was set up alone in front by Teemu Selanne to beat Emery, who had lost his stick, with a wrist shot inside the right post.
It was the first power-play goal allowed by Ottawa in nine attempts in the series.
Ottawa stepped up the pressure late in the period and Neil was on the doorstep to bang Chris Kelly's pass just over the line to tie it at 16:10. The goal came one day after Neil celebrated the birth of his first child.
''It was amazing,'' was about all Neil could say.
Perry came out from behind the net to slide one between Emery's pads 5:20 into the second period, but Fisher got it back 27 seconds later when he deflected Volchenkov's point shot.
Getzlaf pounded a big rebound from the slot past Emery at 12:22 for a 3-2 lead. The Getzlaf-Perry-Penner line now has 35 points in 19 playoff games.
Notes: With Chris Kunitz's return after missing seven games with a broken finger, Drew Miller sat out for Anaheim. Kunitz only lasted until the second period before leaving with a lower body injury. . Ottawa made no changes from its Game 2 lineup. . Surviving members of the Montreal Canadiens team that won five straight Cups from 1956 to 1960 received a nice ovation when introduced on the scoreboard in the first period. They were honoured by the NHL at a dinner Friday night. Art Ross trophy winner Sidney Crosby, Rocket Richard winner Vincent Lacavalier and Jennings winners Manny Fernandez and Niklas Backstrom sat with them. . Russell Williams, a 99-year-old fan who watched the Senators win the Cup in 1927, was given a standing ovation when introduced in the second period.
http://images.tsn.ca/images/stories/20070602/sens_82045.jpg
On to game 4!
Hopefully McAmmond is alright. Pronger's season should be over as a repeat offender but I'll be fine with two games given the NHL's standards.
2 games should be the minimum and imo he should be gone for the rest of the finals.The problem is that Colon Campbell and Brian Burke are good buddies so Pronger will get 1 game.
Neil,Fisher and Kelly had a teriffic game for the Sens and it was their hard work that got the team going and led them to victory.
Cheers
Darsehole Tucker
6-03-07, 3:09 PM
2 games should be the minimum and imo he should be gone for the rest of the finals.The problem is that Colon Campbell and Brian Burke are good buddies so Pronger will get 1 game.
Yep, you were right:
Pronger gets a game for elbow
OTTAWA (CP) -- Chris Pronger will miss Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final.
The Anaheim Ducks defenceman has been suspended for one game after hitting Ottawa's
Dean McAmmond in the head with his forearm during Game 3.
McAmmond left the game with a head injury and is doubtful for Game 4 tomorrow night.
It's the second time Pronger has been suspended during these playoffs.
He missed Game 4 of the Western Conference final.
Anaheim currently leads the NHL championship series 2-1.
Pronger's suspension is a joke, one game for a vicious elbow to the head and he's a repeat offender. A total crock. I imagine Bettman doesn't want Anaheim to lose one of its top players for the Stanley Cup final but quite frankly, this smacks of two sets of rules, one for the regular season and one for the playoffs. Just another example of the wishy washy way the NHL is being run. Bettman and Campbell need to be fired and replaced with someone who hands out the same suspension no matter the time of year.
As for the rest of the Ducks, what a bunch of cheap shot artists and divers. The refs must have left their prescription glasses at home for this series. Good to see the league is calling this series like regular season games. :rolleyes:
Good to see the Senators back in this series and able to overcome the antics of a dirty Ducks team.
Go Sens go. :boogie:
It's on and crackin now.
The Sens have some momentum now and I'd like to see them completely trounce the Ducks in game 4 without Pronger.
Darsehole Tucker
6-03-07, 7:27 PM
Just watching the press conference coverage of the suspension reactions of Pronger and Burke from tsn.ca. Anyone know which hit Burke is so upset about? I don't even recall Neil's hit on McDonald. Just an attempt to deflect attention I guess. Weak stuff. 1 game wasn't enough for a repeat offender.
Pronger only made it 5 games before being suspended again. And he only gets one game. What a joke. This goon is a danger to any opposing players on the ice and it's a tragedy that he won't be forced to watch the rest of the SCF unfold from the press box while Dean McAmmond in all probability will.
I really hope somebody takes him out hard and illegally right before the series ends in the deciding game, leaving him on the ice injured. Regardless of the outcome of the series. A day-to-day injury that simply hinders him for a few weeks of summer or a career ending blow that has Anaheim up in arms, I really don't care. He just deserves to get a taste of his own medicine - cheap tactics that leave the opposition hurting. I wouldn't mind Neil driving him into the boards from behind in a race for an iced puck.
Player to watch out for, a sleeper if you may, is Jackman. He played a pretty good game vs the wings the last time Pronger was suspended. I think he will get more then 6:31 of ice time this time around.
Just watching the press conference coverage of the suspension reactions of Pronger and Burke from tsn.ca. Anyone know which hit Burke is so upset about? I don't even recall Neil's hit on McDonald. Just an attempt to deflect attention I guess. Weak stuff. 1 game wasn't enough for a repeat offender.
The 1 game suspension is a joke and why I always refer to Campbell as Colon Campbell because this assclown has no clue how to do his job.
