Bleacher Report - Articles by Stephen DiSchiavi

Ducks Soar in Game Two!

Stephen DiSchiavi — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 05:08:59 -0400

Jonas Hiller continued his hot streak with another stellar performance in net for Anaheim, as the Ducks sank the Sharks at home in game two. Bobby Ryan, Andrew Ebbett and Drew Miller all scored their first career playoff goals, supporting Hiller, and helping the Ducks skate away from San Jose 2-0 in the series.

The pressure was on the shoulders of the Sharks to perform better after being shut out in game one by Anaheim. The San Jose faithful waited in anticipation for the Sharks to strike. A big sigh of relief filled HP Pavilion as the Sharks were finally able to get their first goal of the series passed Hiller in the second period. A spectacular second goal by Jonathan Cheechoo brought the Sharks within one in the third period after a big non call by the officials.

A clear pick put on the Ducks' Bobby Ryan in the Sharks defensive zone by Cheechoo was not called and lead to the Sharks forward scoring the second goal of the game. Perhaps if an NBA official were available, the correct call would have been made on the play. Still the Ducks prevailed and will return home to Honda Center up two games on the first seeded Sharks.

The Ducks were again on the short end of the stick, being called for six penalties and San Jose only being called for two. The end result was the same, as the Sharks again were unsuccessful converting on the man advantage while the Ducks were able to convert on one of their two opportunities. The Sharks were able to out shoot the Ducks again for the second game.

The Ducks are living dangerously as they continue to take tick tack penalties, but after close observation it is the non-calls by the referees that are disheartening. The Ducks have a reputation in the NHL as being dirty, and because of this I believe they are not judged fairly by most referees. They are so busy keeping an eye on the Ducks that they are missing clear penalties by the Sharks.This was evident on the pick on Bobby Ryan.

The referee's however did try to make things even in the third period. In an attempt to make amends after a bad elbowing call on Ducks forward Mike Brown, Sharks defenseman Rob Blake was called two minutes later for holding. Ironically enough he held Brown. I agree with Blake that it was a soft call, but the referees clearly made the call to make up for the earlier bad call.

I can understand that not everything can be seen by the two referees, but some consistency would be nice to see during the playoffs.

More annoyingly, tonight were not the referees but the linesman who continually threw out both Shark and Duck centers from the face off circles. On numerous occasions, linesman crouched frozen taking longer than usual to drop the puck. The crowd of 17,000 plus felt the same way I did, wanting them to just drop the puck all ready. It's play like this that get players worked up and on edge. Just drop the puck and let them play!

"Do Ducks Know The Way to San Jose?"

Stephen DiSchiavi — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:29:01 -0400

The Ducks fly north to open up the Stanley Cup Playoffs against this years President Trophy winning San Jose Sharks.

The Ducks and Sharks met six times in the regular season with San Jose winning four out of the six. Now that the playoffs have arrived the series is zeroed out and both teams have a clean slate.

What we can expect to see in this series is a lot of emotion and bad blood between two teams that are very familiar with each other.

San Jose has been the cream of the crop all season and has played consistent hockey (53-18-11 = 117 points). The Ducks (42-33-7 = 91 points) on the other hand were inconsistent for most of the season circling around the lower depths of the Western Conference falling as low as 12th, but were able to put together a great final campaign and make it into the playoffs.

The Ducks closed the final 13 games of the regular season with 10 victories and Randy Carlyle seems to have found a working formula for his trade deadline acquisitions; Ryan Whitney, James Wisniewski, Pettri Nokelainan, and Erik Christensen.

The Ducks and Sharks were only able to muster up 12 goals a piece against each other in the regular season, but expect to see more points tallied up in the playoff series. The Ducks will have to figure out how to get the puck behind Nabokov and when they do it, it needs to be early and often. The Ducks tend to play better when they are ahead rather than behind.

The first line of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan are young, but dangerous every time they are on the ice. They need to keep their cool, put up big numbers and stay out of the penalty box. If this line can out produce the Sharks top line of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Devon Setoguchi than the Ducks will have a shot of upsetting the top seed in the West.

More importantly for Carlyle is that he has finally found a replacement for Andy McDonald on the second line to play along side with Teemu Selanne. Andrew Ebbet (8- 24 = 32 points) in his rookie campaign has played in only 48 games and has fit in nicely feeding Selanne with some spectacular passes. Ebbet’s speed compliments Selanne’s and he is able to keep up with the Finnish Flash. Both players seem to connect out on the ice and have a great chemistry. This tandem became even more dangerous with the addition of Drew Miller (3-1 = 4 points, last 12 games of the regular season) who has contributed since being recalled from the Iowa Chops back in early March.

