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But the Oilers — a team that very much lives in the past, its own glorious past — are back where they believe they rightfully belong: The Stanley Cup final.
It's the first time since 1990, when they took out Boston in five games.
Spare a thought for the poor Anaheim Mighty Ducks, though. They really did deserve a fate kinder than this, ushered out the door of the post-season 2-1 in their home rink, a four-games-to-one denouement in the Western Conference final.
Gutsy thing Anaheim did before fading to black, though, yanking Jean-Sebastien Giguere with more than two minutes left in regulation time and a brace of Oilers in the penalty box, all of which resulted in six skaters on three for a good chunk.
Didn't change a thing, though: Not the score, not the series outcome.
For Edmonton, however implausibly, it amounted to a Clarence Campbell Trophy — like anybody wants to touch that thing —and a ticket to the ball, though they hardly be belles.
Sitting in his corner of the visitor dressing room, Mike Peca looked downright cadaverous, face sunken in more on one side than the other, left eye darkly swollen. "All along, we've tried to prove to people that we're a team that was good enough for the Stanley Cup final. There were times we showed it and times we were laughed at for even saying it.''
Ryan Smyth — Captain Canada through all those other years when, long before this point on the calendar, he'd be out of the playoffs and toiling for the national squad at the worlds instead — was sweetly savouring success.
"Stanley Cup final has a great ring to it. We'll cherish this for a bit and then get ready for whoever we're going to meet.''
A little bewildering, Dwayne Roloson acknowledged, since he only arrived in Edmonton at the trade deadline, with absolutely no one expecting this kind of sustained excellence from the journeyman goalie.
"Edmonton was the last place I thought I'd end up. But I was elated. I knew we had a chance to do something special as long as I played half-decent and gave them a chance to win.''
That he did, and then some. Goaltending was, as coach Craig MacTavish said last night, the one area where Edmonton has dominated through the post-season. Of Roloson, he said admiringly: "Bent when he could bend and didn't when he couldn't.''
Lousy bottom line for Teemu Selanne and the Ducks, however.
It was the fourth time this spring that Anaheim had played a potential elimination game, twice staving off Calgary in the first round and then shoving back Edmonton on Thursday, at a celebration-poised Rexall Place.
Funny thing for a 2-1 game, though — neither goalie was a critical factor.
Although Giguere, once-and-again No. 1 Anaheim netminder, kept Edmonton off the scoreboard through the opening period, he hardly looked assured between the pipes. More juggly than jiggy, actually, providing all manner of delectable rebounds.
Weird bounces further afforded ripe opportunities for the visitors while the home side was getting no such luck for their efforts, for all the miles they skated, and for the dumb penalties that Edmonton insisted on taking through the opening 20 minutes, including the first of two too-many-men-on-the-ice.
Yet Anaheim could beat an altogether unscary, on this evening, Roloson just the once, Francois Beauchemin leaning into a corker from just inside the blueline.
Ethan Moreau knotted the score 1-1 early in the second, on a wraparound. Less than five minutes later, Raffi Torres somehow managed to get his stick on the puck for a waist-high deflection on a shot from Marc-Andre Bergeron. It proved to be the winner.
posted by: MightyDuck at 16:09 |
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Edmonton Oilers at Anaheim Mighty Ducks
The Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Mighty Ducks have been two of the surprise teams of the Stanley Cup playoffs, reaching the Western Conference finals behind goaltenders who didn't figure prominently in either team's plans at the start of the season.
Yet, Edmonton's Dwayne Roloson and Anaheim's Ilya Bryzgalov are key reasons why their respective teams are one series win away from the Stanley Cup finals when they face off in Game 1 at Arrowhead Pond.
Anaheim is back in the conference finals for the second time in three seasons. In 2003, the Ducks relied heavily on goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who led them to within one victory of winning the Stanley Cup and claimed playoff MVP honors.
Giguere suffered a lower-body injury before Anaheim's playoff opener on April 21, and Bryzgalov has stepped in and performed brilliantly. The 25-year-old rookie lost the opener to Calgary, but has been in net for all contests of the Ducks' current six-game winning streak.
Bryzgalov became the first rookie to post three consecutive shutouts in the postseason since Toronto's Frank McCool in 1945. He blanked the Flames in Game 7 of the quarterfinals, then held Colorado scoreless in the first two contests of the Ducks' four-game sweep in the semifinals.
Bryzgalov has a 0.87 goals-against average and .967 save percentage in the playoffs.
Joffrey Lupul scored all four goals in Anaheim's 4-3 win in Game 3 against the Avalanche, and Teemu Selanne put the Ducks up for good with a second-period goal in a 4-1 Game 4 victory.
