SoCal HockeyCast

The Ducks didn't come out flat.  Not really.  They didn't blow away the Oilers either.  Where Calgary and Colorado appeared hapless and helpless at times, allowing the Ducks to dictate the pace of the game, the Oilers came out and matched Anaheim with equal speed, intensity, and goaltending... actually, Dwayne Roloson may have even out-played Ilya Bryzgalov (and when has that been the case this playoff year?).  Roloson made 30 saves to Bryzgalov's 23, and the Oilers won 3-1.

Anaheim really didn't do anything wrong, but they just weren't as perfect as they had been against the Avs and Flames.  Although they out-shot the Oilers, the majority of their shots were from far range and came through without any traffic in front of the net.  Bryzgalov wasn't to blame in anyway.  He kept the Ducks in the game.  The two goals that he allowed were ones that were nearly unstoppable.  It was the offense that could have done better.

Except for a goal by Andy McDonald to tie the game at one apiece, the Ducks didn't cash in on any other offense.  The Ducks have what it takes to match the Oilers... it's just a matter of execution.  They hope to tie the series at one game apiece on Sunday night.

The wait for the Ducks is finally over!  The Edmonton Oilers prevailed in their second round series against the San Jose Sharks.  Using a blend of speed, quality goaltending, solid defense, key contributions from veteran and younger players, and heavy hitting, the Oilers beat the Sharks 6-0 to wrap up the series four games to two.  Edmonton dropped the first two games in San Jose before winning the next four straight.

If Edmonton's secret to success sounds familiar to Ducks' fans, that's because these are the same qualities that have helped propel Anaheim into the Western Conference Finals.  The Ducks will have been off for over a week, but they have vowed that they won't be rusty.  Although Randy Carlyle has been putting the team through intense workouts, playing in "game" mode is always different.

This will be an interesting series because it pits two of the hottest teams against each other, and both have peaked well, upsetting teams in the playoffs with better records.  The Ducks maintain home ice advantage over the Oilers who finished 8th in the Western Conference.  Both teams match-up well in terms of speed, but the Ducks have had more depth in their line-up and the hotter goalie.

Ilya Bryzgalov hopes to continue his spectacular play... and he'll need to for the Ducks to outlast Edmonton.  Anaheim will also need the same balanced scoring they received from their top three lines.  One of the best match-ups will be on the blueline.  It'll be interesting to see who can control the game more effectively, Chris Pronger or Scott Niedermayer.

One thing is for sure, the wait is over and the Ducks are ready and raring to go.  Game 1 will be in Anaheim on Friday.

The Mighty Ducks hockey machine completed their convincing display of teamwork with a sweep of the Avalanche 4-1.  It was an interesting game because the Avs looked like they were doing almost everything right.  They came out with passion, determination, and, most importantly, desperation... and they scored the first goal of the game within the first three minutes of the opening period, but the Ducks were patient, got amazing goaltending, and made the most of every opportunity they had when the Colorado defense made mistakes (and if you're name's Patrice Brisebois, then that seemed constant the whole night long).

The line of Joffrey Lupul (1 assist), Dustin Penner (1 goal and 1 assist), and Todd Marchant (2 goals and 1 assist) continued their dominance of the Avalanche, and Teemu Selanne even chipped in the game-winning goal.  The "LuMP" line ended up with a combined nine goals and ten assists in the four-game sweep... more than double the goal output the entire Colorado team was able to muster.

The Avalanche strategy was simple: put bodies in front of the net, get lots of shots on goal, and work for quality rebounds.  They did all of that, out-shooting the Ducks 41-33, but Ilya Bryzgalov was brilliant.  He made great saves and led the Ducks to the victory.  His 0.87 GAA and .967 SP are the tops in the playoffs for goalies who have played more than one full game.  Those scintillating numbers are remarkable considering the fact that he was supposed to be the bench warmer to Giguere.  Without Bryzgalov's steady and often amazing play, the Ducks would not have gotten this far.

In a neat twist of fate or irony, the Ducks, who had the longest of the first round series, had the shortest series of the second round.  They get to wait and rest up before the Western Conference Finals against either San Jose or Edmonton.  Finally!  A well-deserved break.

The Avalanche came to play in game three... at least partially... and they made their match against the Mighty Ducks a little closer.  Unfortunately for them, the result was still the same... a loss.  On the strength of four goals by Joffrey Lupul, the Mighty Ducks won 4-3 in overtime at Colorado.  This puts the Avalanche on the brink of elimination with little hopes of coming back and making it to the Western Conference Finals.

By throwing lots of bodies in front of the net, the Avalanche were able to prove that Ilya Bryzgalov is human, but their inconsistent team defense allowed the Ducks to come back and continue to dominate the offensive end.  Anaheim outshot Colorado 39-29 for the game.  Although this was a better showing for the Avs, the Ducks continued to play a tight game with much more consistent passion.  Especially in overtime, when the Ducks outshot the Avalanche 12-5, it seemed that the Colorado players were unable match Anaheim's intensity.

