The Blackhawks did their part and now it's up to the Ducks and Kings to do theirs.
Chicago's 4-1 series triumph guaranteed that Anaheim and L.A. will lock horns in the Western Conference Semi-Finals should both teams take care of business tonight or two nights from now.
The local sports talk chatter has already started. I'm a sports talk radio junkie and hockey is rarely ever mentioned. That all changed yesterday. Thanks to thrilling overtime wins for both the Ducks and Kings the local media has taken notice in a big way.
I think at one point 710 dedicated a whole segment to the idea of Ducks/Kings. For those of you not familiar with the L.A. market - that is unheard of.
Personally, I didn't think anything could possibly have been better for hockey in the Sunshine state than L.A. winning the Cup. This might actually trump that.
A possible freeway series would be amazing for hockey in Southern California. The market is exploding, thanks in part to better local hockey programs and the recent success of both the Ducks and Kings. I can't imagine how a tightly contested 7-game series could be bad for that market. I get the chills thinking about it.
With the Anaheim game starting at 5pm Pacific and the Kings dropping the puck two hours later tonight is shaping up to be an extremely entertaining night of hockey.
BUT....I don't want to get ahead of myself just yet.
The Ducks have a big task ahead of them this evening. They face a very motivated Red Wings team in Detroit that could be easily be up 3-2 instead of facing elimination in their own building. The Wings had to battle just to make the playoffs. Don't expect them to push the panic button tonight.
There will be no changes to the Ducks lineup tonight. Toni Lydman is still out and didn't make the trip with the club to Detroit. There is still no timetable for his return.
One player that has been absent while still being on the ice is Corey Perry. The Ducks star has been held off the score sheet through five games. He did come very close to ending his goalless drought in Gm. 5, but Jimmy Howard did him one better with an insane glove save.
Looks like Howard has made a living off robbing Perry...
This was a week ago....
This was two years ago...
Maybe Perry is just waiting for some of this....
Hmmmmm....Perry may want to rethink that strategy.
So what do you think? Can the Ducks and Kings make this happen or will my dreams be shattered by a fluky bounce?
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