 |
| POWER
PLAY |
11TH
- 18.1 |
| PENALTY
KILL |
1ST
- 85.5 |
| FORWARDS |
| MIKE
RIBEIRO |
27-56-83
(+21) |
| BRENDEN
MORROW |
32-42-74
(+23) |
| BRAD
RICHARDS |
20-42-62
(-27) |
| DEFENSEMEN |
| SERGEI
ZUBOV |
4-31-35
(+6) |
| STEPHANE
ROBIDAS |
9-17-26
(0) |
| MATT
NISKANEN |
7-19-26
(+22) |
| GOALTENDERS |
| MARTY
TURCO |
32-21-6
(3 SO)
2.31 GA
.909 PCT |
|
| JOHAN
HOLMQVIST |
21-16-6
(2 SO)
3.04 GA
.889 PCT |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
Dallas
vs Anaheim |
|
|
SCHEDULE |
| 1 |
APR.
10 |
DALLAS
4 - ANAHEIM 0 |
SEED
5 |
2 |
APR.
12 |
DALLAS
5 - ANAHEIM 2 |
SEED
4 |
45-30-7
(97) |
3 |
APR.
15 |
ANAHEIM
4 - DALLAS 2 |
47-27-8
(102) |
| |
4 |
APR.
17 |
ANAHEIM
1 - DALLAS 3 |
|
| |
5 |
APR.
18 |
DALLAS
2 - ANAHEIM 5 |
|
| |
6 |
APR.
20 |
ANAHEIM
1 - DALLAS 4 |
|
| |
7 |
APR.
22 |
DALLAS
at ANAHEIM |
|
| Dallas
Wins Series 4-2 |
|
SERIES
PREVIEW |
| |
The Dallas Stars and the Anaheim Ducks will meet in the first round of NHL post-season play for the Western Conference. Both Dallas and Anaheim have tasted victory from Lord Stanley but the Stanley Cup hasn’t quite “runneth over” with championships in the name of Ducks or Dallas. The common postseason bond of the two rests with one Stanley Cup Championship each.
Anaheim, the fourth seed and returning champions will be looking to skate back to Lord Stanley’s lair whereas Dallas, the fifth seed will be looking to move on past round one. For the last five years, the Stars have been eliminated in the first round and so desperately want to shed the shame that has haunted them for their last five straight postseason appearances.
Last year while at home, the Vancouver Canucks took the Stars to game seven and dealt Dallas a three goal third period for a 4-1 Canuck victory and a first round exit for the Stars. It would be the fifth straight year Dallas would be sent packing in Round One.
Joining the list of first rounder eliminators that have sent Dallas away include the Colorado Avalanche who dismissed the Stars not once but twice in two seasons with the lockout year in between. Prior to double dose of Colorado there was Anaheim and then St. Louis who sweep Dallas in four games during the 2000-01 season.
Sadly, just the two years prior, the Stars were lifting the Stanley Cup in victory and went back to the finals the following year in the 1999-2000 season but the New Jersey Devils denied Dallas a second cup thus starting the Stars post-season first round, five year slump the following year.
Anaheim is the defending Stanley Cup champions and their fourth seeding is highly-deceptive. Both Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne played hooky the first part of the season. The combination of their respective absences, a trip to England to start the season and a dose of Stanley Cup hangover caused the Ducks to start slowly. Since the two delinquents returned the Ducks have been on fire and probably would have been the first seed if they had been around all season long.
The Ducks have the home ice advantage with the first two games of the series commencing in Anaheim with Game Three and Four in Dallas. If needed, the fifth meeting is scheduled in Anaheim, back to Dallas and then wraps up in Anaheim if the series goes the distance for Game Seven.
Goaltending
The Stars will look to veteran Marty Turco who saw action in 62 games during the regular season to break the Round One shaming Dallas has encountered over the last five years. It will be crucial for Turco to step up and deny Anaheim on all levels in the first two games. Doing so can set the tone in favor of Dallas upon their return for games three and four.
The Ducks have the top active playoff goaltender in Stanley Cup-winning netminder J-S Giguere. He was spectacular for the club during last season’s run and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP for the then Mighty Ducks in their finals loss in 2002-03 to the New Jersey Devils.
Defense
Dallas will be missing one of their key defensemen in round one. Sergei Zubov recently underwent surgery in Germany for a sports hernia. He’s expected to return soon but it’s likely he will not see action against Anaheim. With Zubov missing, 82-gamer defensemen Trevor Daley and Stephane Robidas as well as Matt Niskanen, Mattias Norstrom, and Philippe Boucher should have no problem continuing in the manner they have exhibited while Zubov has been away.
