Bleacher Report - Articles by Greg Gallagher

Hollywood Vs. Disney: President's 2 Cents Breaks Down the NBA Finals

Greg Gallagher — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 01:47:48 -0400

The puppet show is over, but don’t tell Dwight Howard that—he’ll soon be in puppet lore if he has his way.

The much-ballyhooed Nike advertisements featuring puppet versions of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James rubbed him the wrong way, and the big Magic centre won’t soon forget.

In short, the ads were thinly-veiled in their preference for a Kobe-LeBron finals, and Howard wasn’t pleased, saying him and the team used them as motivation to knock off the heavily-favoured Cavs.

“Every time I look at TV, it seems like that’s all anybody is talking about (a Lakers-Cavaliers finals). It’s like nobody is even giving us a shot at winning this series and we’ve used it as motivation,” he said in his blog after Game 3.

Fast-forward to last Saturday’s Game 6, in which the Magic delivered the knockout blow, completing the shocking upset of the heavily-favoured, 66-16 Cavs.

Or was it really shocking? This is the same Magic team that dismantled the defending-champion Celtics in the second round—albeit without Kevin Garnett and backup centre Leon Powe—in one of the toughest places in the league to play a Game Seven.

OK, but the Magic lost starting point guard Jameer Nelson for the season in February (though he may yet try to play in the finals), and weren’t exactly playoff battle-tested like the more veteran Cavs and Celtics.

And signing Rafer Alson, who has a bit of a spotty history with both on- and off-court issues, wasn’t a sure-fire way to plug the hole.

But plug it he did as the mercenary point guard, helping to feed the three-point blitzkrieg that has produced the unlikeliest (or very likely, however you view it) finalist out of the East, based on the road the Magic had to take.

As for the Lakers, this finals business is becoming old hat. It’s the 30th time in 61 years of existence that L.A. will represent the West at the dance, including Bryant’s sixth and coach Phil Jackson’s 12th.

The six-game defeat in the finals to the Celtics last year has left Kobe and co. with a bad taste in their mouths, and added even more experience to a category where they edge the Magic.

In oddly similar circumstances to the Magic in Round 2, the Lakers defeated a stronger-than-expected Rockets squad that was missing Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady.

The third round had many picking the upstart Nuggets, older and wiser with the acquisition of veteran guard Chauncey Billups—but again, experience had the edge in a decisive Game 6.

So let’s break it all down.

POINT GUARD

Whether Jameer Nelson risks injury, and frankly, upsetting team chemistry by attempting a return, Rafer Alston has done an impeccable job in his absence with excellent shot selection and passing ability.

These passes have more often than not found some open and deadly three-point shooters, which have been the difference in getting the Magic this far.

He and solid backup Anthony Johnson face veteran starter Derek Fisher, who has struggled at times this postseason and is no longer the Lakers’ clutch option as in the past.

However, backup Jordan Farmar has last year’s finals experience under his belt, and deadline acquisition Shannon Brown has impressed, averaging over 14 minutes off the bench.

Brown is also facing off-court issues in the wake of a civil suit filed against him by a Denver woman in an alleged Jan. 30 sex incident.

Will Brown’s possible distraction and Fisher’s struggles impede the Magic quarterbacks?

ADVANTAGE: Magic.

SHOOTING GUARD

Mickael Pietrus was trusted with defending LeBron James and Ray Allen the past two playoff series, while saving enough energy to be a clutch offensive performer on the other end.

The only other player who can match this intensity is…Kobe Bryant, who he will likely guard. This promises to be the most exciting matchup of the series, which Bryant will likely win.

Sasha Vujacic will duke it out for backup glory with Courtney Lee, whose production has slipped from 12.1 points per game in the opening round to just over eight, but is still solid.

ADVANTAGE: Lakers—Kobe’s position, enough said.

SMALL FORWARD

Intrigue reins supreme here. Hedo Turkoglu is a former Sacramento King who is familiar with a good slugfest vs. the Lakers, after his Kings lost a memorable yet heartbreaking seven-game Western finals in 2002.