The second line, or the "super 8's" which I like to call them, of Teemu Selanne (8), Andrew Ebbet (48) and Drew Miller (18) need to step it up and produce for the Ducks. If they can get hot and take some of the pressure off the big line of Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan then San Jose will have to come up with a new plan in order to stop both lines, which will be difficult to do.

The new checking line of Pettri Nokelainan, Rob Niedermayer and Todd Marchant will have the assignment of shutting down the Sharks top line which is nothing new for them. We will also see these three players along with Mike Brown killing off penalties, something the Ducks need to try and avoid doing to often. The Sharks have one of the best power plays in the league and the Ducks aren’t the best of killing them off, only 79%.

Todd Marchant has been the X-factor for the Ducks since the trade deadline. He has upped his game to a new level and it seems as if the team has taken notice and has responded. Marchant is a veteran leader on this team and has been a machine on the penalty kill. Expect to see Marchant get numerous opportunities in the offensive zone on and off the penalty kill.

The course of history shows that teams tend to not dress their enforcer for the playoffs. Why teams do this still baffles me. The Ducks’ George Parros ( 5-5 = 10 points) had a fantastic year setting new personal records in every offensive category. Don’t expect to see big George put any pucks in the back of the net, but be assured you will see him dance with Shark enforcer Jody Shelley here and there. Parros is a fan favorite and knows his role bringing excited and working hard in limited minutes along side Mike Brown and Erik Christensen.

Ducks fans can expect solid defense from a blue line consisting of four players with Stanley Cup Finals experience. Scott Niedermayer will be paired up with long time line mate Francios Beauchemin and Chris Pronger will continue to play with Ryan Whitney who was a member of last years Pittsburgh Penguins squad. James Wisniewski who has been playing alongside the captain Niedermayer will round out the pairings with Sheldon Brookbank. Wisniewski has been a great addition to the Ducks blue line with his head up play and smart choices with the puck. Look for him to contribute offensively with crisp outlet passing from the defensive zone.

In net Jonas Hiller has been hot tying a franchise record seven straight victories during the Ducks final push for the playoffs. Hiller will more than likely start the series in San Jose, but don’t forget about J.S. Giguere who has playoff experience and leads the NHL among active goaltenders in win % (33-17, .660) and second in save% (1357-for-1467, .925). If Giguere starts on the bench he will without a doubt be ready when his number is called upon. Shaky season or not, Jiggy will find his groove in the playoffs and that’s a scary thing if this series goes to seven games.

Keys to Series Success

Stay out of the penalty box.

Score first and score often.

Stay aggressive on the penalty kill and don’t allow San Jose to set up.

Keep the lines as is (Getz, Pers, Ryan; the super 8’s; shut down & enforcer line)

Win one of the first two games in San Jose.

"The Stars Align Setting Up Sharks and Ducks"

Stephen DiSchiavi — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:57:36 -0400

Western Conference seeds had to wait for the St. Louis Blues to either win or lose their final game to determine where each team would fall. Columbus sat in the sixth seed, two points ahead of St. Louis and Anaheim sat in the seventh spot only one point ahead.

After witnessing a very dramatic and controversial Ducks loss against the San Jose Sharks at home, one could only wish for another game against these two clubs. A loss by the Blues would keep the Ducks pegged against Detroit and a win would drop them down to face the Sharks. As much as fans would hate their team dropping a position in the standings I believe hockey fans, not just Ducks fans, were hoping for a Blues win.

The stars have seemed to have aligned after a crazy weekend having St. Louis win, Columbus lose, and Anaheim tie, in their final regular season games setting the teams up in the sixth, seventh, and eighth seeds respectively.

The Ducks and Sharks are now slated for a blood bath of a series and I believe both teams are ready for the challenge. What better way for San Jose to finally climb that ladder to the Stanley Cup Finals by beating a former Stanley Cup champion?

What better way for Anaheim to make a statement and march on from the eighth seed walking away from San Jose and beating the NHL's 2008-2009 President Trophy winning Sharks?

This series holds a lot of bad blood between the teams and should be one of the most exciting to watch in the first round. This will not be your regular first seed beating on a helpless eighth seed. It is not an eighth seed Cinderella story or a David & Goliath battle.

