NHL: Stanley Cup Finals Preview

So, you called it, right? Ducks and Senators in the Stanley Cup Finals? You were rewarded for drafting Senators, in particular the top three in Dany Heatley (15-6-15-21), Jason Spezza (15-7-13-20) and Daniel Alfredsson (15-10-7-17). They scored 23 goals, while the rest of the lineup scored 25. The next highest goal scorer is Dean McAmmond (15-4-3-7), playing 11 minutes a night. How many poolies can say they drafted McAmmond?

Wade Redden (15-2-6-8) and Joe Corvo (15-2-6-8) are producing from the blueline. Mike Fisher (15-3-3-6) and Mike Comrie (15-2-3-5) have not delivered offensively, although they have been good all-round.

With the Anaheim Ducks it is almost backwards. Teemu Selanne (16-5-7-12) went through a four-game scoreless streak until a recent spurt, scoring (3-2-4-6) including the Game 5 overtime game-winner. Andy McDonald (16-5-2-7) had a four-point game (3-1-4) against the Canucks in Round 2, and three points in 15 games. He enters the last round scoreless in four. Scott Niedermayer (16-3-6-9) scored (5-2-2-4) against the Wings, to better the two and three point performances of previous rounds. Chris Pronger (15-3-11-14) leads the Ducks in scoring (averaging 31 minutes a game). If he leads them at the end, he will have achieved that in consecutive postseasons (last spring with the Oilers).

Poolies were better off drafting deeper Ducks, such as Samuel Pahlsson (16-2-8-10), Travis Moen (16-4-5-9) and Corey Perry (see below). They provided timely scoring and poolie smiles. Ryan Getzlaf (16-5-8-13) had two goals and four assists in the Conference Finals, after going scoreless in four games against the Canucks. He scored two goals and four points against Minnesota in the first round.

You may have called the finals, but did you draft appropriately?

Anaheim Ducks

How they got there: Round 1: Min in 5; Round 2: Van in 5; Western Conference Final – Det in 6

Special Teams:

Power play: (13-for-85, 15.3 percent efficiency) 5-for-19 vs. Min; 4-for-36 vs. Van; 4-for-30 vs. Det – Chris Pronger (1-5-6) on the point and Ryan Getzlaf (3-4-7) lead the way for the Ducks. Yet to find the net with the man-advantage is Teemu Selanne, after leading the Ducks during the regular season with 25 powerplay goals. He last scored two in the final game before the playoffs.

Penalty killing: (12-for-96, 87.5 percent efficiency) 2-of-27 vs. Min; 1-of-29 vs. Van; 9-of-40 vs. Det – Better earlier in the postseason against defensive minded clubs. When faced with up-front talent of the Wings, the Ducks crumbled in shorthanded situations. Ryan Getzlaf averages four minutes a game of pk duty, sitting fifth behind Chris Pronger. Samuel Pahlsson (4:38) is the only forward averaging more.

Notes: Anaheim faced its most difficult powerplay against the Wings. They will have to learn from that experience against Ottawa. The lesson is - stop taking penalties. Penalties crop up due to sloppy play or defensive breakdowns. Ottawa will use their speed and tenacious forechecking to force Anaheim into man-advantage situations. J.S. Giguere (1.87 GAA; .931 save-percentage), is the Ducks Conn Smythe candidate. His spectacular series against the Wings, apart from the 5-0 loss, kept the Ducks in the series while arguably being outplayed by the Wings. Ducks must contain the Spezza line, a role assigned to Frank Selke Trophy-nominee Samuel Pahlsson, and Rob Niedermayer and Travis Moen. Scoring in general for the Ducks is balanced up front. Ottawa stifles offensive creativity well, and the more lines firing for Anaheim the better. Ducks will focus on getting the puck into the slot or high on the point, with men down low causing a screen looking for the tip or rebound. Testing Emery with peripheral shots will not prove successful, as the defense takes care of rebounds efficiently. Ryan Getzlaf has solidified his emergence as a star in the NHL. His maturity and poise has afforded Randy Carlyle to insert speedster Todd Marchant on the wing with Selanne and McDonald, the slot vacant by Chris Kunitz who is out with a broken hand and spread his offense around a very young lineup at forward.