The sleepy-eyed, deadly outside-shooting Turkoglu faces the unheralded Trevor Ariza, who has shot a blazing-hot 50 percent (30-60) from three-point land in the postseason, and made similar game-saving steals off of inbounds passes in two separate games in the Western finals vs. Denver. His ability to guard Turkoglu is one of the big x-factors in the finals.

Reserve Luke Walton won’t see much playing time with these two in the way.

ADVANTAGE: Magic, by a hair.

POWER FORWARD

The series may just be won or lost at this position. Rashard Lewis, the $118 million-dollar man, earned his keep and made mincemeat of the Cavs and Celtics with his clutch outside shooting, but also packs mean lateral quickness. This might be the difference in beating an injured Lamar Odom to loose balls and rebounds, not to mention guarding him.

Pau Gasol will be the lynch pin, and will take be reliable for his offense. Defensively? A definite question mark. Will he come over to double Lewis and risk leaving Howard open underneath?

ADVANTAGE: Even.

CENTRE

Not much needs to be said here, as no one on the Lakers roster can effectively contain Howard without fouling him. As long as Superman makes his freebies, there’s no contest in the middle. Sorry, Andrew Bynum.

ADVANTAGE: Magic, by a mile.

INTANGIBLES

The Magic have had an impressive run to the finals, but the Lakers have been here before and have home court advantage for the latest edition of Showtime.

Preparation is everything, but once the Magic players see the Larry O’Brien trophy logo stitched onto their jerseys and emblazoned on the floor, or Jack Nicholson and the rest of Hollywood watching, or the media scrutiny, the learning curve becomes steeper.

The only way to find out is to be thrown in the fire, and see whether the headlights blind these deer.

ADVANTAGE: Lakers.

COACHING

The dishevelled and erratic Stan Van Gundy might be the most underrated bench boss in the NBA, and it seems he’s compared more often to a certain adult film star rather than his coaching peers.

Even Dwight Howard can’t resist poking a little fun at his bench boss—YouTube his dead-on impression, which might have you in stitches. It’s Van Gundy’s chance to prove himself on the biggest of stages, and recent history have us believe he’ll do just fine.

On the other end is nine-time champion Phil Jackson, gunning to break the tie with the late, cigar-chomping Red Auerbach for most titles as a coach.

ADVANTAGE: Lakers.

PREDICTION

The President’s crystal ball predicts the following:

Game 1: Magic grab an early lead and manage to survive a late Laker charge. Magic by five.

Game 2: Kobe rises to the occasion and helps tie the series. Lakers by 10.

Game 3: Magic ride a raucous Amway Arena crowd to a 13-point victory.

Game 4: Magic slug it out by three in a much closer, see-saw affair.

Game 5: Lakers steal momentum back with a four-point win.

Game 6: Lakers pull away in the fourth and give Jack and co. a 10-point victory.

Game 7: In a battle for the ages, the enemy Superman gets a triple-double in a five-point stunning road victory, and the first NBA championship for Disney country.

President's Two Cents: Florida Panthers 4, Ottawa Senators 3 (OT)

Greg Gallagher — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:25:59 -0500

SENATORS GAME RESULT: Florida 4, Ottawa 3 (OT).
Ottawa scorers: Kelly, Heatley, Spezza.
Florida scorers: Boynton, Repik, Bouwmeester, Weiss.
3 Stars: Bouwmeester (Fla), Alfredsson (Ott), Weiss (Fla).
Honourable mention: Volchenkov (Ott).
Power play: Florida 1-5, Ottawa 0-3.
Shots on goal: Florida 40, Ottawa 38.
Attendance: 17,497 (19,153 capacity).

PRESIDENT’S 2 CENTS: After three penalties that the Panthers got away with, combined with the save of the year from Craig Anderson on a Mike Fisher one-timer, it turned out to be failing a Hockey 101 lesson that did in the Sens, who should have won with multiple OT chances: the lesson of eating the puck when overtime or the end of a period is looming.