If Lupul was the hero, then his sidekick (a very BIG sidekick) was Dustin Penner who had three assists.  Penner has been huge this series (offensively, defensively, and physically).  At 6'4" and 245 pounds, Penner is one of the bigger forwards on the Ducks' squad.  He has played a superb series, making some big hits and playing sound defense to help stop Colorado's big line.  His four assists and +5 rating in three games displays his ability to contribute at both ends of the ice.

Bryzgalov's streak was ended at three shutouts in a row and almost 250 minutes without allowing a goal (second all-time).  Perhaps the more important streak is "31."  That's the amount of penalties that the Ducks squad have killed off in this series.

The outlook is bleak for the Avalanche, especially if their power play continues to flounder under Anaheim's intense pressure, but the series isn't over until Anaheim wins four.  However, the Ducks haven't taken any of the games lightly.  Game four continues on Thursday night in Denver with the Ducks hungry to make the Conference Finals for the first time since their run in 2003.

The SoCal HockeyCast crew had the honor of being one of the featured podcasters at the Spring Artwalk at the Brewery on May 23rd.  We were recording in front of a live audience at the LA Podcasters Studio.  It was a lot of fun, but I think our analysts, Zoe and Genevieve, were a bit tongue-tied and twisted when it came to speaking in front of other people!  However, we thought we should still post this for posterity.

This enhanced Podcast is a bonus episode where we talk about our take on why the Kings didn't make the playoffs.

We'll also have our regularly scheduled Podcast on the playoff action up soon as well, so enjoy this little gift.  As always, you can contact us at technologyted@mac.com or by calling 206-337-1885.

Ilya Bryzgalov was "McCool" as ice as he recorded his third straight shutout to help lead the Ducks to a 3-0 victory over the visiting Colorado Avalanche.  With the win, Bryzgalov tied Frank McCool for the record of three consecutive shutouts by a rookie set in 1945.  He's now had 229 minutes and 42 seconds without allowing a goal, fourth best ever, and longest among rookie goalies.

Although Bryzgalov was great in goal, he rarely had to make spectacular saves... that's how good the rest of the team was in front of him.  After the game, he acknowledged that it was a team effort.  The Ducks allowed only 22 shots on goal (10 in the first two periods).  They allowed very few second chances to the Colorado forwards and out-worked and out-skated the Avalanche yet again.  However, that said, Bryzgalov did make some key saves to preserve the shutout.  None more so than the point blank save on Alex Tanguay that the Duck goalie reached back to nab with a quick glove hand.

Ryan Getzlaf's power play goal was the game-winner, and Ruslan Salei and Joffrey Lupul added two more in the second period.  Two of the best forwards for the Ducks were Dustin Penner and Todd Marchant.  Penner made some big hits, skated well, and gathered an assist with a great no-look pass to Lupul while digging the puck out along the boards.  Marchant helped contain the Avalanche's big line while collecting two assists.

Avalanche goalie Jose Theodore played a very good game.  However, he faced 35 Duck shots for the game.  His own team managed a mere 22 shots on goal in the loss.  None of the three goals allowed can be pinned on Theodore's play, and many of the Avalanche players expressed the fact that they need to step-up their game to compete with the Ducks.

The key for the Ducks will be to continue their intense play in game three at Colorado on Tuesday night.  Although the Ducks made few (if any) errors in game two, and they'll be hard-pressed to repeat such a perfect performance, Anaheim has proven that they can beat anyone if they skate well, hit hard, and take advantage of the opposing team's breakdowns.

Although the Mighty Ducks had the better regular season record, garnering home ice with it, there were many factors that actually put Anaheim at the disadvantage against the Avalanche...

1. The Ducks played a hard fought seven-game series against the Flames.
2. The Avalanche have been able to rest after beating the Dallas Stars in five games.
3. The Ducks easily beat the Flames 3-0 in the final match, which often results in a let-down the next game.
4. The Avalanche have more offensive depth than the Flames.
5. Jose Theodore, the Avalanche goalie and former Vezina Trophy winner, has been looking better and better.
6. The Ducks have had consistency issues all season long.
7. The Avalanche are former Stanley Cup winners and are led by future hall-of-famers Joe Sakic and Rob Blake.

Well, it turned out that the Avalanche were never able to shake off the rust from sitting around, and the Ducks easily beat them 5-0 to open the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  It wasn't just a beating, it was an embarrassment for Colorado.

Teemu Selanne welcomed his former team to Anaheim by registering a goal and two assists in a big second period, but the Ducks only needed Sammi Pahlsson's opening goal at 2:48 of the second period.  Francois Beauchemin (two assists) and Chris Kunitz (one goal, one assist) also enjoyed multiple-point games, and Anaheim got contributions by Joffrey Lupul and Travis Moen.  The rookie Beachemin also played a solid defensive game and logged the most minutes of any player on either team.  His value to the Ducks seems to increase with each game.

Both Jose Theodore and Ilya Bryzgalov recorded 29 saves... however, the Colorado goalie faced 34 shots.  This marks the third straight win for rookie goalie Ilya Bryzgalov and second consecutive shutout for him in these playoffs.  The record of three straight shutouts by a rookie goalie is held by Frank McCool of the Toronto Maple Leafs from back in 1945.

