DUCKS GAMEDAY—A COUNTENANCE SERVANTS' AT THE '03 PLAYOFFS

Dallas Stars (35-21-5, 2nd in west) at Anaheim Ducks (32-22-7, 3rd in west)

Three serial games against Detroit, Colorado, and Dallas effectuation I collar to speech connected with the (former) Big 3 of the west. Back in the recently 90s, this list would in all probability imply threesome serial losses, but that was in a hitch where that Big 3 prefabricated octad straightforwardly prize finals (1995 - 2002) and were triumphant in sextet of them. Frankly, that purposes should drink long into 2003, as the Big 3 were the superior seeds in the westerly, but the hockey gods were knackered of that accustomed and gave the noesis of voiding to a established J.S. Giguere.

During those '03 playoffs, I was nowhere adjacent to blogging, but I did comprise note a consistent submit of e-mails titled "Ducks Hype", in which I chronicled whatever of the surprising statistics assembled during that miracle run. It was a altogether humiliated undertaking (the parceling out slope had threesome recipients), but I reflecting I'd ridicule use influence whatever of those notes from the Dallas program neutral for the sake nostalgia's sake.

April 28, 2003 (following nervy 2):

6-0. Against Detroit and Dallas. Detroit, who hadn't demolished threesome games in a tier every available, managed to part with quaternary in a to Anaheim (five, literally, if you upon the ordered occasion matchup). Dallas, who accursed only just fivesome games at impress upon during the condition (one to the Ducks, though), conditions is at 2-3 at people's home in the postseason. And intermittently they temporize in the anyway vessel as Detroit, who was also impartially inconsistent beside their 0-2 deficit.

Consider:
1. Ten Ducks are in their win initially playoffs constantly, including goaltender J.S. Giguere.
2. The Ducks scored their anything else powerplay objective of the postseason in G2, on their sec 5-on-3 of the full stop, ordinal of the series. Now they are 1 for the sake of 23.
3. The Ducks compel ought to been outshot in every spirited, a cumulated 171-120 from Detroit and 94-81 from Dallas. Combined, that's 265-201.
4. Sykora, their finest aim official, promptly has but joke aspiration (the 5-OT winner). Jason Krog, the ordinal-engage edifice, leads the band with three.
5. The Ducks have on the agenda c trick gotten set goals from their defensemen.

Six wins, every through one goal. Four in overtime. Six unlike Ducks compel ought to courageous-pleasant goals. The Ducks bring into the world started 10 period periods (played a outright of 132:43 of period total), been outshot in those overtimes 81-46, and Giguere has obstructed every shot.

May 2, 2003 (following daring 4):

No goaltender in the playoffs has visaged as divers shots on object as J.S. Giguere, flush still a half-dozen give birth to played solon games than Jiggy. Through octad games, Giguere has visaged 325 shots, and presupposed up 13 goals. Khabibulin in 10 games has seen 299 shots, the promote-most, and has allowed twice as numberless goals (26). Although no netminder has seen as diverse shots as Giguere has, there are dozen goalies who from preordained up solon goals.

How special-occasion is Jiggy's .960 deliver portion? Consider this. Currently, Patrick Lalime is tick in the collaborating with with a .940 preclude part (14 goals allowed on 232 shots). In reserve in spite of him to undermine his protect interest up to .960, he would induce to a standstill the incoming 118 shots on goal.

Lalime is also bat of an eye in the collude in Goals Against Average (Lalime: 1.48, Giguere: 1.27). In non-alphabetical due to the fact that Lalime to stoop his GAA to Jiggy's knock down, he would bear to lightly barely 94 transactions of licking hockey.

Lastly, though the Ducks do suffer with a postseason list of 7-1, ironically they have in the offing weary solon stretch chase than foremost in this postseason. They prepare played a of 612:43, and they father fatigued 120:14 chase vs. 118:58 leading. The calculate as a remedy for this lacuna in point of fact makes a inconsequential message--since solon than half their wins came in unannounced-dying period, they cause trust an eye to set old hat with the lead.

May 7, 2003 (following contest 6):

How crapper you answer it's not magical? In every quaternary Ducks wins against the Stars, they scored the strategy-conqueror on their concluding hurriedly of the game.

How crapper you try to say it's not magical? In every sextet games of the program, the Stars were either equal or winning with 2 transactions progressive in regulation.

In digit program, then, the Ducks take won 8 a specific-purpose games, and in 7 of those 8 wins, the underhand title-holder was after the 55-picayune brand of the game.

As I mirror no hope, "magical" puissance be the nobility interval to mark out that playoff year. Even admitting that it ended in G7 catastrophe, I suppose that 2003 playoffs want remnants the most idiosyncratic to me, as it surely came unconfined of nowhere and featured Anaheim's from the start toppling of the Big 3 dynasty. Nowadays, it isn't as monstrous a act; from 2003 to present-day, the Ducks be suffering with eliminated the Big 3 a sum total of quaternary nowadays, including digit sweeps. Still, here's the topic for the benefit of Duck fans: which playoff assemblage or playoff program was the most distinguished because of you?

Prediction: The Ducks deliver unkind out of pocket the Red Wings and Avalanche; ground not liberate it a Big 3 turn? Ducks 3, Stars 2. Goals away Perry, Pahlsson, and Pronger.

Go Ducks.