Pre-Playoff Prognostication
A few weeks ago I asked the question in the the reader quiz, how many games will the Ducks play in this post-season? I've held off adding my thoughts until now, because I wanted to give a thorough answer to my prediction. I make my forecast under the assumption that personnel for all teams remain largely the same.
I believe each playoff series comes down to matchups. The Ducks matchup well with every team in the league. Anaheim is deep, talented, and strong in the faceoff circle. Very physical teams (i.e. Winnipeg and St. Louis) and very fast (NYR) teams, give the Ducks more problems because those type of teams capitalize on the Anaheim's two biggest weaknesses, defensive zone givaways and taking frequent penalties.
The Ducks will play in 25 games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Western Conference Quarter Finals – 6 games
As mentioned earlier, the Jets play physical hockey and they have some big bodies on the roster. Don't be surprised, barring injury, to see Tim Jackman and Clayton Stoner play every game. If it gets particularly rough, Chris Wagner may play at the expense of someone like Jiri Sekac.
Winnipeg had an amazing run of goaltending the final week of the season, yielding one goal over four games. I do believe that Ondrej Pavelec and Michael Hutchinson are good enough goalies to steal a game or maybe two from the Ducks, neither of them is capable of pulling out the series. Frederik Andersen, on the other hand, can be that good. The Ducks are too talented to drop this series.
Western Conference Semi Finals – 5 games
In the next round the Ducks face either Vancouver or Calgary. Anaheim took both season series three games to two and only one of the four combined losses was by more than one goal. If the Flames beat Vancouver, the will be (pardon the pun) running on fumes by the time they make it to Anaheim. This is where the loss of Mark Giordano will really hurt their chances.
Although they are bit deeper than Calgary, the Canucks don't have enough offensive weapons to seriously challenge the Ducks. Additionally, their second and third defensive pairings can't shut down the Ducks over a prolonged period.
Western Conference Finals – 7 games
Chicago or St. Louis will be the opponent in this series. I fear the Blues more than the Hawks, but by no means do I take Chicago lightly. Additionally, both teams could lose in the first round, but I don't think they will.
Against the Blackhawks, the Ducks will need to minimize their mistakes, but as a group the Duck forwards play a better two-way game than Chicago. I also think Chicago's goaltending can be had. If they make it this far, how much will Corey Crawford have in the tank?
St. Louis may represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup finals. Their Achilles heel will be their goaltending. I have never thought of Brian Elliott as a guy I would want to rest my playoff hopes on. In the near future Jake Allen will be fighting it out with John Gibson over who is the best American goalie. Unfortunately for the Blues, that time isn't now. I'll take Andersen over Elliott any day in money situations.
Stanley Cup Finals – 7 games
Now I have the Ducks in the Finals, but against who. The Eastern conference is more wide open than the West, but I think it will either be Montreal or New York. Either way it will be a tough series. I'd like to think the Ducks have enough skill, determination and heart to pull this series out and bring another cup home to Anaheim.
Injury Updates or Lack Thereof
There has been little information on goalie John Gibson's injury since it was first reported five days ago. Bruce Boudreau is famous for playing his cards close to the vest this time of year. The most he will say is that Gibson is day-to-day with an upper body injury. Center Nate Thompson has the same status after suffering his UBI late in Sunday's contest. He may miss game one of the upcoming series.
-Ed