NHL: Wild / Ducks "The Series"
 

Ok two teams that realistically shouldn't have made it outside of the first round are now in the conference finals. First the Ducks, never has a team defeated the #1 and the #2 seed back to back in the first two rounds. The Wild, never has a team been able to come back and win back to back series after being down 3 games to 1 in each one.

Who wins this series?

Is J.S. Giguere this bad-ass?

Can Marion Gaborik rise to superstardom in the playoffs?

Come on guys and gals who do you have winning this series?

Ducks in 6. Goaltending, goaltending and goaltending are the reasons.

The Minnesota Wild is like a bad stain in that, no matter how hard you try, you can't get rid of them. So, for that reason, I'm going to have to say Wild in 7.

And goaltending is not the only key. No goaltender is complete without his defensive corps, which the Wild seem to have mastered. I haven't seen the Ducks play this year, but if they don't collapse in front of their goaltender like the Wild do, then the Wild have this sneaky ability to pass the puck across the net to an open player when no one is looking. How's Giguere's lateral?

In any case, this is going to be a tough series for either team.

Edit: Spelling mistakes

It's going to come down to special teams.. if the ducks take alot of penalties..the wild will win.. their PP is fricken awesome right now. I pick the Wild in 6

And if the ducks defense makes any mistake look for the wild to take advantage of it to the full extent. In my mind hte ducks have to play perfectly to win this.

i picked minnesota in 6, mainly cuz of their goalkeeper

They have 2 goalies =) They rotate em, both are damned good though, but i don't think they are as good as the ducks goalie.

no one is going to win and it going to be canceled after 27 overtime periods in the first game. that is when ESPN realizes that only 357 people are watching and they have to show a strongman competition.

WILD IN 7! Come on look at their track record!!!

sorry I forgot the first game in on ABC. Probably call it off for the news

whoever wins, will win it in seven games, and they will only score 4 goals in the whole series. The loser will score 3.

damn ends in a good breakaway by the ducks. Think minnesota was getting tired quickly.

Well I'm a little late to this thread but I put in my vote for Ducks in 6 which I would have done even before they won today.

Great game one, lot of great saves by both goalies. But Giguere's backhand stick save in the third period was bas ass!! If he see's the puck he can't be beat.

they beat the red wings and the stars


i just plain dont see how any one can not think they are for real


ducks in 5

I dont know crap about hockey, but seeing a local team do well has got me really interested in the outcome. I have a lot of amateur fanboy in me saying that it'll be the Ducks in 5

Well it's intresting to see that more people picked Minnesota right now then the Ducks. I just checked some scoring stats and I noticed that the Wild have a lot of players among the tops of that list. The Ducks just have JS.

Yeah, the wild have the best offence, and a good defence not just the goalies but the defencemen, except for the mistake they made that lead to the breakaway.. the ducks goaltender played an outstanding game, if it wasn't for him the ducks would of been down 3-1 and lost that game.

the wild outplayed the ducks in every area except at the very end..that doesn't say good things about the ducks. The wild were tired and still skated all over them. The only positive I saw for the ducks were that they somehow shut down the wild's power play we'll see if that happens again. It was boring hockey which is unusual for the west but hey whatever it takes to win right?

Sykora has always been my favorite player. He's been coming through in the clutch again and again for them this year. If Giggy can keep playing like he is, the Ducks will have no problem getting to the final

The only problem with Minnesota making it to the finals will be..... The trap becoming popular again!!! I hope the ducks win! I am all for tight defense but the trapping schemes just suck.

i know very little about hockey as well

basketball is my sport


but i knwo that the redwings won it all last year and the stars were a favorite adn the ducks beat both of them

seems like easy math to me

the wild play a deadly trap.
wild in 6

The Ducks in six. I know this hasn't been the case yet but eventually experience has to prevail.

Both teams play a staunch defence. The fact that the first game took 4 scoreless periods proves that. But I also think both teams were playing pretty conservative.... however the Wild seemed to be pressing more than the ducks....


GO MINNESOTA!!!!!!!!!!

Rolly is hurt and fernandas isn't good enough to take them to the next level.
Ducks in 6
as far as the east goes ......flip a coin as who ever wins out of the east will take the cup

Ducks just got another shutout, 2-0. Who thinks they're gonna sweep again?

Damn their goalie!!!!!!!!!!

gettin' giggy!

I am diggin' that goalie.

there golie is un real

If Giggy can keep playing like this, it won't matter who comes out of the East. You gotta score to win.

Their goalie is just flat out insane, i don't see how any one beat him before after the two performances he has put on so far.

Thing is..he's still inexperienced. 7+ scoreless periods he's put on the board. Against a high potent offense, at some point He'll be brought down to earth.

I just don't see it happening anytime soon.

Ducks are not showing alot of offensive might but they will make you pay for your mistakes.

Anyone know what the record is for consecutive shutout minutes? Giggy is at 152 min so far I think.

blue face


same thing i said againist the stars

and for that matter the redwings

i think this guy might be for real

Who cares who wins this series?!? It's just great hockey! I wish that this had been the finals...
But, anyways....my pick is the Ducks in 5 at this point.

ok ... so obviously close to none of you know anything about hockey ... and obviously never watched the first to games of the series, where the Ducks have shut out the Wild in both and completely dominated on offence, defence, special teams and most of all goaltending. I for one have the privilge to hate both teams equally because the play European hockey and lets face it is god-awful to watch. but taking all this into mind ... this series will go no further than round 5

i am farely certain that the wild had more shots on goal in both games


i did watch the frist one

were they are getting owned is the faceoffs and the golie

the ducks golie is just plain great

I haven't seen any definitive stats, but I do remember seeing that the Ducks dont get nearly as many shots on goal as their opponents do in a few of their games - they still win. Very efficient scoring, I'd say.

The Wild will adjust, they adjusted their play to meet and exceed that of the other teams they have played so far.

They WILL break down the Ducks Goalie.

It is also a fact that the Wild play better Away Games than at home. Which is bad since they have home ice advantage for the first time in the playoffs. But they are gems under pressure.

And <b>Lyncher</b> This ain't European Hockey, this is the Neutral Zone Trap, closed play, wait for a mistake hockey. Europeon Hockey could not be played like that cause the ice is bigger over there, the game is far more open and finesse is king.

The Ducks are already leading 2-0 so you'll just have to excuse my tardiness.
I'm picking the Ducks in 6.
I don't think Jacques Lemair can will his players back to another come-from-behind series victory. Truth be told I would have picked the Wild from the beginning because, as many have said, I just don't think the Ducks have the offensive juice. Sykora and Karia sure... but then who? The Wild beat Colorado and then Vancouver. Those two teams are almost identical offensively. The Ducks beat an offensively impotent Redwing team. I say it was a fluke that both teams were playing that well and that poorly at the same time. I'm surprised by the Dallas series... I chalk it up to JSG and a hobbled Dallas team.

What am I saying in all this rambling? I think that the Ducks aren't the real deal, that the Wild is a better coached team with more talent. I just don't think they can pull it out from being down 2 games, but they'll make it close.

Ottawa or New Jersey will kill the Ducks in the final.