Neils hit if he would have connected would have earned him a suspension too as it was a clear headshot.Instead of going in and nailing McDonald,Neil came charging in left his feet and went for McDonalds head.Considering McDonald has concussion problems it make you wonder if Neil did this on purpose?
Cheers
Madferret
6-06-07, 11:25 PM
I've never seen a team been so unlucky in a series. This like a game of NHL 2007 on my xbox 360. Congrats Ducks. It's called the Stanley Cup.
The Insider
6-07-07, 12:03 AM
Congrats to the Ducks, they played like champs and deserved to win.
I know for Sens fans it's going to be a long summer with a lot of what ifs, but you should be very proud of your team because they played very well and probably deserved a much better fate.
Sucks that the cup is once again going south of the border......
KB in Kelowna
6-07-07, 12:45 AM
Heck of Season for the Sens, too bad they couldn't win, but hold your heads high Sens fans, your team is not a one year wonder!
Max Power
6-07-07, 12:16 PM
Ya I can't see this team falling in the same trend as Carolina and Edmonton. Then again the Sens were almost last in the east mid November this season. As disappointing and inconsistent their performance was in the cup final it was still a great run. Here’s to an all Canadian finals next year so the cup has to come home
Sorry to see the Sens go down. I was pullin for em.
Still a great season and clearly they were the best team in the East when it counted.
(Maybe this was that last step needed to take it all the way next year)
I am in complete shock at the result of the cup final. Not at all what I thought would happen. I picked the sens in 5! WRONG! Even though most of the games were close on the score sheet, it was a dominating performance by the Ducks. They are a physical team that I underestimated or did I over estimate the sens? Probably a little bit of both.
At another board, I picked Anaheim in game 1 and Ottawa in game 2, but after the sens lost both games in California, I chose Ottawa in game 3, then Anaheim in games 4 and 5. Those first 2 games showed me all I needed to know that I was way off base.
I don't think ANY team from the East would have been able to beat the Ducks, so the Sens shouldn't hold their heads too low.
charlio lemieux
6-08-07, 11:59 AM
I am in complete shock at the result of the cup final. Not at all what I thought would happen. I picked the sens in 5! WRONG! Even though most of the games were close on the score sheet, it was a dominating performance by the Ducks. They are a physical team that I underestimated or did I over estimate the sens? Probably a little bit of both.
At another board, I picked Anaheim in game 1 and Ottawa in game 2, but after the sens lost both games in California, I chose Ottawa in game 3, then Anaheim in games 4 and 5. Those first 2 games showed me all I needed to know that I was way off base.
I don't think ANY team from the East would have been able to beat the Ducks, so the Sens shouldn't hold their heads too low.
This season was a perfect example why the should go back to 1 v. 16, 2 v. 15 etc.
Of the top 8 teams I had picked for the cup only Buffalo and Ottawa were from the East. It sucks that one of Nashville or San Jose had to go home after the 1st round. Both teams could have beaten most of the East and given Buffalo and Ottawa a tough battle.
1 v. 16 could make the travel more even aswell.
Max Power
6-08-07, 2:18 PM
I for one would love the 1 through 16 formats. It gets pretty boring seeing the same teams in the playoffs every year. Also it would stop all the complaining about travel for the west. But I’m sure since this is one of the best changes the NHL could make it will definitely not be considered
As far as Sens potentially not have made it in this format this year I say whatever. Same could be said about Anaheim considering I don't think they started to play their best hockey until half way through the Detroit series while Ottawa took many periods off in the cup final but played their best hockey until them
Darsehole Tucker
6-08-07, 8:49 PM
I for one am against 1 v 16.
Takes away from the East vs West showdown in the Final
The Insider
6-08-07, 9:14 PM
I think the only way that a 1-16 seeding would be fair is if:
#1. Every team in the NHL plays every other team at least twice a season.
#2. The top 16 teams get in regardless of division leaders and conference seedings. So if your team is 16th overall, 9th in conference and has 95 points they get in over a team in the other conference which is 7th in the conference and has 92 points.
#3. The playoff format would have to go to 2-3-2 to accomodate a west vs east series and to cut down on travel between games. I'm a big fan of the 2-2-1-1-1 format, but it's only fair this way for everyone.
#4. After each series the teams get re-seeded so if 1 loses to 16 then the #2 overall team becomes #1 and plays 16, just like they have now.
charlio lemieux
6-08-07, 11:42 PM
I think the only way that a 1-16 seeding would be fair is if:
#1. Every team in the NHL plays every other team at least twice a season.
#2. The top 16 teams get in regardless of division leaders and conference seedings. So if your team is 16th overall, 9th in conference and has 95 points they get in over a team in the other conference which is 7th in the conference and has 92 points.
#3. The playoff format would have to go to 2-3-2 to accomodate a west vs east series and to cut down on travel between games. I'm a big fan of the 2-2-1-1-1 format, but it's only fair this way for everyone.
#4. After each series the teams get re-seeded so if 1 loses to 16 then the #2 overall team becomes #1 and plays 16, just like they have now.
I don't know if each team would have to play twice. Once a year each would be good enough. Alternate home games each year.