The Ducks have it all on the blueline. Steady defenders, meanness, skaters and puck handlers. Anaheim boasts perhaps the strongest defensive group in the league with Chris Pronger, Niedermayer, Francois Beauchemin and Mathieu Schneider as the headline names while Sean O’Donnell, Kent Huskins and Marc-Andre Bergeron provide depth.
Offense
Ryan Getzlaf has become a star for the club and finished the year with 82 points. With Corey Perry hurt Selanne, Chris Kunitz and hopefully Todd Bertuzzi and Doug Weight are going to produce the offense. The team has a top notch shutdown line in Rob Niedermeyer, Travis Moen and Samuel Pahlsson who will have to play well to cover up for the Ducks one weakness, the lack of ample scoring. A guy like Todd Marchant knows what needs to be done in the playoffs, so the Ducks are hoping he and youngster Bobby Ryan can chip in every now and again.
The Stars have some scoring power in their roster. One of the solid producers would be Brad Richards, a former Conn Smythe Trophy winner who was acquired at trade deadline in a trade with Tampa Bay. Richards who was with the Lightning for their Stanley Cup victory in 2004 has seen action in 74 regular season games netting 20-42-62. He’s ranked third in Stars scoring for the season, five points above Mike Modano at 21-36-57 who saw action in 82 games. Joining Richards and Modano will be Brenden Morrow who wears the letter “C” and like Modano skated the entire season compiling 32-42-74. Finally, there’s Mike Ribeiro who’s the point leader for the team at 27-56-83 in 76 games played.
Intangibles
Dallas faced Anaheim eight times during the regular season with four games in each building. The Stars took five games from Anaheim during the regular season series but the downside is all three defeats were in Anaheim. To give some credit, the third game Dallas dropped to the Ducks was an overtime loss on March 30 as well as the last regular season scheduled meeting between the two. Dallas was only able to win once against the Ducks and that came of their first visit to Anaheim which occurred on January 15.
Concluding the regular season, Dallas had three games in April coming away with two victories. March is a different story, in all there were eleven games with Dallas earning only two victories against seven regulation defeats and two overtime losses.
The regular season record shows Dallas has difficulty winning in Anaheim and the Stars are in a must win situation for at least one of the two games before returning home for games three and four.
Author’s Prediction: Anaheim in six games.
Contact the author at brian.mclean@prohockeynews.com |
|
| Game
1 |
Dallas
4 - Anaheim 0 |
|
by Tom Schettino - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Dallas
Leads Series 1-0 |
Anaheim,
CA - The Ducks are the defending Stanley Cup champions
but unless they change their ways they will hold, rough,
high-stick and cross-check themselves right out of the
playoffs.
Meanwhile Dallas accomplished their goal to get off to
a great start in this year's tournament by taking advantage
of Anaheim's lack of discipline. The Stars converted on
four power play opportunities and outshot the Ducks by
a 37-23 largely due to the fact they held at least a man
advantage for a significant portion of the game.
Half of the Stars goals came in the first period. Steve
Ott scored the eventual game-winner as he tipped home
Stephane Robidas' shot with Anaheim's Travis Moen in the
box for elbowing. Loui Ericksson took a nice feed from
Brad Richards and widened the gap with a wrister from
the circle that eluded Anaheim netminder Jean-Sebastien
Giguere to complete the scoring in the first period.
Dallas scored from close range in the second and third
period as Jere Lehtinen and Brenden Morrow each scored
from the low slot to finalize the evening's scoring. Centerman
Mike Ribeiro picked up the primary assist on each goal
while Morrow and Lehtinen each picked up helpers on each
other's respective goal.
Stars netminder Marty Turco held off the Ducks in the
early going and wound up coming up with his fourth playoff
shutout by stopping all the bids placed upon him.
Dallas hopes to pick up where they left off on Saturday
while the Ducks need to step back and regroup for game
two. |
|
| Game
2 |
Dallas
5 - Anaheim 2 |
|
by Brian McLean - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Dallas
Leads Series 2-0 |
Anaheim,
CA - The Anaheim Ducks attempted to established
a physical presence against the Dallas Stars but it was
the finesse of the Stars that made the difference as the
Stars dealt Anaheim their second straight loss at home
Saturday night in game two of the NHL Western Conference
Quarter Finals.
Capitalizing on an errant Anaheim giveaway in the neutral
zone, Dallas’ Mike Ribeiro beat Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien
Giguere unassisted with a back hand to Giguere’s left
side for the first and only goal of the period.