...Filip Kuba, intending to find Dany Heatley with a fancy blind drop pass, failed that lesson. Alex Auld, of course, unfortunately let in a very stoppable Stephen Weiss slapper after arguably outduelling Anderson on the other end...

...It was a game where the Panthers played catch-up immediately after every goal. On the tying third goal, Stephen Weiss was pushed in by Anton Volchenkov. Not only are the Panthers mimicking the Sens by scoring almost right after them, they copped the Sens’ get-pushed-into-the-cage-by-the-defenceman trick on the home team’s first...

...The Sens’ first, of course, saw Chris Kelly charge hard to poke in the biscuit, but only after Jesse Winchester was pushed into Anderson by Nick Boynton (one of three former 67s on the ice), rendering the keeper helpless. “It’s a good hockey goal,” announced the zebra...

...Besides the loss, lots of positives for the home squad, which, after four straight wins, finally loses the first contest in the new black unis (Official Presidential Opinion: the new third jerseys are okay, but the “SENS” script definitely drags them down. Longtime TV beat reporter Patricia Boal makes a good point that the “O” design that was all over the Internet would look too much like a zero, but the old-school touch is always safe) Notably so: the Two Cents honourable mention. Besides his two third-period penalties—including a suspendable hit from behind on Blair McLean—Anton Volchenkov had a heck of a game. In the first, he makes a stop in front, clears it, then Gregory Campbell tries a cross crease pass in front—two big defensive plays on same shift for the A-train...

...A later shift had him throw a solid check in the back end, then hop on the rush and follow up his own scoring chance with a great short-side whack. Ditto with another good whack off a second-period Jason Spezza slapper. How about a third-period three-on-two? Vermette, Fisher, and A-Train...

...Not mention a point-blank slapper in the same frame. A busy game overall, and A-Train still found time to jump the rush, maybe starting his audition for the season-long Puck-Moving D-Man Sweepstakes...

...The much-ballyhooed Jarkko Ruutu-Cody Bass-Chris Neil bruiser line needs more skill on it, particularly at centre. On one first-period shift, the physical component of the line shone through, as Bass and Neil both finished four checks each...

...However, it’s the only component of the line most of the time, as the checks were late and the puck was cleared by the Panthers twice. When Mike Fisher began to see some time on that line in the latter half of the game, you could tell the dynamic of it began to change, as some chances happened...

...Newsflash: the Panther D can move. A Chris Phillips failed check allowed Ville Peltonen to break through on a two-on-one coast-to-coast and have a good shot at the glove side on the 1-1 tying goal. The offensively-minded Bryan McCabe nearly scored on a bad rebound on the rebound on the short side later as well...

...The Panthers may be mired in mediocrity for the rest of this year, but as long as they have Jay-Bo leading the charge, watch out for their free-wheeling, puck-moving back end...

...Poor old Antoine Vermette—Campbell pushed him just enough to stop a wraparound in the second period, moments after Pepe was in the slot on an early second-period chance. Sooner or later the most snakebitten Sen will light the lamp...

LINE OF THE NIGHT: “He looks like Tim Thomas when Tim Thomas looks like Tim Thomas,” said Dean Brown, as he and colour man Garry Galley commented on the lack of “comfortability” (a new made-up Galley word) displayed by Anderson in the Florida net, off a Mike Fisher poke that seemingly knocked him back. Thomas, of course, is the confident but anti-fundamentals Bruins goalie...

FUNNY STUFF: Somewhat ironic that beer giant Molson Canadian is sponsoring the “Keys to the Game,” which used to be sponsored by—you guessed it—GM. You know the current economic climate is tough when the money-bleeding car company gives up dibs on that segment to a product that shouldn’t be near car keys. Oh well, we all know that Molson does campaign against impaired driving. Know what? Why don’t the Molson folks start sponsoring the “Last minute of play” promotion, instead of GM’s Pontiac and Chevrolet? Would be an ideal trade. GM gets the keys, and Molson could liken the last minute to last call at the bar…

...Maybe it was the camera angle, but bruiser D-man Jason Smith looked exactly like U.S. sports talk radio king Jim Rome from the side...