Selanne leads the Ducks with 10 points in 11 postseason games, and has 39 goals and 72 points in 58 games against the Oilers.
Anaheim has dominated opponents during the win streak, outscoring Calgary and Colorado 21-5 while posting three shutouts, but the eight-day layoff following the sweep of the Avalanche may be a concern.
"I hope not," Selanne said. "It might take one or two periods, but after that it's going to be a big advantage to have healthy bodies and a lot of energy."
Edmonton gets only one day off before facing the Ducks.
After losing the first two games of their semifinal series with San Jose, the Oilers won four straight and eliminated the Sharks with a 2-0 victory Wednesday night. Roloson stopped 24 shots for his first playoff shutout in 27 postseason games.
Eighth-seeded Edmonton continued a surge that began with a first-round upset of top-seeded Detroit in six games. Roloson faced an average of 39.7 shots a game in that series and repeatedly denied Detroit's shooters.
Roloson then outperformed red-hot Sharks goalie Vesa Toskala to help send the Oilers to the conference finals for the first time in 14 years.
The season didn't start well for Roloson, whose playing time diminished in Minnesota. The 36-year-old veteran came over in a March 8 trade for a first-round draft pick, and now heads to the conference finals for the first time since 2003, when he also faced the Ducks.
"We want to go down to Anaheim and give ourselves another chance," Edmonton forward Ryan Smyth said. "It starts from your defense up, and we seem to play solid defensive hockey."
The Oilers have advanced with a potent and balanced attack, as four players have recorded at least 10 points in 12 playoff games.
Edmonton swept the season series from Anaheim this season, and has won 16 of the last 20 meetings between the teams since the start of the 2000-01 campaign.
Game 2 is Sunday night.
posted by: MightyDuck at 14:45 |
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And a Child Shall Lead Them
By Mike Brody
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer
Rookie goaltenders have had success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs before – most notably with Ken Dryden in 1971 and Patrick Roy in 1986, both leading the Montreal Canadiens to the Cup – but never before has a crop of rookie goalies dominated the playoffs like they have this season.
Of the five remaining teams in this year’s playoffs, three are led by rookie goalies and another by a first-year starter.
Seven-year veteran Dwayne Roloson of the Edmonton Oilers, who was acquired in a mid-season trade with the Minnesota Wild, is the only experienced goaltender left. I don’t think anyone would have predicted that, especially with the presence of such big-name goalies as Martin Brodeur and Miikka Kiprusoff, and other veteran backstops or NHL powerhouses like
The New Favorite
Thanks to a surprisingly easy 4 games to 1 victory over the New Jersey Devils, and a dominating performance winning four straight games over
In 10 playoff games, the 22-year-old rookie has allowed just 17 goals while posting a 1.77 goals against average (GAA). Ward let in just five goals in
The Upstart Challenger
The Sabres’ Miller is the only U.S.-born goalie among the Fab Four. He hopes to duplicate the feat of another rookie American goalie, Ron Hextall, who led the Philadelphia Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1987. After a shaky start in Game 1 against
Mr. Perfect – Almost
After splitting their first four games against
The Final Four
The Finals
The matchup between Ward and Miller should be as entertaining as it gets. Both are capable of stealing a game or two for their respective teams.
The Ducks have had a long time off after unexpectedly sweeping the Avalanche.
posted by: MightyDuck at 18:54 |
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After dispatching Colorado in a four-game sweep Thursday, the Ducks have the luxury of time on their hands as they anticipate the start of the conference finals.
The Ducks had off-ice training Saturday and will take Sunday off. They will skate Monday and focus on defence and conditioning.
"It's a long time to practise day and day out, so we might do something a little different in between," coach Randy Carlyle said.
The San Jose-Edmonton series is tied 2-2. The earliest it could end is Wednesday, or it could stretch out until Friday.
"It's a little weird that you have to wait one week," Teemu Selanne said.
The down time will allow the Ducks to heal their bumps and bruises from playing every other day for more than three weeks.
"We'll take this rest and hopefully guys can get healed up," Scott Niedermayer said.
The downside is the possibility of losing their focus with nothing but practice scheduled.
"I hope not," Selanne said. "It might take one or two periods, but after that it's going to be a big advantage to have healthy bodies and a lot of energy."
Selanne was still smiling a day after shooting an 85 on the golf course. But he said he'll put his clubs away the rest of the week.
"You got to get your mind off hockey a little bit, but when it's getting closer to the end of the week, you have to be more focused and get ready again," Selanne said.
Some of the Ducks plan to spend extra time with their families this week. Todd Marchant and Todd Fedoruk weren't with the team Saturday. Marchant's daughter had her first communion, while Fedoruk was visiting his newborn child.
