I doubt it. All 4 lines hit and grind. EVERY time the ouck is behind Hasek, a check will be finished on your D. book it
I just hope your players got as cocky as the fans did by playing a couple of teams that were no match for the Ducks in any way. The Ducks aren't facing teams that squeaked into the playoffs, but the team that won the entire Western Conference. That weak division talk should disappear now too seeing that the Flames and Sharks have been dispatched to some golf courses. Go ahead, finish your checks. But somebody's going to have score a goal or two to win.
Wings tie for the most points in the league, and are sounding like the underdogs in this series too, just like they were against Calgary and San Jose by most pundits.
Good.
We're banged up, but they're a confident hockey club right now, with a goalie who's turned it on, the best defencemen in the NHL, and a deeper and better lineup up front than the opposition.
This series isn't going to be like the last 2 gents. Ana actually has goaltending and Defense, something we've not seen too much of yet.
goals against in the regular season-
ANA - 208
SJ - 199 (most of that without Rivet)
CGY - 226
And all three of those teams scored exactly 258 goals in the regular season.
Kiprusoff was amazing against Detroit. Nabokov was good despite a flub or two. It's unreasonable to expect Giguere to be better than Kiprusoff was. Keep in mind that Anaheim played Minnesota and Vancouver, not exactly offensive powerhouses (first and third lowest goals for among the Western playoff teams).
I said before the Sharks series that I had never seen a more over-confident group of fans than the Sharks fans.
I was wrong. The Ducks fans are the most over-confident bunch of fans I have ever seen.
It appears that they have the same game plan that the Flames and Sharks went in with as well.
Cmon...lets all say it together....
Hit the Wings. They are old. They can be worn down. Dom isnt as good as he used to be. Hit the defensmen. They are old. They can be worn down. Yadda, yadda, yadda.
I just hope your players got as cocky as the fans did by playing a couple of teams that were no match for the Ducks in any way. The Ducks aren't facing teams that squeaked into the playoffs, but the team that won the entire Western Conference. That weak division talk should disappear now too seeing that the Flames and Sharks have been dispatched to some golf courses. Go ahead, finish your checks. But somebody's going to have score a goal or two to win.
Im not saying that it will be a lopsided series, or that it is even in favor of the Ducks. Im just saying what the Ducks will bring that the Sharks didnt. Tenacity
I watched every game there guy. The Sharks did not have any of the tenacity that the Ducks will bring on the forecheck
You sure don't seem like you watched anything. The Wings not only matched the Sharks, but out-hit the Sharks. The larger Sharks at that. So your "the Ducks will be more physical" rhetoric is pretty meaningless. I'm sure your team will hit, and I'm just as sure the Wings will hit back.
Im not saying that it will be a lopsided series, or that it is even in favor of the Ducks. Im just saying what the Ducks will bring that the Sharks didnt. Tenacity
That's what the Sharks kept saying in relation to the Flames.
I said before the Sharks series that I had never seen a more over-confident group of fans than the Sharks fans.
I was wrong. The Ducks fans are the most over-confident bunch of fans I have ever seen.
It appears that they have the same game plan that the Flames and Sharks went in with as well.
Cmon...lets all say it together....
Hit the Wings. They are old. They can be worn down. Dom isnt as good as he used to be. Hit the defensmen. They are old. They can be worn down. Yadda, yadda, yadda.
Maybe it's me but I'm not sure how that's overconfident. The Wings are old, and because of the age they can be worn down. Dom isn't as good as he used to be. I don't really see how there's much argument on any of these points.
But now the question is will the Ducks hit like they should? They did a good job against the Wild but haven't been hitting as much against the Canucks. And will the hitting tire out the Wings? Some of the key defensemen are old and are more susceptible to being worn out, but it doesn't mean they will be worn out. And Dom not as good as he used to be is still a pretty darn good goalie. He may not dominate for weeks at a time like he used to, but he's still plenty capable of dominating for a few periods, or games.
The fans are more talking about what the Ducks need to do to win, not what they will do in the process of sweeping.
LOL you guys are calling Duck fans cocky? This thread makes it seem like you guys have already won the cup. Caryle is not Playfair or Ron Wilson, he does not tell his players to tone it down when sending a physical message.
Yes because Ron Wilson is such a tenacious head coach
He made the same mistake Calgary did and that was to try to play a skill game.
What?
Calgary yes, they did try to play the Wings' kind of game. But San Jose was hitting, and hard, but was simply being outhit by Detroit, so perhaps this clouded your vision. And they tried their cycle. But were boxed out.
The ducks have waltzed through a couple of easy teams, the Wings are banged up but, in the end, they will prevail. this talk about the ducks being bigger, finishing their hits, etc. is easier said than done. The Flames thought it, tried it, got out everythinged it. So did the Sharks. So will the Ducks.
I'm tired of fans thinking that any series against the Wings will be a one-sided physical affair. The wings have consistantly taken the body against whoever they have played in this postseason and I have to think that will continue. And if Anaheim wants to get into a hit-fest I'll go a step further and predict that it will favor Detroit. A hit fest means a lot of up-and-down action, a lot of pace, a lot of chances, and I like Detroit's finishers over the Ducks. So if they want to open it up and give that much ice to the Wings by going out of their way to send a message, go ahead, you'll get burned.
Anyway, go Wings and may the Trolls be few and far between.
LOL you guys are calling Duck fans cocky? This thread makes it seem like you guys have already won the cup. Caryle is not Playfair or Ron Wilson, he does not tell his players to tone it down when sending a physical message.
So does Carlyle send you to troll and irritate other teams message boards?
I'd say that the Wings and the Ducks are evenly-matched in terms of skill, defense, goaltending, and special teams. The Ducks are more top-heavy and the Wings have better depth. I would say that the Ducks have the advantage of having fewer injuries and overall bigger size; the Wings have the advantage of being the hotter team.
The Ducks only have 2 injuries to roster players, Marchant and Jackman, who are both projected to be back by the start of the series. The Wings, on the other hand, are missing 2 of their top 4 defensemen. Losing Schneider and his point shot will hurt your powerplay big time. The bigger size will be important if the Ducks can use that size to hold onto the puck down low. However they need to play with tenacity for it to have noticeable effects. The Wings are definitely the hotter team and certainly are riding the momentum of beating one of the best teams in the West. They played much better in their second round matchup than the Ducks did. This series basically comes down to who plays harder. The Red Wings have proven themselves more than the Ducks based off of last round, but I wouldn't count the Ducks out.