...He, of course, is taking part in the team’s hideous (but successful) moustache-growing contest, but going full-goatee. What would really be funny would be to hear Smith impersonating Rome and sounding off on some of the entries, including that of Antoine Vermette, who Jason Spezza says looks like Pepe Le Pew. Best part though? Sidney Crosby still wouldn’t qualify for the sweepstakes…

...A Sportsnet camera caught former Sens coach and current Panthers GM Jacques Martin in a rather awkward, extended piece of footage of him on the phone in the Bank’s arena-level corridor. Was meant to be a harmless cameo, but it just ended up looking like any “deal” he was making on the phone wasn’t really a hockey one…

...Another really funny promo, depending on how dirty your mind is and what kind of poker is played, is the “Game in a Flash,” brought to you by Party Poker…

...Funny to see Brett McLean literally walking away with the net on the Florida non-goal, as the puck started to cross the line...

…State Farm has an advertisement on the end which the visiting team attacks twice. Wouldn’t it be better if the ad was switched to the other end so the Senators, a terrible third-period team the past two years, could be inspired into some insurance goals?...

OTHER STUFF: The captain had a heck of a dipsy-doodle show in the second, as he cycled around the corner more than Lance Armstrong. Not only that, but he nearly converted a Spezza offering, then hammered his man into the boards to keep the rush going. The Sens managed to change up their defencemen on the play, against some clearly tired Panthers...

...Don’t forget the captain’s three posts hit in this one as well, the second and third (yes, the same shot!) off a Slick Spezz Dispenser Saucer…Most Predictable Block of the Year: Stephen Weiss, already kneeling down, to turn away what turned out to be a 10-foot Nick Foligno slapper…Those in-game interviews are neat for the fans, but they need to stop. What helps a player lose focus more than a reporter (kudos to Ian Mendes though, he’s solid) sticking a microphone in his sweaty face?…

...Jason Spezza, scoring on that zero angle for the second game in a row, has found his new office…The third period saw a subtle but smart play by the veteran Jason Smith on a mid-third penalty kill: knowing he was unlikely to make a safe clear with two Panthers in the way, he chipped the puck expertly back to himself, took a huge stride, then made the safe dump. Little plays like these win games...

…Interesting Stat Line of the Night: Kudos to A-Train’s eight hits, but Mike Fisher edges him with nine shots (two more didn’t reach the keeper), five hits, two blocked shots, and six faceoffs won. He was busy…Last but not least: It’s the anniversary of the legendary Beatle John Lennon’s death, already 28 years ago. Should the Sens win Stanley this summer, think of the Sens Mile and imagine all the people…

ARCHIVE: http://sens2cents.blogspot.com
SENS ARMY CENTRAL: http://forums.ottawasenators.com

Nate Robinson Visits School, Sent to Principal's Office (Humor)

Greg Gallagher — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:43:40 -0400

New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson recently visited P.S. 187 in Brooklyn, along with a few other NBA players, to talk to students about the importance of staying in school.

Unwittingly, he caused a stir.

He was en route to a 12th grade classroom to give his talk when he approached by a teacher, who asked to see his hall pass.

"Why, do I need one?" said the diminutive Robinson, whom the teacher assumed was a student.

"What grade are you in? You know full well you're supposed to have a hall pass when it's not lunch or recess," said the teacher, who reportedly laughed when Robinson said he was a visiting NBA player.

The teacher took Robinson to the principal's office.

"I heard he might have been coming," said the principal, Andre Iguodala, who sent Robinson to detention. "I told him he didn't have 12 chances this time to explain his way out of it."

Iguodala was referring in not-so-subtle fashion to Robinson's final dunk in the 2006 Slam Dunk contest, which Robinson won by a single point.

MSG chairman James Dolan, upon hearing the news, instructed new Knicks president and general manager Donnie Walsh to take swift action.

