Stanley Cup Finals Preview - Anaheim vs. Ottawa

By Dan Di Sciullo, NHL Editor

ANAHEIM DUCKS (2nd seed, West)

REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 48-20-14

PLAYOFF STATISTICAL LEADERS: Points, Chris Pronger (14); goals, Teemu Selanne, Ryan Getzlaf and Andy McDonald (5); assists, Pronger (11); plus- minus, Pronger and Samuel Pahlsson (+6).

KEY PLAYOFF STATS: Goals-for, 42; goals-against, 34; power-play %, 15.3; penalty-kill %, 87.5.

REVIEW: The Anaheim Ducks may no longer have the word "Mighty" attached to their name, but officially dropping that adjective has done little to halt the club's metamorphosis into one of the NHL's elite teams.

The Ducks put together the best regular season in franchise history this year and have maintained that momentum into the playoffs. Anaheim won its first- ever division title by taking the Pacific with 110 points, and the second seed in the West is the club's highest ranking in a postseason.

This marks the Ducks' second trip to the Stanley Cup finals after their amazing run to the final stage in 2003, when they were ultimately eliminated in seven games by New Jersey. Anaheim also made it to the Western Conference finals for the second straight year this spring, and for the third time in the last four postseasons.

One of the biggest changes for the Ducks this year came to the club in the offseason, as they traded for superstar defenseman Chris Pronger. Anaheim general manager Brian Burke pried Pronger away from Edmonton in exchange for Joffrey Lupul, Ladislav Smid, and three draft picks (two first-round, one second round).

Burke made the deal just weeks after he watched the Pronger-led Oilers defeat his Ducks in five games during last year's conference finals.

Pronger has not disappointed in his first postseason for Anaheim, as he has a team-high 14 points on three goals and 11 assists. The 2000 Hart and Norris Trophy winner as league MVP and best defenseman, respectively, was also involved in some controversy in the conference finals when he delivered a blow to the head of Detroit forward Tomas Holmstrom. Pronger was suspended one game for the incident.

In addition to Pronger, the Ducks also boast captain Scott Niedermayer on the blue line. In fact, Pronger and Niedermayer were named as two of three finalists for the Norris Trophy this season.

Niedermayer has three goals and six helpers in this postseason and has been a big factor on both ends of the ice. All three of his goals came at huge points of the game, as one tally tied the pivotal Game 5 against Detroit in the closing seconds of regulation and the other two goals were overtime game- winners.

The skill and leadership that Pronger and Niedermayer bring to Anaheim's defensive corps is not wasted on goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who is having another brilliant postseason.

Giguere, the Conn Smythe winner as postseason MVP in 2003 for Anaheim, is 9-3 so far in these playoffs with a 1.87 goals against average and .931 save percentage.

The 30-year-old Montreal native is 12-1 lifetime in playoff overtime games after winning four of five contests that lasted past regulation in this postseason. The 12-1 mark is the best in NHL history for a goaltender with 10 or more overtime games in the playoffs. The one OT setback came in Game 2 of this year's conference quarterfinals against Vancouver, when the Ducks lost 2-1 despite the fact that Giguere stopped 47-of-49 shots.

The Ducks' most productive forward in terms of points this postseason has been 22-year-old Ryan Getzlaf, who has five goals and assists to rank him second only to Pronger with 13 total points.

Veteran sniper Teemu Selanne has pitched in his share of points to help him reach the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in his storied career. The 36- year-old winger has five goals and seven assists in the postseason, and posted the overtime winner in Game 5 against the Red Wings. Selanne's 540 career goals in the regular season place him second all-time among Finnish players in the NHL to Hall-of-Famer Jari Kurri (601).

The play of centerman Samuel Pahlsson also cannot be overlooked. The Swede is an excellent defensive forward, is the team's best faceoff man and has also added two goals and eight assists in the playoffs.

OTTAWA SENATORS (4th seed, East)

REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 48-25-9

PLAYOFF STATISTICAL LEADERS: Points, Dany Heatley (21); goals, Daniel Alfredsson (10); assists, Heatley (15); plus-minus, Wade Redden (+9).

KEY PLAYOFF STATS: Goals-for, 48; goals-against, 31; power-play %, 20.0; penalty-kill %, 88.6.

REVIEW: After years of carrying the label of playoff underachievers, the Ottawa Senators have made it to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in team history, and they managed to reach the stage in impressive fashion.

The Senators, who were an expansion team in the 1992-93 campaign, earned a playoff berth for the 10th straight year this season and have had far and away the best postseason in club history.

