Wondering who will win wild West
Expect long series matching Anaheim’s experience against Nashville’s speed
A breakdown of the Western Conference final between the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks. Sweet revenge?
When the Ducks look across the ice at Pekka Rinne and Co., they’ll see the team that punted them out of the playoffs a year ago in Game 7 at Anaheim’s Honda Center. The Ducks exorcised their home ice Game 7 demons by beating Edmonton 2-1 Wednesday. Now it’s time to deal with their Preds issues.
Blue- line bonanza
How’s this for a cache of talented defencemen 27 or younger? Ducks: Hampus Lindholm, Cam Fowler, Josh Hanson, Brandon Montour, Shea Theodore, Sami Vatanen. Preds: Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, Ryan Ellis, P.K. Subban. Arguably the best two young blue-lines in the NHL.
Music City makeover
Preds GM David Poile has not been shy in giving his team a facelift in recent seasons, bringing in the likes of James Neal and Ryan Johansen while bidding adieu to Seth Jones and Patric Hornqvist. But the biggest move may have come when he dealt captain Shea Weber for the always flamboyant P.K. Subban. No one move should get credit for the Preds success; instead, it’s a result of all of them.
Randy’s just dandy
There were no shortage of critics who claimed Randy Carlyle’s coaching tactics were antiquated when he was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs midway through the 2014-15 season. Good thing Ducks GM Bob Murray didn’t agree.
How They Match Up
Forwards: Can anyone dispute Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf should be considered a Conn Smythe Trophy front-runner? On the defensive side, Ryan Kesler is one of the fiercest checkers among NHL forwards. The Preds do have firepower, yet are averaging just 2.8 goals per game. Edge: Ducks.
Defence: Obviously both these teams have outstanding young blue-liners. But with the emergence of Ryan Ellis as an offensive force alongside Subban, Ekholm and Josi, this elite top-four gets the nod. Edge: Slight one to Preds. Goal: It’s been a roller-coaster ride for the Ducks’ John Gibson, who has already been yanked twice this spring only to rebound to lead Anaheim to series-clinching victories. Still, his post-season performance pales in comparison to that of the Preds’ Pekka Rinne, whose .951 playoff save percentage is tops. Edge: Preds.
Coaching: Both the Predators’ Peter Laviolette and the Ducks’ Randy Carlyle have led teams to Cups before. Carlyle’s decision to move Nick Ritchie to the first line with Getzlaf and Corey Perry in Game 7
against the Oilers resulted in Ritchie scoring the winning goal.
Edge: Ducks. Special Teams: Preds PP (20.0 per cent), PK (87.5 per cent); Ducks PP (13.9 per cent), PK (69.0 per cent). Simply put, the Ducks special teams have been brutal.
Edge: Preds.
Intangibles: We give the nod to the Ducks for one reason — Getzlaf, Perry and Carlyle each have a Cup ring and know the grind it takes to win one.
Edge: Ducks.
Key Matchup
Ducks’ Ryan Getzlaf/Ryan Kesler/Corey Perry vs. Predators’ D
While the Preds admittedly have an elite defence, this is not the most physical group. Expect the beefy Getzlaf and the ornery Perry and Kesler to take the body on the forecheck whenever possible. How the Nashville blue-liners deal with the Ducks’ bruising game plan will go a long way in determining who wins.
Preds Win If
They can implement their game plan, one that dictates playing as fast as possible. The Ducks got in trouble against the Oilers when Edmonton used its speed advantage to exploit the slower Anaheim forwards.
Ducks Win If
1) Good John Gibson, not bad John Gibson, shows up; 2) Getzlaf and Co. can slow the games down and turn them into dump-and-chase contests in which Anaheim’s outstanding forecheck can be maximized.