Sleepers:

Dustin Penner:(16-2 3-5) Scoreless since Game 3 against Vancouver, eight games ago.

Corey Perry: (16-4-5-9) Picked up (2-2-4) against the Wings, including the Ducks second goal in the 4-3 series winner.

Francois Beauchemin: (15-3-4-7) Three assists against the Wings. Played big minutes, but has not rekindled the scoring touch of late 2005-06, or last spring.

Ottawa Senators

How they got there: Round 1 –Pit in 5; Round 2 – NJ in 5; Eastern Conference Finals – Buf in 5

Special Teams:

Powerplay: (14-for-70, 20 percent efficiency) 6-for-24 vs. Pit; 4-for-20 vs. NJ; 4-for-26 vs. Buf – The first line accounted for nine power play goals, 64 percent of the total. The only other forward with a powerplay point is Mike Fisher with one goal, while every one of the Senators defenseman has recorded a point. The Ottawa power play could be the difference in this series.

Penalty killing: (9-for-79, 88.6 percent efficiency) 4-of-28 vs. Pit; 3-of-22 vs. NJ; 2-of-29 vs. Buf – Antoine Vermette and Chris Kelly hover around four minutes to lead the Sens forwards in short-handed icetime. Vermette leads the Senators with a 60.1 percent faceoff percentage making his time on the pk an easy choice for Bryan Murray.

Notes: First (modern day) Stanley Cup Finals appearance, advancing in their second Conference Finals. Ottawa has steamrolled their opposition, taking out the phenom Sidney Crosby, future Hall-of-Famer Martin Brodeur and President Trophy Champions – the Buffalo Sabres, using the style from back in October - being patient and forcing wins by grinding down their opponents. Buffalo realized this was not their older brother's disappointing Senators, after going down 3-0 in the series, a mirror image of last spring. Ottawa plays a defense-oriented system (but not a trap) and generates offense through concerted defense. Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley have bought into this mindset, blocking shots and being defensively aware. Last spring, Heatley was invisible; not so currently, where he has been on the scoresheet and defensively visible. The Sens rely heavily on their powerplay, a task that falls to the first unit. The prominent feature of the Sens postseason is pace and patience. Regardless of leading, trailing or tied, they maintain the same pace. Sometimes they have to adjust, but overall there is a rhythm to their approach. This is a plus, in hopes of wearing down the Ducks defense and capitalizing on tired legs, or stiffness off the bench. Secondary scoring must be better for the Senators. Expect to see Mike Fisher draw the assignment of covering Selanne. A Conn Smythe performance thus far for captain Daniel Alfredsson, a most fitting candidate for the Sens after past playoff disappointments. Calls to trade him after last spring were uncalled for, as he has proven this season and in the playoffs. The sentiment of Ray Emery being as good as his counter has emerged in every round of the playoffs, and with Giguere in the Finals, the trend continues. He has not had to be a superstar, or steal a game but he needs to do his job, limit or eliminate soft goals and limit juicy rebounds. He could use better rebound control, but overall, Emery has been good enough to see the Sens advance to the Finals in three 5-game series.

Sleepers:

Joe Corvo: (15-2-6-8) Tied for fourth in scoring with Wade Redden.

Mike Fisher: (15-3-3-6) Has been a playoff beast preserving the title of hardest working Senator. His tenacity and devotion to the dirty work along the boards makes up for the lack of point production.

Mike Comrie: (15-2-3-5) The layoff should help whatever bumps and bruises Comrie has suffered through this postseason. Nine days could make a world of difference for Ottawa's secondary scoring hopes.