This is a battle of two juggernauts ready to go at it at the drop of the first puck. These two teams will go toe to toe and will not disappoint. Let's hope that Chris Lee and Dan O'Rourke do not officiate at all in this series or have learned from the previous game between the two clubs what was missed. If not then we will have a blood bath in California that will go the distance in a deciding and exciting game 7.

NHL Western Conference Playoff Predictions

Stephen DiSchiavi — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 05:10:01 -0400

Now that the Western Conference seeds have been set, here are my predictions for things will play out:

First Round

No. 1 San Jose Sharks vs. No. 8 Anaheim Ducks

This will mark the first time two California teams will meet in a playoff series. The regular season series was won by a consistent and powerful San Jose team in six.

If the Ducks continue to roll, play disciplined hockey, and stay out of the penalty box, they will walk away with the series, despite the Sharks being the President Trophy winners. The Sharks will continue their playoff history by being eliminated. No, Ron Wilson, it wasn't your fault.

Prediction: Ducks in Seven

No. 2 Detroit Red Wings vs. No. 7 Columbus Blue Jackets

Division foes square off as the defending Stanley Cup Champions begin their title defense against a well known opponent. Shaky goal tending will be the downfall of the Red Wings, even with the talent that surrounds them. The Blue Jackets will ride Steve Mason and Captain Rick Nash and knock off the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

Prediction: Blue Jackets in six

No. 3 Vancouver Canucks vs. No. 6 St. Louis Blues

St. Louis is the Cinderella story of the Western Conference with their late charge into the post season, but the clock will strike 12 with the Sedin twins playing their best hockey of their young careers and Roberto Luongo in net.

Prediction: Canucks in four

No. 4 Chicago Blackhawks vs. No. 5 Calgary Flames

Chicago has been on a roll the past couple of weeks, where the Flames have been slipping. After running away with what was clear to be the Northwest division title, Calgary has fallen and has not been playing consistent hockey. If Miikka Kiprusoff gets hot I think the Flames may have a chance, but Chicago has the edge in this series.

Prediction: Blackhawks in five

Second Round

No. 3 Canucks vs. No. 8 Ducks

The Ducks have more experience. If they can figure out Luongo and shut down the Sedin twins, they will be able to sneak past the Northwest Division champs.

Prediction: Ducks in six

No. 4 Blackhawks vs. No. 7 Blue Jackets

Steve Mason goes cold and Rick Nash can't carry the team all by himself. Youth and strength take Blackhawks into the Western Conference Finals.

Prediction: Blackhawks in five

Western Conference Finals

No. 4 Blackhawks vs. No. 8 Ducks

Chicago jumps all over the older and tired Anaheim squad, but experience and wisdom kick in and J.S. Giguere is resurrected. Anaheim bounces back and forces an exciting game seven, on the road.

Prediction: Ducks in seven

Are the Anaheim Ducks Ready To Get Jiggy With It?

Stephen DiSchiavi — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 04:18:46 -0400

Good Friday brought good news and good fortune to all the Anaheim faithful as the Anaheim Ducks clinched their fourth consecutive playoff berth with a shootout victory win over the Dallas Stars.

The Ducks didn’t disappoint a sellout crowd at the Honda Center with an exciting final home game.

All seemed in the bag the final three minutes of regulation with the Ducks playing keep away from the Stars.

That was until Steve Ott ripped his second goal of the game with only 13 seconds left, sending the game into overtime. In the end, both teams were unable to find the back of the net during the overtime period sending the game into a shootout.

Failed attempts by Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan left the weight of the game on the shoulders of Ryan Getzlaf, after Dallas was able to get a goal passed Jonas Hiller.

Getzlaf answered the call with a goal and Hiller was able to stand tall against Mike Modano as he clanged his shot off the top cross bar pushing the shootout into another round.

On fan appreciation night, it was fan favorite Teemu Selanne scoring the winning goal out-dueling Dallas goaltender Marty Turco.

Rushing down the ice the veteran Selanne forced Turco into making a quick move only to stop just short of Turco and simply shooting the puck over the sprawled and defenseless goaltender.

Hiller would come up with yet another great save extending his phenomenal performance record in shootout play.

With tonight’s victory, the Ducks have sealed a spot in the Western Conference playoffs, but which seed is still to be determined.

Multiple scenarios can happen and the Ducks have no power on how other teams will fair the last two days of the regular season.