Carlyle hasn't put any restrictions on how the players spend their off-time, joking, "I don't want them to go water-skiing or skydiving."
Several of the Ducks said they're tuning into the Sharks-Oilers series, but claimed no preference about who they'll play next.
If San Jose advances, the conference final would pit Northern and Southern California, leaving less travel for both teams.
If Edmonton moves on, the Ducks would have home-ice advantage, meaning they'd make two, rather than three, trips to Canada during a seven-game series.
"There's positive and negative there," Ruslan Salei said. "They're both great teams, they both play a really physical game, and we just have to match their intensity."
Selanne admitted he was surprised the Ducks swept Colorado, but he liked what he saw in the dressing room afterward.
"It wasn't a big deal. We were not celebrating," he said. "It's a good sign that the goal is higher."
The Ducks are halfway to reaching the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 2003, when they lost in seven games to the New Jersey Devils.
Their immediate priorities are rest and keeping the focus that allowed them to get this far.
"Our mental approach from day one has been unbelievable, and that's something we can't lose in this break," Jeff Friesen said. "It's really mental this time of year."
posted by: MightyDuck at 18:23 |
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Anaheim Mighty Ducks vs. Colorado Avalanche
Everybody thought the series between the Avalanche and Anaheim would be very tight, well it hasn’t, Anaheim is already 3-0 in the playoff semifinals and waiting to win the fourth game and make it a sweep in Colorado.
Anaheim got there by beating the Calgary Flames in a 7 game series that was very intense. The Flames simply wore themselves out playing seven games at breakneck intensity. Credit the Mighty Ducks with the smarts to be patient, which they were; but Anaheim was also very good defensively and took advantage of Calgary's trouble generating offense.
If Anaheim keeps playing like they have in the first three games, the fourth game will be rather easy for the Ducks. They are a very fast and quick team and if they can take advantage of those strengths they will win the series and advance to the conference finals.
Recent Transactions
5/4 Signed Drew Miller to two-year contract. 4/27 Recalled Dustin Penner from Portland of the AHL. 4/22 Recalled Nathan Marsters from Portland of the AHL. 4/21 Recalled G Nathan Marsters from Portland of the AHL.
The Avalanche got to this series by defeating Dallas in a 5 game series. The start of the first game of that series wasn’t very promising for Colorado, but they manage to get back in the game and win the series due to their powerful offense and a disciplined defense.
They have lots of great leadership and playoff experience and a pretty good offense that is tough to counter when the defensemen jump in well. They are in trouble now as they loss the first 3 games against the Ducks. The fourth game will be very important, if they want to get back and have a chance of going to the next round; they desperately need to win the next game or they’re out of the competition.
They need to work on the tendency to have turnovers at the wrong time and place that often left them in disadvantage and with goals against.
Most of the sports books will have them as favorites since they are playing at home and they really need to win, so if you like sports betting do some homework and take a pick n this exciting series.
Recent Transactions
3/9 Acquired F Jim Dowd from Chicago for a 2006 fourth-round draft pick. 1/9 Recalled F Brad Richardson from Lowell of the AHL.1/7 Assigned F Frantisek Skladeny to Lowell of the AHL. 1/2 Placed F Brad May on injured reserve. Recalled F Frantisek Skladany from Lowell of the AHL.
posted by: MightyDuck at 20:11 |
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Mighty Bryzgalov carries Ducks past Avalanche
There's no goaltending controversy any longer in Orange County, where Russian import Ilya Bryzgalov gets white towels waved in appreciation with practically every save he makes for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.
Bryzgalov, 25, regularly hears appreciative chants of BRYZ-GAL-OV from admiring fans at the Arrowhead Pond as he shuts the door on opponents with almost casual ease.
He posted his third consecutive shutout yesterday in a convincing 3-0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche, giving Anaheim a 2-0 lead in their National Hockey League Western Conference semi-final series. Game 3 will be tomorrow in Denver.
Bryzgalov now has the longest streak by an NHL rookie in the playoffs, going 229 minutes 42 seconds without allowing a goal.
Since taking over from Jean-Sébastien Giguère, Bryzgalov has led Anaheim to four successive wins.
Ducks coach Randy Carlyle rolled the dice when he replaced No. 1 netminder Giguère with the less experienced Bryzgalov during the first round of the playoffs.
"I just tell him to continue to play, come to practice, stop the puck, smile, have a good day," Carlyle said jokingly when asked how he handles an inexperienced postseason player now fourth overall in shutout time in the Stanley Cup playoffs. (George Hainsworth of the Montreal Canadiens is on top at 270 minutes 8 seconds in 1930.)
"I don't think he realizes [what he's doing]," Ducks veteran Teemu Selanne said of his goalie. "He's just a guy who goes out there and has fun and doesn't take any extra pressure or anything. So don't tell him [what he's doing]."