Ottawa made quick work of its opponents in each of the three rounds of this year's playoffs, as it needed just five games to dispose of Pittsburgh, New Jersey and Buffalo. That has given the Senators a 12-3 record in this postseason and should ensure that they are well-rested for the final round.

This transition from also-rans to this year's dominant postseason performers has come as a surprise to hockey fans, but that doesn't mean that the Senators were exactly underdogs coming into the playoffs. After all, Ottawa was seeded fourth in the East after gaining 105 points, and was second only to Buffalo in the NHL with 286 goals during the regular season.

Ottawa's superb run to the Cup finals has become a compelling national story in Canada, where it seems everybody has become a Senators fan. Canadians everywhere, whether they are from Toronto, Edmonton or Regina, recognize that the Senators have an excellent chance to bring the Cup back to the Great White North for the first time since the Montreal Canadiens won it all in 1993.

The most obvious reason Ottawa has turned the corner in terms of playoff success this year has been the play of its top-line, which is possibly the most potent unit in the NHL.

Team captain Daniel Alfredsson is one-third of the dynamic combination that has struck fear into the opposition. The Swedish winger has set a team record with 10 goals in this postseason, but his 17 total points places him third amongst his linemates in scoring.

Dany Heatley, Alfredsson's fellow winger, is leading the Senators with 21 points (6 goals, 15 assists) and centerman Jason Spezza is second with 20 points on seven tallies and 13 assists. The Senators record for points in a single postseason before this year was 16, a mark set by Marian Hossa in 2003.

While the top line has been the most obvious reason for Ottawa's success this year, the Senators have also benefited greatly from a cohesive team effort on defense. Alfredsson and his linemates have also helped out in that regard, but the lion's share of the credit should go to the team's outstanding defensive corps.

The leader on the blue line for Ottawa is Wade Redden, who like Alfredsson has played his entire NHL career with the Senators. In fact, both Redden and Alfredsson were around in 1997, when Ottawa reached the postseason for the first time.

Redden's veteran leadership helps stabilize a back line that includes excellent offensive defensemen in Joe Corvo and Tom Preissing and a strong physical presence in Anton Volchenkov.

The team's defensive prowess helped limit the Sabres, who led the NHL with 298 goals during the regular season, to just 10 tallies in five games during the East finals.

The play of goaltender Ray Emery has also been a huge bonus for Ottawa, as the 24-year-old backstop has impressed with a 1.95 goals against average, .919 save percentage and three shutouts.

Emery has proven he has the skill to take a team deep into the playoffs after struggling in his first postseason last year.

MATCHUP

This Stanley Cup final matchup features a pair of clubs that have never hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup, and that usually makes for an inspired competition. Expect that to be the case in this battle between Anaheim and Ottawa.

The Senators have been the most dominant team in this year's playoffs, but that doesn't mean that the they are going to simply ease past the Ducks the way they did through the Eastern Conference playoffs.

In fact, neither Anaheim nor Ottawa has faced any opponent quite like each other in this postseason. The Ducks have yet to encounter a team that can score like the Sens, and Ottawa hasn't been pitted against a club that dominates from the blue line the way Anaheim does.

These differences should make this a highly-entertaining Cup finals, and one that will be claimed by the team that is able to play to its strengths on a more consistent basis.

Ottawa's top-line is the most-feared in the league, and it's unlikely that even a defensive powerhouse like Anaheim is capable of completely shutting down the unit. However, if the Ducks are able to make things difficult early in the series for the trio of Alfredsson, Heatley and Spezza, then it is possible that frustration could set in for the Senators.

Having a pair of defenseman like Pronger and Niedermayer on the same team is as valuable an asset as possessing a top-line like that of the Senators. The duo are normally paired together on only power-play and penalty-killing situations, but whenever either of them is on the ice, it changes the game for Anaheim.

Giguere's experience gives the Ducks an edge in goal, but Emery has gotten stronger in net as the postseason has worn on, and it's unlikely that he will fall flat in the Cup finals.

The Senators' quick run through the East should keep them well-rested, but Anaheim will also have five full days of rest between the conference finals and the start of the Stanley Cup.

This will be a very tightly-contested series, but the Senators' formula for success should hold true in the final round. Ottawa has taken the early lead with its formidable offensive attack, and has then smothered the opposition with a total defensive effort.

This team defense approach will certainly be challenged by the puck-moving ability of the Ducks, but Ottawa's balanced approach will be the difference in the series.

PREDICTION: Senators in 7

NHL PLAYOFFS