The Anaheim Ducks are on the verge of winning the 'Battle for So Cal" after knocking off the the Los Angeles Kings, 4-3 at the Honda Center on Monday night.
It was the first win for a home team in this series and it couldn't have come at a better time.
Thanks to a 39 save performance from 20-year-old John Gibson and another pair of goals from Devante Smith-Pelly, Anaheim can eliminate the Kings with a win at Staples Center on Wednesday night.
The question is....How will the Ducks handle the pressure of an elimination game?
Typically we talk about the team facing elimination, but this hasn't been a typical playoff season. We have seen more last second goals then empty net goals and an odd lack of finish from teams on the verge of knocking off their opponents.
For some reason the teams that have been up in a series are having the tougher time. WIll this be more of the same?
In this round alone, both the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins couldn't get it done and both face the possibility of being eliminated in seven games.
The San Jose Sharks had four cracks at getting rid of the Kings and failed miserably. This leads me to my next point....
The Kings have been here done that. They are down a game going home. This is right where they want to be. They are definitely not intimidated, nor are they feeling the pressure. They have been there done that already.
The pressure is squarely on the shoulders of the Ducks and coach Bruce Boudreau.
So how will they handle it?
They found a way to rally and knock off the Dallas Stars in six games and I think they can do the same here. This is a Ducks teams that nobody gives enough credit. They have been able to come back time and time again, whether it's a multi-goal deficit in a game or during the regular season when it looked like the Sharks may catch them to win the Pacific Division.
Anaheim always found a way to come through and this will be no different. Obviously the implications are far greater. They have a chance to make it back to the Western Conference Finals by knocking off their closest and biggest rivals. They can also hang their hats on being the first to beat the other team in this freeway face-off.
How will they do it?
The Ducks seem to have a new found swagger with Gibson in net. It almost seems like they realize they are playing in front a competent of a oalie and are feeding off of that.
The defense is doing a great job of clearing rebounds and keeping the front of the net clear...for the most part.
Offensive players like Smith-Pelly, Jakob Silfverberg, Andrew Cogliano and even Teemu Selanne are consistently contributing. Anaheim is not just relying on Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, both of whom are also producing.
Game 6 will be a blast. If anything it will provide us another few hours of good TV.
So what do you think? Will the Ducks fall victim to the pressure or will the team that already has two three-game losing streaks in the playoffs finally succumb?
Thanks for reading!