"Nate got in some off-court trouble, and that's not consistent with our new team philosophy," said Walsh, who announced the team had reached a deal to buy out Robinson.

To address the new vacancy at point guard, the Knicks signed Shawn Bradley to a six-year, $100 million contract.

At this rate, the Knicks will be over the salary cap "for the next 103 years," according to a league executive.

Lowe-Blow: Brian Burke's Rubber Duck Stolen By Oilers GM, Feud Continues (Humor)

Greg Gallagher — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:32:25 -0400

EDMONTON, Alta. — Edmonton Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe has struck back again at Brian Burke.

After being subject to the outspoken Anaheim Ducks general manager's constant negativity through the press following last year's controversial offer sheet to restricted free agent Dustin Penner, Lowe finally struck back recently during an interview on Edmonton sports radio.

When NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told the two to stop, both men did—but Lowe still wanted a piece of Burke.

Realizing that Burke could easily handle him in a fight, Lowe instead engaged in a covert operation and stole Burke's rubber duckie last week.

"The duck illegally put the Ducks over the salary cap," claimed Lowe, who is allegedly holding the duck hostage at Rexall Place. "Brian is hurting our league with these rogue, fowl signings."

However, Brian Burke surprised the media when asked for comment.

"I would advise Kevin to keep his hands off my duck," he said. "At the last GM meeting, I took his entire 1994 POG collection from his hotel room, and I will smash it all to bits with my cast-iron Burke Salary Cap Slammer if he threatens my duck."

Burke also said his rubber duckie signing fell within the rules.

"You are clearly allowed to sign one duckie over the cap under the Bird Exception," he said about the duck, which reportedly prefers to "play the wing."

When informed that the Bird Exception actually referred to the NBA's salary cap rule, and not a rule allowing rubber birds on a team named after a bird, Burke was unrelenting.

"Kevin Lowe tried to sign an oil rig this summer," said Burke. "I bet it could play better defence than he ever did."

Lowe, for his part, is trying to take the high road.

"If he had just asked, I would have given him the POGs," said Lowe. "Otherwise, he'd better hope his Salary Cap Slammer has a darn good chick magnet in it so he can attract something other than rubber duckies to go on a date with."

Ottawa Senators were closer than you'd think in 2007 Stanley Cup final

Greg Gallagher — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:50:10 -0400

Series only truly turned in third period of Game 4

It’s been over a year since the Ottawa Senators’ dreams of their first championship in over 80 years unravelled in shocking fashion, when they lost 6-2 to the Anaheim Ducks in the decisive Game 5 of the 2007 Stanley Cup final.

Back home, they wasted no time putting away the Senators, who finally cracked under pressure and simply self-destructed in all facets of the game. The goal by Chris Phillips on his own team, the whiffed penalty shot by Antoine Vermette, and weak goals let in by goaltender Ray Emery were notable low-lights.

The 2007 Ducks were a big, mean squad that physically punished the Senators at nearly every possible opportunity, and scored timely goals.

They also barely made it to the Stanley Cup final, and were lucky to get away with what they did physically – but more on the bruising later.

Many would say Ottawa really lost the series early on after going into a 2-0 hole, and that Game 5 was simply the icing on the cake.

Not so. They were in it until the third period of Game 4, which led to the total write-off that was Game 5.

By the skin of their teeth

After Game 4 was in the books, the Ducks had won a record 12 one-goal games in their playoff run, equalling their own record from 2003, and Montreal’s 1993 run.

This meant that getting through all four rounds was done by the skin of their teeth. Nine of the 12 required victories to claim the West were by one goal, along with three in the Cup final (3-2 in Game 1, 1-0 in Game 2, 3-2 in Game 4).

Five of the Ducks’ nine one-goal games to beat the Western teams were in overtime, including three in Round 2 vs. Vancouver, and two in the Conference final vs. Detroit.

The Ducks caught a huge break when Red Wings defenceman Andreas Lilja whiffed on a breakout pass, allowing Teemu Selanne to score in overtime of Game 5. With only 47 seconds left in the third period, Ducks defenceman Scott Niedermayer had scored the Ducks’ only goal of the game with the man advantage, tying the contest.