Anaheim continued pounding Dallas but physical play didn’t
deter the Stars. On an early second period power-play
Dallas utilized the man-advantage with Jere Lehtinen’s
goal at 1:28 but less than two minutes later Anaheim’s
Teemu Selanne broke the Ducks series scoring drought on
the power-play at 3:41.
Anaheim pumped life into the game at 16:19 with their
second and final goal of the night from Travis Moen. Despite
closing out the second period with several power-plays,
Anaheim was not able to get past Stars goalie Marty Turco.
The Dallas power-play unit sealed Anaheim’s game two fate
when Mike Modano blasted a direct shot from the blue line.
Just 55 seconds later at 6:42, Brad Richards stunned Anaheim
with an even-strength goal. The Dallas scoring barrage
continued at 14:36 with Dallas’ third even-strength goal
of the night coming from Loui Eriksson suffocating any
hope of a Ducks victory in game two.
The Western Conference Quarter Finals start for Dallas
looks impressive but the best of seven series isn’t over.
The victory has given Dallas a much needed commanding
mental advantage and 2-0 series lead over the reigning
Stanley Cup Champions when the Stars return home on Tuesday,
April 15 for game three and on Thursday, April 17 for
game four.
Contact the author at brian.mclean@prohockeynews.com
|
|
| Game
3 |
Anaheim
4 - Dallas 2 |
|
by
Brian McLean - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Dallas
Leads Series 2-1 |
Dallas,
TX - The black sea of shirts at the American
Airlines Center was more of mourning than belief as the
Stars hopes for a win were buried during the first period
of play in game three in the NHL Western Conference Quarter
Finals against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night.
Dallas was seeking their third straight victory of the
series but came up on the losing end due to Anaheim’s
hammering that netted three goals in the first 15-minutes
of play from Todd Marchant, Ryan Getzlaf and Chris Pronger.
The puck blowout in the Dallas net put the Stars in a
search and recovery mission for the rest of the night.
Try as they might, the Stars could not solve Anaheim’s
continuous offensive surge from the first puck drop or
Jean Sebastien Giguere in net for the Ducks until the
third period. Mechanics that were well oiled for Dallas
in games one and two were nonexistent including two back
to back delay of game minors at 5:12 and 7:02 of the second
period.
With the fundamental blunder offerings given to Anaheim,
the defending Stanley Cup Champions continued to punish
Dallas as Pronger netted his second power-play goal of
the night at 5:34 in the second period with assists coming
from Teemu Selanne and Getzlaf.
By the time the Dallas offense starting gelling and their
disciplined play returned, the damage inflicted by Anaheim
was already done. Dallas utilized four power-play opportunities
as Stars captain Brenden Morrow connected twice on the
power-play with assists on both goals coming from Modano
and Mike Ribeiro but the third period scoring push was
too late for a 4-2 loss.
Dallas will be seeking a win column resurrection on Thursday
night when they host Anaheim in game four.
Contact the author at brian.mclean@prohockeynews.com |
|
| Game
4 |
Anaheim
1 - Dallas 3 |
|
by
Brian McLean - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Dallas
Leads Series 3-1 |
Dallas,
TX - With their backs against the wall in Dallas
the Anaheim Ducks came out flat and now stand on the brink
of elimination.
Defending their Stanley Cup championship from 2007 seems
to have had little inspiration to the Ducks who have had
limited fight in this series.
Marty Turco turned aside 27 of 28 shots and missed a shutout
by eight seconds as Mathieu Schneider made the final score
a little more respectable.
Joel Lundqvist got the Stars on the board in the first
period as he converted a pass from Loui Eriksson at 16:39.
That goal stood up through the second period as neither
team could break through for another marker. Turco was
perhaps the least-tested player on the ice as none of
the Ducks’ efforts or shots were particularly threatening.
In the third period, Stu Barnes picked up the eventual
game winner and Steve Ott added insurance at the 17:17
mark of the final stanza to seal the win.
The series now heads back to Anaheim where the Ducks need
some inspiration and life in their legs or their Cup defense
ends quickly and ignominiously.
Contact the author at brian.mclean@prohockeynews.com
|
|
| Game
5 |
Anaheim
5 - Dallas 2 |
|
by
Brian McLean - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Dallas
Leads Series 3-2 |
Anaheim,
CA - The Anaheim Ducks may have been the not
so cordial host for Game 5 of the Western Conference Quarter
Finals but it was the Dallas Stars who were looking to
conclude the series with a victory. Doing so would shed
the round one elimination monkey that has been tapping
the Stars on their lids during the team’s first round
play-off exits for the last five years.