With the Ducks clearly in the playoffs one order of business needs to be addressed and that is starting J.S. Giguere in goal versus the Phoenix Coyotes.

The Ducks will need Jiggy in the playoffs and the game versus the Coyotes will hopefully give him the opportunity to get his game back.

The Ducks will need both Jiggy and Hiller in order to make a successful playoff run and Randy Carlyle will need to know if he can call upon Jiggy when they need him.

I have no doubts Carlyle will give the goaltending nod to Jiggy and the Ducks will give him the support needed to rebuild his confidence back in net.

The Coyotes players are playing hard and recently put a 4-1 beating on the league leading San Jose Sharks so this will be a great test for Giguere.

The Ducks need to continue to play their game and not let up knowing they are officially in the playoffs. They will need Jiggy in the playoffs and Jiggy will need them.

Caution: Ducks X-ing

Stephen DiSchiavi — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:15:38 -0400

With only a few days left in the regular season teams are still trying to secure a spot for this year's playoffs. In the western conference Anaheim, St. Louis, Minnesota, and Nashville are fighting to make it into the final two slots and get that 'X' next to their name.

Without a game until Friday the Ducks can only sit and wait and see what happens with the other clubs who have all been in competition this week.

After a frustrating loss against the league leading San Jose Sharks, the Ducks are looking for some pay back. With only two games remaining this weekend against the Dallas Stars and Phoenix Coyotes, the Ducks can possibly lock up a playoff spot and possibly fall into the eighth position which would set up a series against San Jose. This would mark the first time two California teams would meet in a playoff series.

If I were San Jose I would be watching very closely at who gets into the eighth and final spot and not worry about trying to secure the President's trophy because the Ducks are one of the most dangerous teams right now in the NHL. San Jose knows first hand after a 5-2 defeat last Saturday and a not so easy 3-2 road victory the very next night in the Honda Center.

Most people know that the Ducks haven’t been that much of a home team this year. The Ducks have been more successful flying away from home and taking away victories from home teams. That sparks a problem for the Sharks who will have home ice advantage against any team they face in the western conference.

A poll on the Sharks homepage asks the question, “who would be the Sharks toughest first round opponent?” Anaheim is leading the voting at 46% over second place St. Louis with 15%. The fans know it, do the Sharks?

San Jose is slated to get both Claude Lemieux and Mike Grier back into their lineup and it couldn’t be at a better time. San Jose will need them at their best if they are going to be facing a feisty and very upset Anaheim Ducks squad who has been tremendous of late, especially on the power play.

Time will tell when the Ducks face off against Dallas this Friday at home and in Phoenix against the Coyotes on Saturday. Will four days of rest throw them off their hot streak? Or will they continue to storm through teams and secure a playoff spot and be a force to be reckoned with? We'll know this weekend.

Dear all western conference teams, the Ducks are not out of it just yet and they’re playing like they want to make a point. Oh yeah, they won the Stanley Cup only a couple of seasons ago. Ye’ all be warned. The Ducks are flying high and don’t plan on stopping until they reach the finals.

"Mighty" Marchant in March

Stephen DiSchiavi — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:41:24 -0400

The dust has finally settled from the recent NHL trade deadline and teams around the league are getting to know their new acquisitions. For the Anaheim Ducks, there are many new faces and names now on the roster. Gone are those who fans have come to love and cheer for, and I'm sure they wish them all fairly well.

With the recent roster adjustments, players have been given new opportunities to play on different lines. Ducks coach Randy Carlyle has been mixing and matching his players on different lines since the trade deadline, trying to find the best combinations and chemistry.

Out of the dust has emerged the Ducks' energetic veteran forward Todd Marchant, who I believe has been one of the best Ducks since the March 4 deadline. Since March 4, Marchant has earned 1-3=4 points, has been winning just above 59 percent in the face-off circle, and is logging more ice time.

With the departure of Travis Moen and Samuel Pahlsson, Ducks coach Randy Carlyle has been toying with different combinations for his shutdown line. Recently, Carlyle has been sticking with the combination of Marchant alongside Petteri Nokelainen and Rob Niedermayer. This combination has seen to be a pretty good fit, shutting down opposing teams' top lines in previous games.

Resuming his role as Carlyle's top penalty killer, Marchant has been pestering the opposition's power play units, as well as finding quality scoring chances. Marchant scored his second short-handed goal of the season and the 25th of his career on March 8, vs. Minnesota. He continues to find his way to the opposing teams' nets during the penalty kill and has had multiple short-handed attempts in recent games.