Hardly a walk.

Granted, the Senators also won two overtime games in the Eastern Conference final vs. Buffalo, but also made quick work of the East in a 12-3 romp.

Ray Emery...for Conn Smythe?

Well, that could be a stretch now, but it was not outrageous at the time.

During the aforementioned 12-3 romp, Senators goaltender Ray Emery had three shutouts en route to the final, while his opponent in the final, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, had none.

It should be pointed out that Emery had the shutdown tandem of Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov playing in front of him, with the latter leading the league with 273 blocked shots in the regular season.

In the same breath, Emery made the stops when he needed to. In the second round, he outshone future hall-of-famer Martin Brodeur, who let in several soft goals.

Notably, the brash Emery shone in the third round against the Sabres. An athletic, aggressive netminder who was at his peak, one of Emery’s best and most crucial saves came in overtime of Game 2 of the series, when he denied Thomas Vanek a wraparound attempt with a quick stretch of his right pad.

The would-be series-tying goal found Emery’s pad, opening the door for Joe Corvo to score in the second overtime, putting the Sabres in a 2-0 series hole. Emery would go on to shut out the Sabres 1-0 in a razor-thin Game 3, before the Senators dropped Game 4 despite nearly digging themselves out of a 3-0 hole (they lost 4-3).

Fast-forward to Game 2 of the Cup showdown with the Ducks, which might have been Emery’s best. As Giguere shone at the other end, thwarting the Senators’ glorious chances to take the lead on a 5-on-3 power play, Emery made big saves of his own on Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Rob Niedermayer.

Emery would let in the only goal of the game with just over four minutes left, a screened shot from Samuel Pahlsson on the wing that would hold up as the winner.

In front of him, his team held up well, considering the beating they took in Game 1 while managing to take two leads. Drawing on the positives, the Senators returned to hockey-mad Ottawa.

Bowman to Murray: Ducks flying in the face of the rulebook

Game 3 set the stage for what would be a clearly energized Senators team, considering how close they came in the first two under hostile circumstances.

Before Game 2, Senators coach Bryan Murray had to bite his tongue about the officiating in the series thus far. The most penalized team during the regular season for their aggressive, physical style, the Ducks seemed determined to win at all physical cost, which was evident in their ascent to the final.

“They got their physical play from good dump-ins and not us holding anybody up. Their first man in got the hits,” he told the Ottawa Sun. “That was the main part. The other part is when people are standing around in front of the net trying to defend and they’re hammering away at our defencemen, as well as our goaltender. Those are two areas that concern me.”

Murray said he spoke with former Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman, who at the time was a special assistant to general manager Ken Holland, about the Ducks’ tactics. Murray said that Bowman warned him about the illegal obstruction the Ducks employed to send the Wings packing.

“I just talked to some of the Detroit people and they just told me this is the way it went (in the last series),” Murray also told the Sun. “I guess it should have been clear in my mind this is what’s going to happen and we’ll be allowed to do likewise.”

Clearly, a thinly-veiled shot at the zebras.

As the series unfolded, it became clear that the checking line of Samuel Pahlsson and wingers Rob Niedermayer and Travis Moen knew their roles and were pushing the boundaries. As Murray alluded to, the Senators’ defence—and often Emery too—got pounded at every opportunity. In Game 4, a frustrated Emery tried to sell the latest run on him by Niedermayer, finally resulting in Ducks penalty.

The most obvious consequence of this for the Senators?

The Pahlsson-Moen-Niedermayer unit had last change in Anaheim, so the trio were able to effectively keep the powerful Ottawa line of Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley, and Daniel Alfredsson in check, obstructively speaking or not.

Bruising defencemen Chris Pronger and Francois Beauchemin, as Murray alluded to, were only too happy to obstruct Ottawa forwards from gaining the zone. Pronger, of course, only got suspended one game for elbowing Dean McAmmond in the head to try and prevent McAmmond’s Game 3 winner, despite being a repeat offender (he sat out Game 6 of the Detroit series for cross-checking Tomas Holmstrom into the glass in Game 5).