The conference leaders should be 1-2 after that it should be strictly on points.
Not a fan of the 2-3-2 format. I think it gives a big advantage to the lower seeded team. If they steal one on the road then have three at home to clinch. West teams manage with the 2-2-1-1-1 format now. Having Anaheim or Vancouver go the extra distance from Detroit or Columbus to Boston or New York isn't that much of a big deal.
The Insider
6-09-07, 12:48 PM
I don't know if each team would have to play twice. Once a year each would be good enough. Alternate home games each year.
The conference leaders should be 1-2 after that it should be strictly on points.
Not a fan of the 2-3-2 format. I think it gives a big advantage to the lower seeded team. If they steal one on the road then have three at home to clinch. West teams manage with the 2-2-1-1-1 format now. Having Anaheim or Vancouver go the extra distance from Detroit or Columbus to Boston or New York isn't that much of a big deal.
If your going to seed teams, 1-16 you have to have a balanced schedule it as simple as that. You can't give teams in weaker areas of the league an easier route to the playoffs then a team in a much more stronger area. I mean take the southeast for example, they have yet to have 3 teams make the playoffs in that division in the same year and the top 1 or 2 teams in the division get a free ride to 3rd place because they play them 8 times. Now though you have 58 games played against everyone, you go to everyone's building and they go to you, you add that all up and that's 116 points at stake which pretty much decides whether you going to be a bottom feeder/on the bubble playoff team or one of top teams in the league. Now in a pefect world they'd play 72 games a year and not have to fill in the rest of the schedule, but if you're going to play 82 games the other games would have to be localized so if they played everyone in their conference one more time that would bring the total to 72 games a year. Then maybe you localize it even more and play your division once more bringing the total up to 76. Then the other six could be like wildcard games I mean maybe you play a team you met in the playoffs the year before, or a team you have bad blood with from last season, I don't know but you find a way to somehow mix in the final 6 games, just make them at least some kind of rivalry game.
I guess you could give the conference's best the top 2 seeds, 1 and 2 overall, besides the top 2 teams are usually the #1s in each conference.
No, the big deal comes in is round 2, if Toronto and Buffalo played 7 games in round one in a 2-2-1-1-1 format and then had to play the winner of an L.A./Montreal series which did the same 7 games in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, you are talking about 4 cross continent plane rides to 4 cross border bus rides. I mean that's a huge disadvantge for someone and cutting it down to the 2-3-2 format saves 2 trips. I mean the only other option is a 3-3-1 format and that just sets a team up to go down 3 before they play at home.
KB in Kelowna
6-09-07, 1:40 PM
Back when the Leafs played in the Campbell Confernce (the West for those who don't remember) the 1994 Conference final was 2-3-2 affair. Makes sense for air travel, etc. I also think the league needs to cut back to about 72-74 games.
henry rollins
6-11-07, 7:55 PM
lmao i have never seen more homers on one thread. pronger deserved 1 game and nothing more and yes neil did take 6 striides before hitting mcammond if you didnt see it im guessing you didnt even watch the game. aha game 3 was nothin gmore than false hope for ottawa oh well it was a good run while it lasted.
Darsehole Tucker
6-11-07, 8:23 PM
lmao i have never seen more homers on one thread. pronger deserved 1 game and nothing more and yes neil did take 6 striides before hitting mcammond if you didnt see it im guessing you didnt even watch the game. aha game 3 was nothin gmore than false hope for ottawa oh well it was a good run while it lasted.
welcome aboard!
Max Power
6-12-07, 10:43 AM
lmao i have never seen more homers on one thread. pronger deserved 1 game and nothing more and yes neil did take 6 striides before hitting mcammond if you didnt see it im guessing you didnt even watch the game. aha game 3 was nothin gmore than false hope for ottawa oh well it was a good run while it lasted.
What color are the glasses you're wearing?
1 game for a known cheap dirty player for his second head shot in 5 games is a disgrace. We're homers though??? Carry on
henry rollins
6-12-07, 7:24 PM
What color are the glasses you're wearing?
1 game for a known cheap dirty player for his second head shot in 5 games is a disgrace. We're homers though??? Carry on
hey its up to par with other nhl suspensions prongers taller than mcammond too thats always a factor. oh ya prongers dirty
Madferret
6-12-07, 9:36 PM
hey its up to par with other nhl suspensions prongers taller than mcammond too thats always a factor. oh ya prongers dirty
It's pronounced durty.
Next time he does it he only misses the first period.
Max Power
6-13-07, 1:43 PM
hey its up to par with other nhl suspensions prongers taller than mcammond too thats always a factor. oh ya prongers dirty
No the NHL has always increased the suspension for second time offenders. Two head shots in 5 games would fall under this standard. Fact is that Pronger got special treatment because he is a star player.
As far as this “he’s taller” excuse goes I don’t buy it. First off he extended his elbow out to hit McAmond not to mention we are talking about a pro athlete who lives by his coordination and ability to react with them. If he can’t control where his elbow goes then how the hell does he control the remainder of his limbs and stick.
henry rollins
6-15-07, 9:41 PM
listen to kidd chris kx08 in sacromento
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