Fully aware the possibility of elimination was three periods
away, there was no waddling around as Anaheim applied
intense pressure consistently to the Dallas racking up
eight penalties during the first period alone. Persistence
eventually gave in allowing the Ducks the night’s first
goal from Corey Perry at 8:25.
Not wanting to see the series back in Dallas, Stars defenseman
Mattias Norstrom found a sliver of net short-handed to
Jean-Sebastien Giguere stick side at 18:27. Stars goalie
Marty Turco and Giguere continued to make remarkable stops
that would have allowed more scoring.
On Dallas’ first penalty of the second period Anaheim’s
Ryan Getzlaf put the Ducks back in charge at 11:03. The
Stars second penalty late in period two that carried over
to the third would prove costly as Anaheim’s Teemu Selanne
took a huge rebound right to the tape off the boards,
blasting the puck just feet away past Turco’s right 48
seconds into play.
Not having the lead at any point in the game, the Stars
continued looking for the next opportunity. At 4:41, Mike
Ribeiro closed the two goal gap to one but Anaheim’s Sean
O’Donnell gave the Ducks back to two goal difference at
12:05.
The intensity blew past ten including Turco challenging
Selanne against the right boards near the blue line. Dallas
defenseman Mark Fistric denied Selanne the open net with
a block at the crease but the Stars just couldn’t solve
Giguere. It was Todd Marchant that sealed the Anaheim
victory forcing a Game Six with an empty netter at 18:36
for a huge 5-2 Ducks victory.
Dallas leads the series 3-2. Game 6 of the series will
be in Dallas on Sunday and if needed, Game 7 will be in
Anaheim on Tuesday. The Ducks will need a victory in one
of the remaining two games to proceed into the next round.
Contact the author at brian.mclean@prohockeynews.com
|
|
| Game
6 |
Anaheim
1 - Dallas 4 |
|
by
Tom Schettino - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Dallas
Wins Series 4-2 |
Dallas,
TX - In the end the stone soup Anaheim was trying to serve in Game 6 turned out to be fraudulent. Down to their last game the Ducks tried to turn water into wine holding a 1-0 lead despite only nine shots on goal while being outplayed by the upset-minded Dallas Stars.
Order was returned to the universe thanks to a four-goal third period rally by the Dallas Stars. Dallas outplayed the defending Stanley Cup champions in this game for the first two periods and destroyed them in the final period of the Ducks reign. Down by a goal heading into the last period of play the Stars procured goals from four different scorers to turn a close game into a laugher.
Anaheim’s Corey Perry scored a goal eerily similar to his goal in Game 5 through Marty Turco’s legs but that would be the only time the Ducks could dent the twine.
Wearing a cage to protect his broken nose Stephane Robidas started the rally which would lead the Stars into the second round for the first time in five years.
Robidas got Dallas on the scoreboard when he one-timed a shot past Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Mike Modano’s blast off the end boards caromed out to Robidas who finished the play off. Less than a minute later the Stars took the lead when Stu Barnes outworked a Perry check and smacked Robidas’ feed past a stunned Giguere.
After a stretch of intense up-and-down action, Loui Eriksson and Modano scored to give the Stars all the room they would need. Eriksson scored on a partial-breakaway to make up for a failed complete breakaway earlier in the period while all Modano had to do was slide the puck into an empty-net to set off a raucous celebration.
After so many years of playoff frustration fate may smile on the Stars as they might wind up with home-ice advantage in the second round. Should the Calgary Flames defeat the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night the Stars would take on the lower-seeded Colorado Avalanche. If San Jose wins the Sharks will be the club’s next opponent. |
|
|
 |
|
 |
| POWER
PLAY |
20TH
- 16.6 |
| PENALTY
KILL |
10TH
- 83.1 |
| FORWARDS |
| RYAN
GETZLAF |
24-58-82
(+32) |
| COREY
PERRY |
29-25-54
(+12) |
| CHRIS
KUNITZ |
21-29-50
(+8) |
| DEFENSEMEN |
| CHRIS
PRONGER |
12-31-43
(-1) |
| MATHIEU
SCHNEIDER |
12-27-39
(+22) |
| SCOTT
NEIDERMAYER |
8-17-25
(-2) |
| GOALTENDERS |
| JS
GIGUERE |
35-17-6
(4 SO)
2.12 GA
.922 PCT |
|
| JONAS
HILLER |
10-7-1
(0 SO)
2.06 GA
.927 PCT |
|
|
|