Bryzgalov has had shutout streaks before, he claimed, like three in a row he posted with the Russian national junior team before the world championship a few years ago.
"It's not a big deal for me," he said. "I don't think about it. Right now I feel confident because our team is playing well and they're giving me confidence."
Anaheim has controlled this series.
The Ducks have done it by being more physical than the Avalanche and winning most of the puck-possession battles, often leading to scoring chances.
The Ducks have scored 13 unanswered goals over the past four games and have successfully killed off 23 consecutive penalties.
Yesterday, Anaheim got a power-play goal from rookie Ryan Getzlaf on a deflected shot at 18 minutes 17 seconds of the first period to establish momentum.
Ruslan Salei scored with a blistering point shot at 4:41 of the second that gave Avs netminder Jose Theodore no chance. Joffrey Lupul added another later in the second with a brilliant move at the net after a between-the-legs pass from linemate Dustin Penner.
"Our goaltender's confident, we're confident in him," Lupul said. "It makes it a lot easier to play when you know a guy's back there and he's hot."
The Ducks seem to shoot from every conceivable angle, while the Avs want to make the perfect play, often being checked at the last moment, or having Bryzgalov flash his catching glove or get his leg pad on a shot.
Bryzgalov preserved his third shutout with saves against Milan Hejduk, Ian Laperriere and Joe Sakic on clear-cut chances in the last period. He finished with 22 saves, many of them on the spectacular side.
"Ilya and [Giguère] have been unbelievable the whole year and now it's Ilya's turn to be hot," Selanne said. "What a great feeling when you have a goalie that gives you a chance to win."
The Avs are frustrated to the point that they've got away from the slick passing game that carried them past the Dallas Stars last round. Sakic managed only one shot on goal each period in Game 2.
"Nobody knew him, now everybody knows him," Laperriere said of Bryzgalov. "He was really good against Calgary in Game 7 and he's been really good against us for two games. We know we've got to beat him sooner or later."
Bryzgalov has stopped 92 consecutive shots and Anaheim has scored 13 consecutive goals without being scored against, going back to Game 6 on May 1 against Calgary.
posted by: MightyDuck at 16:40 |
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Anaheim 3, Calgary 2
Sean O’Donnell scored the game-winning goal at 1:36 of overtime to give the Ducks a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames in game four of the Western Conference quarterfinal series on Thursday night at the Arrowhead Pond.
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The series is now tied 2-2 and will shift to Calgary for game five on Saturday at 7 p.m. PDT.
With time expired on Stephane Yelle’s high sticking penalty in overtime, O’Donnell pinched in from his point position and got a pass from winger Chris Kunitz. The veteran defenseman slapped a low shot through Miikka Kiprusoff’s legs for the winner. The goal was O’Donnell’s first of the playoffs.
“That was an interesting feeling, realizing that it got through his legs there and that the game was over and that you were the one who shot it,” said O’Donnell. “It was a nice feeling and it felt a little bit strange, but I’ll take it.”
After a scoreless first, Ryan Getzlaf and Teemu Selanne tallied second period goals to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead going into the break.
Getzlaf (1, Perry, Vishnevski) opened the scoring for the Ducks at 3:47 of the second period. The rookie center picked up a loose puck inside the Ducks zone and broke away alone on Kiprusoff. Getzlaf deked and tucked a quick forehand shot inside the right post for his first goal of the playoffs.
Selanne (1, McDonald, S. Niedermayer) gave the Ducks a two-goal advantage less than four minutes later on the power play. Selanne cleaned up the rebound of an Andy McDonald shot to give Anaheim a 2-0 lead at 7:13 of the second period.
The two-goal lead would be erased it seemed in an instant to begin the third period.
Flames captain Jarome Iginla (1, Langkow, Ference) struck for his first goal of the game and of the playoffs 11 seconds into the third period. The Flames captain broke free and beat JS Giguere to cut the Ducks’ lead in half.
Calgary tied the contest just over three minutes later when Iginla (2, Ference, Amonte) got a shot from the slot past Giguere to make it 2-2 at 3:27 of the third.
“We felt like we played really well the first two periods. In the third period, give them some credit,” said O’Donnell. “We gave up a couple of goals that obviously we’re not happy about.”
The Ducks kept the Flames off the board the rest of the way and O’Donnell’s goal earned Anaheim a series split, 2-2 heading back to Calgary.
“I think this was probably our best game of the series,” said O’Donnell. “That’s usually the way it happens. With good teams, if you lose a game you’ve got to make sure the next game is your best. Now we’re expecting an even better Game 5 from them.”
posted by: MightyDuck at 17:53 |
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