Game 3: stealing back momentum

Despite the adversity, the Senators took matters into their own hands in Game 3. The Ducks took three leads in the game, but the Senators erased all of them and won 5-3 in their most determined effort yet, in front of a red-clad, raucous Scotiabank Place crowd of 20,500.

Chris Neil led a revengeful physical effort, notably tattooing Teemu Selanne into the glass for one of his five hits on the night (The Senators outhit the Ducks 32-26), and also potted the tying goal.

The Senators scored three straight goals to close out the game, which saw the Ducks take seven of 12 third-period penalties handed out.

More calls on the Ducks created more chances for the Senators, who jumped on the opportunity to shut down their bigger opponents on a suddenly even playing field. Despite the Dean McAmmond injury in the third, momentum was the Senators’ heading into Game 4, and one stat showed it all.

Shots on goal.

Ottawa’s momentum in Game 3 allowed the team to force the issue with the Ducks, who managed a paltry three shots on net in the final frame. This would continue into Game 4, as the Ducks managed just two shots in the opening period.

Game 4: the tide begins to turn

After nearly escaping the first period unscathed, despite being outshot 13-2, the Ducks allowed Daniel Alfredsson to score in heartbreaking fashion off of a slick feed from Mike Fisher, with 0.3 seconds remaining.

Normally, a team would be deflated after such a goal. After missing a glorious opportunity to take an insurmountable 3-0 lead in the series two nights before, the Ducks effectively allowed the Senators back in the series; up 1-0 after one period, at home, and only down 2-1 in the best-of-seven.

This moment was truly a turning point for either team, and therefore the series overall. Either the Senators hold on and make it a best-of-three, or the Ducks find it within themselves to claw back and put the hammer on any comeback attempt.

The Ducks proved themselves mentally stronger, and refused to let either the Senators or the officiating, which finally improved in Game 3, rattle their psyche or change their bruising battle plan. Rob Niedermayer led a hit parade and a rejuvenated defensive effort in the second period that was stronger than ever.

The Senators’ psyche would hold up, but not much longer. Outshot 13-4 in the second frame, the suddenly vulnerable team allowed two more goals from Andy McDonald, who ended up with five in the series.

McDonald didn’t even score until midway through the period, after Ottawa killed off two straight penalties. He outwaited Emery and defenceman Andrej Meszaros, swirling around both to roof it in an open cage.

Exactly one minute later, he caught Chris Neil not hustling back on the backcheck, and took a Rob Niedermayer pass right in on Emery and tucked one under the pads that Emery should have had. Fearless defender Anton Volchenkov slapped his stick in disgust on the play.

“Say it ain’t so,” blared Weezer through the loudspeakers.

The slide was evident on the other end when the Ducks’ defensive pressure only allowed Dany Heatley (three), and one other Senators player (Alfredsson, with a 48-foot wrister) to hit the net. Heatley would score to tie things up heading into the third off of a cross-ice Spezza feed, but it was the beginning of the end.

The frustration got the better of Alfredsson, as the Conn Smythe Trophy favourite and Ottawa’s beloved hockey hero shot the puck at fellow captain Scott Niedermayer in the dying moments of the second frame.

It was obvious, uncalled for, and unfair. Even fellow Swedish national teammate Samuel Pahlsson was sure to physically make his displeasure clear to Alfredsson, and undoubtedly the incident and the melee that ensued gave the all the Ducks a chip on their shoulders heading to the dressing rooms.

“We took it as an act of desperation to try and get his club going,” commented Ryan Getzlaf afterwards in a jubilant Ducks dressing room.

“It definitely hit a chord with our hockey club,” added Ducks coach Randy Carlyle, talking about his captain’s leadership following the incident. “The thing that surprised me the most about it all was that Scott Niedermayer took it upon himself to tell the team to just turn the page on it.”

