The Red Wings dreaded having to face the Ducks in the first round of the playoffs due to the amount of travelling. Now, and for the Ducks, they can use the long travel periods to their advantage, as the Red Wings are an older team. At the same time, the Red Wings are the defending champions, and they have more firepower than the Ducks.
For both of these sides, goaltending is an issue, and depending on which way you look at it, one of these teams is ahead, and the other isn’t. Cases can be made for both these teams, stating their goaltending is stable. The Ducks have a rookie net minder as their starter, over J.S. Giguere, a Stanley Cup champion. In the first round, Jonas Hiller stood tall and backstopped the Ducks to an upset win over the heavily favoured and Presidents Trophy Champions San Jose Sharks. In the second round, he may be in for a surprise and will be up against a veteran savvy Red Wings team. Versus the Sharks, Hiller wasn’t given much of a challenge, as the Sharks played like crap.
On the flip side for the Red Wings, a lot of people out there believe Chris Osgood is a liability and will only hurt the Red Wings’ chances of winning. But, you have to remember, Osgood isn’t the Red Wings’ all-time playoff wins leader for no reason. In the first round, Osgood only had to be average at best, but this time around, he does have to step up his game.
Luckily for the Ducks, they ran into a tight San Jose team that played sub par hockey compared to their regular season success. For the Ducks, they were able to count on one line to do all their scoring and that was all it took for the series win. If the Ducks plan on doing that once again, they will be asking for it, because the Detroit defence is too smart, and strong to be pushed around by one line. The Ducks must get more players to start scoring and not rely on Cory Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan and Teemu Selanne.
The Ducks will have their hands full with a Detroit lineup that can skate out four lines with scoring ability. Versus Columbus in the first round, the Wings had an easy time getting by them and had a balanced attack. That will most definitely bode well for the Red Wings.
Don’t count out the Anaheim defence, they are vey under-rated, and got the job done versus the Sharks. San Jose was another team with three legit scoring lines, and the Ducks defenders had them all on lock.
In the end, the Red Wings present more problems for the Ducks, and will have to use their home ice advantage to a tee. The travelling time will hurt the Wings, but they have a smart mix of youth and veterans. Goaltending is the only issue for the Red Wings, and if Chris Osgood could play like he did in last seasons Stanley Cup run, then Detroit should win this series. The Ducks will make this a series, and give the Red Wings fits, like they did in 2003, when the Ducks swept the Red Wings as defending Stanley Cup champions.
SERIES PREDICTION --> THE DETROIT RED WINGS WILL WIN THIS SERIES IN 6 GAMES, BUT THE RED WINGS MUST BE PERFECT AT HOME.
*THE ONLY WAY THE ANAHEIM DUCKS WIN THIS SERIES IS IF THEY STEAL A FEW WINS IN DETROIT, LIKE THEY DID IN ROUND 1 OVER SAN JOSE.
The opinions and thoughts expressed in this or any other article written by 12nadnuk are of his thinking and what he thinks is correct or close to it in the sporting world. If there are any problems by anyone, 12nadnuk is open for rebuttal and what not, and honest criticism. There is also a comments section, so feel free to post what is on your mind about the article. Thank you for reading.
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