On March 11 vs. Vancouver, it was Marchant who "muscled the puck out form the left wing boards" to his fellow teammate Chris Pronger, who found the streaking Scott Niedermayer breaking away to score the overtime winner. Since the March 11 victory over Vancouver, Anaheim has only lost one game and that was a 1-0 heartbreaker to the Pacific division leading Sharks. The Ducks are now on a three game winning streak and heading into Nashville to face the Predators, who are sitting tight in the eighth and final playoff spot.

Both Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger have turned up their games as of late, contributing three points each in the Ducks' previous win over Phoenix, and are ranked one and two in total on ice time in the NHL. The Ducks will continue to need the veteran leadership of both Niedermayer and Pronger, as well as the continuing energy and grit from Todd Marchant, if they want to sneak into the playoffs.

Sitting Ducks

Stephen DiSchiavi — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:27:27 -0500

Sitting Ducks

With the upcoming March 4th trade deadline and the Ducks right in the thick of the playoff race one would think the Ducks maybe looking to swap a player or two to help with that final push to secure a spot in the tight Western Conference. Watching the Ducks this season it has been very disappointing. Many thought they would be more of a contender than they have shown.

This year they don’t have their trip to London to use as an excuse or the late arrivals of Scotty and Teemu. Sure there have been a couple of injuries here and there and the loss of Francios Beauchemin was big, but with one door closing another opens.

The salary cap was able to open up for Bobby Ryan to step into the mix bringing much needed energy and scoring. The hunger the Ducks once showed has been dormant for most of the season. The goals are not coming as easy as they use to and you can see the frustration there in all of their faces. I don’t believe age is a factor for this team. There is no need to trade for younger players.

The Ducks have great veteran leadership all around with the mixture of youth, speed, grit and talent. Bobby Ryan has showed that he can play at this level and is a definite lock not to go anywhere. His name shouldn’t even be uttered in a trade right now.

Goal-tending has been shaky this season and J.S. Giguere hasn’t been himself, but I’m sure we all know why. It’s always hard losing someone close to you. We all know this. I believe Randy Carlyle has been smart giving more starts to Jonas Hiller, who has been doing a great job this year, holding down the fort while Giggy gets back on path which I believe he is doing now. He should be ready by the time the playoffs come and Hiller will give the Ducks solid goal-tending as well when he his called on once or twice.

The energetic play of Ryan and Andrew Ebbet have been rays of light for the Ducks and I think the play of the rookies have possibly raised the spirits and play of the veterans just in time to make a final push into the playoffs. The ageless Teemu Selanne still skates with ease and has that scoring touch that teams will have to look out for. The long road trip is going to be a big test and with the recent victory over Buffalo I believe the Ducks are getting that feeling of knowing they can win again. Steve Montador seems to be getting better and better each game and he’s making great decisions with the puck. I believe him to be the Francios Beauchemin of this year. Talking about defense, there have been words of possibly Chris Pronger being dealt.

I really believe that making any waves with the defense right now will only hamper the Ducks chance of getting into the playoffs. I believe the veteran experience of Pronger, Scott Niedermayer and Bret Hedican mixed with a younger less experienced defense-man has been working for the Ducks and the organization shouldn’t shuffle the cards they already have. If any move were to be made it would be on offense.

The Ducks have been struggling in the face off circle and I believe that is the one thing that is needed for this team (Adam Oates where are you?) With Samual Phalsson out right now the Ducks are without their best face off man and have no one else really to turn to.

If the Ducks are looking to get somewhere in the playoffs they best be looking for someone who excels in the face off circle. Adam Oates was a key player in the Ducks first trip to the Stanley Cup finals. The Ducks are in need of another solid veteran face off man just like Oates to get the job done. Right now that is the only missing piece to the puzzle for this Ducks team.

Being the heavy Ducks fan that I am its hard to put players on the trading block. I would like to keep the roster as is. I’m still upset that Brad May was traded to Toronto, but believe it was the best for him since he wasn’t playing as much as he did last year. With the acquisition of Mike Brown, Ryan Carter is expendable. One of the three M’s could possibly be dealt, but only one; Todd Marchant, Travis Moen, or Brendan Morrison.

If Moen were to go Marchant would fit in very nicely in the shut down line. I believe a draft pick and current Duck could possibly get us a decent face off man, but other than that the Ducks should just sit and not make any other moves.