Sequel that Ducks hope to avoid
They’d like to rewrite their Game 7 script with a winning effort against the Oilers.
The Ducks have been trapped in a continuous loop of the movie “Groundhog Day,” living the same unchanging events over and over again. In their case, it’s taking a 3-2 lead in a playoff series but losing the sixth game on the road and the seventh at home. The fourth time through that scenario was the breaking point for general manager Bob Murray, who fired coach Bruce Boudreau after last season and rehired Randy Carlyle to rewrite that tired script before the window of opportunity closes for a group whose core is reaching middle age in hockey years.
A fifth trip through that “Groundhog Day” scenario looms Wednesday because of their miserable performance in a 7-1 loss at Edmonton on Sunday. It’s on Carlyle now to jolt this team out of this cycle of Game 7 futility, and maybe he will.
The Oilers haven’t collectively been in this situation before, with a berth in the Western Conference finals at stake. Maybe the occasion will be too big for them, though their resilience and competitiveness so far indicate they’re ready for the NHL’s biggest stage. Maybe the Ducks’ extensive playoff experience will prevail and Carlyle’s skills at adjusting on the fly — skills Murray believed could get them past their playoff hurdle — will make the difference.
And maybe Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl will get lost on the way to Honda Center. A season-long Ducks killer whose move from wing to center freed him to create even more havoc the last two games, he had a three-goal, two-assist performance Sunday that showcased Edmonton’s offensive depth on a night when NHL scoring champion Connor McDavid did not record a point.
The Ducks need more than a “maybe.” They need confidence and unity and they instead got an odd message from Carlyle on Sunday.
Asked after the game about the Ducks’ disappointing recent playoff history, Carlyle repeatedly distanced himself from those exits. “I look at it as it’s not the same group and I wasn’t here so don’t pin any of the Game 7s on me,” he said. “This is a different group. We’re not afraid to go into our building and play a Game 7.”
It was suggested that the real problem might be the Ducks’ inability to win those series in six games, not their Game 7 failures. Asked if that might have affected them Sunday, Carlyle again removed himself from the equation. “Not for me. I wasn’t there for those situations that they lived through,” he said. “It’s my job and our job as a coaching staff to prepare this group to play the best game of the year Wednesday night in Anaheim.”
True, Carlyle wasn’t behind their bench for their 2013 first-round loss to the Detroit Red Wings, their 2014 second-round loss to the Kings, their 2015 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference finals, or their first-round elimination by the Nashville Predators last spring. But this isn’t the time to stand apart from a group that needs solidarity. Either they’re all in it together as they try to break this cycle or they’re not. If not, the result could be “Groundhog Day, Part 5.”
They certainly won’t win without a dramatically better performance from John Gibson, who gave up three soft goals on six shots Sunday before being replaced by Jonathan Bernier. Defensive lapses gave the Oilers several outnumbered rushes but Gibson didn’t provide the big stops that might have halted Edmonton’s early onslaught. His 3.00 goals-against average and .903 save percentage aren’t good enough, and Carlyle couldn’t distance himself from that.
“Let’s face the facts: Nobody has success in the playoffs without a complete team effort, and goaltending is a big part of that,” Carlyle said. “I’m not going to say our goaltending was where it needed to be, but on the other side of the game, we weren’t managing the puck and we weren’t getting involved emotionally and physically.”
Carlyle gave players a day off Monday to relax and rest their many bumps and bruises. This has been a physical series, emotionally charged and unpredictable in its extremes. The Ducks have gotten solid leadership so far, a crucial element they didn’t always have in their last few playoff journeys. Other than Draisaitl’s otherworldly performances, little has carried over from one game to the next.
Carlyle is counting on a swing back in the Ducks’ direction Wednesday, recalling that they lost the first two games but rebounded to win the next two at Edmonton. “We expected us to be [in] a Game 7 after us losing our first two home games,” he said Monday during a conference call with reporters. “There was a lot of doubters that said hey, we could never survive. We’ve found ways to come back and flush what’s happened and prepare our group, and that’s what we’re going to do.
“Our expectations are that we have to change the things that are going on and make the necessary adjustments. We feel we have a capable group that can go out and have success.”
That, or live “Groundhog Day” all over again.
‘This is a different group. We’re not afraid to go into our building and play a Game 7.’ — Randy Carlyle, Ducks coach