A sad moment for the classy Alfredsson, it was the harbinger of the death march for his team; if the Ducks could get inside the leader’s head, they were on the right path.

Nail in the coffin: Dustin Penner, 4:07

Cue the inspirational speeches and clichés; the season was officially on the line for the Senators. At home, with 2-2 on the scoreboard, and facing a rejuvenated Ducks squad that didn’t need anymore inspiration before their captain was rattled, it was time to lay it on the line.

Dustin Penner, who hadn’t scored since Round 2, had other ideas.

In a play with haunting similarity to the third-period winning goal in 2003’s heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference final, a few Senators were caught with their pants down.

In that game, Wade Redden was caught defending two Devils after defensive partner Karel Rachunek was caught up ice and did not make a quick decision on which Devil to defend. Devils winger Grant Marshall got the puck through Redden’s legs to Jeff Friesen, who had an easy shot. In the blink of an eye, the Senators’ season was done.

Fast forward to 2007. Chris Neil and Chris Kelly got caught up ice forechecking, which led to both Penner and Teemu Selanne rushing freely towards the Ottawa blue line. This time, it was Redden’s split-second decision that was costly; instead of standing up Selanne physically at the line, he turned to chase Penner and both got in cleanly and despite a momentary bungling of the puck, the mistake allowed Selanne to find a charging Penner, who had a wide-open cage.

After turning on his heels, Redden was a full two strides behind Penner. Sadly, the play exemplified the criticism Redden had taken all year for his dropoff in play after a stellar, 50-point 2005-06 campaign that earned him a two-year, $13 million extension.

The series was effectively over after the goal, if the Senators could not respond.

Emery, for his part, made up for the second McDonald goal with an unbelievable glove stop on Beauchemin late in the second, and stoned Corey Perry on a breakaway after Penner’s goal. Ironically, it was Penner that hauled down Joe Corvo in obvious fashion (no penalty was called) on the play and seemed to injure him, allowing Perry to move in alone.

It would not be enough help from Emery, as the Ducks closed the door on the mentally tired Senators after the Penner marker, allowing only three shots. The best chance came in the closing moments off of Andrej Meszaros’ stick.

The tide turns, and finally comes in

The pressure of the Alfredsson-Niedermayer incident, the two McDonald goals, and the Penner goal, plus travelling back to play at the raucous Honda Center down 3-1 would be too much.

After coming so close to getting back in the series, the Senators finally sunk, and sunk fast after the late Game 4 meltdown. No need to analyze the forgettable Game 5 if you’re an Ottawa fan; one replay of the Chris Phillips own-goal on Ray Emery will cement that notion.

Bryan Murray was even forced to double-shift Phillips and Volchenkov, as the Ducks’ relentless pressure was getting to the defensive pairing of Joe Corvo and Tom Preissing.

So the Ducks would celebrate their first Stanley Cup, albeit with somewhat of an asterisk.

Yes, they scored timely goals. Yes, they were mentally and physically tough. Yes, they had solid coaching and goaltending, and were very deep.

The asterisk?

Despite being the most penalized team in the league, there’s the whole matter of still getting away with all the illegal obstruction, crease-crashing, and body contact as well as catching the breaks to win those one-goal games

But as the saying goes, you’ve got to be lucky to be good, and good to be lucky.

That’s hockey, after all. Oftentimes, it’s reduced to a game of bounces.

The Ducks took it all, but the Senators were in it until the end, despite circumstances beyond their control.

Not that the Prince of Wales trophy is any huge consolation.

TALE OF THE TAPE: 2007 STANLEY CUP FINAL, GAMES 1-4

GOALS:

Ottawa 9

Anaheim 7

LEADS:

Anaheim 7

Ottawa 4

SHOTS:

Anaheim 106

Ottawa 88

PENALTY MINUTES:

Anaheim 58

Ottawa 42

"President's 2 Cents" archive of Gallagher's postgame Senators columns (mostly 2007 playoffs): http://sens2cents.blogspot.com