It's taken a month and a half, but the Eastern and Western Conferences have dwindled themselves down to one representative for this years NHL Stanley Cup Final.
From the East, the Ottawa Senators. Lead by the deadly line of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, and Danny Heatley, the Senators took down the best of the competition in the East and barely broke a sweat. None of the three series (Penguins, Devils, Sabres) went more than 5 games. They have played solid and smart in front of goaltender Ray Emery, who in turn has made the big save when needed.
Coming out of the West, the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks fought through the West, downing the Wild, Canucks, and Red Wings. Offensively, they have seen a consistent contribution from the all the members of the top 3 lines. In between the pipes, Giguere has played strong since returning late in the first round, posting a .930 Save Percentage.
The series should be a hard fought matchup. Both teams are play very smart hockey on both sides of the ice and have faired well on special teams. Of the two, the Ducks are by-far the more physical, which could become a factor. The Senators haven't run into a team as physical as the Ducks in the playoffs. Also working against the Senators is their reliance on the first line for scoring. If the Ducks could shut down Ottawa's top line, they could tilt the ice in their favor.
This should be a great Stanley Cup series and I'm picking the boys from Anaheim in 6.
No comments:
Post a Comment