The Ducks out-worked and out-played the Avalanche in all aspects of the game.  It seemed like a repeat of the final game against the Flames.  However, the Ducks need to be careful.  The Avalanche have something that Calgary didn't... an abundance of offensive talent.  Sakic, Tanguay, Hejduk, Konowalchuk, Brunette, and Blake can all contribute offensively, and when he's on his "A" game, Theodore is tough to beat.  That said, Colorado should be wary of the Ducks who have been flying high with balanced offense, sound team defense, and stellar goaltending.

Game two continues at the Pond on Sunday afternoon 12 PM PST.  Quack!

A picture is worth a thousand words.  The image of Ilya Bryzgalov making a save on Jarome Iginla tells it all.  The Ducks pulled off a monumental upset by going up to Calgary and embarrassing the Flames 3-0 in front of a sold-out home crowd.  In the wild Western Conference, the upset probably doesn't come as a surprise, but it's a win for a team that many counted out of the playoffs in January.  Instead, riding on the shoulders of their "back-up" goalie, the Ducks are moving onto the second round and facing off against the Colorado Avalanche.

Miikka Kiprusoff, a front-runner for the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goalie, was very good, stopping 29 of 31 shots.  However, the rest of the Flames came out flat, lacked determination, and left him to defend for himself.  On the opposite side, the Ducks came out flying, setting the tone for the entire game and limiting the Flames to only 22 shots on goal.  The Flames only managed three shots on goal in the second period and never mounted a serious attack.

The Ducks played a controlled, disciplined game, only giving the potent Flame power play four man-advantages for the entire night.  As with many of the games in this series, the Ducks got scoring from several sources.  All-star Teemu Selanne had a goal, defensive blueliner Ruslan Salei added the second, and new addition Jeff Friesen put in an empty-netter.

The series ended on a very low note for the entire Flames squad, but perhaps the player who felt the worst was Kiprusoff who couldn't pull off a miracle without any help.  The Calgary defense, a strong point through the season, looked rattled and out of position.  Turnovers and lack of coverage led to the first two goals.  Dion Phaneuf was on the ice for all three goals by the Ducks.  His defensive partner, Roman Hamrlik was on the ice for two of the goals, and made a bad clearing pass that led to the second goal.

The Ducks' second round match-up against the surging Colorado Avalanche will begin on Friday night in Anaheim... a switch for the Ducks who are now the "favored" team as decided by regular season records. (Thanks to Alexia for pointing out my error)!

Except for the 5-2 drubbing the Ducks took in Game 3, all the matches in this first round have been decided by one goal... so it wasn't much of a surprise that the Ducks won by a score of 2-1.  Ilya Bryzgalov was the hero of the day, out-dueling Miikka Kiprusoff for the win.  As I stated in the last podcast (out now, if you haven't downloaded it), if the Ducks played gritty, they win the game... they played a great game with grit and speed, and they've now evened the series at three games apiece.

His efforts weren't without help.  The entired Ducks team played a stellar game, skating with speed and determination.  Although Jarome Iginla tried to set the tone with a fight at the beginning of the game against Francois Beauchemin and charging and roughing penalties at the end, it was all Ducks in between that.  They out-shot the Flames 30-22 and limited them to a mere six shots on goal in the second period... ironically, the Ducks only had three shots in that period, but scored on one of them.

It was a team effort through and through.  After Stephane Yelle opened the scoring for Calgary, Teemu Selanne scored the game-tying goal... twice.  The first one was waved off by referee Koharski because of a perceived goalie interference.  Replays showed that the contact with Kiprusoff didn't happen until after the puck went in and out of the net.  The second time Selanne scored was off of a great pass by Andy McDonald, and this one counted.

The game-winning goal was a beautiful one by Scott Niedermayer.  Fighting his way to a rebound in front of the net, Niedermayer didn't shoot from four feet away.  Instead, sensing that Kiprusoff was ready for the shot, he quickly skated around and behind the net, sending a shot/pass to the front.  A sliding Rhett Warrener banked it into his own goal, and the Ducks were up 2-1 with a less than six minutes to play.

Bryzgalov shut the door, and the Ducks ended up with a win.  It looks like Randy Carlyle made the right choice for starting goalie!  Bryzgalov now has a 1.08 goals against average and .958 save percentage... second only to Martin Brodeur.

The Ducks go up to Calgary to play the crucial seventh game of the series on Wednesday night.  This is the final match that needs to be played out in the first round.  If the current trend in the Western Conference continues, then the Ducks should beat the Flames.  The other three series in the West have ended in upset with the Oilers, Avalanche, and Sharks beating their opponents with better records.

The SoCal HockeyCast returns with coverage of the 2006 NHL Playoffs!  In this episode, our enhanced podcast reports on the big upsets in this year's playoffs so far.  The Kings didn't make it, but we still cover hockey from our unique Southern California perspective.  We also give the Ducks' Report in their first round series against the Calgary Flames.

We break down the match-ups that have completed so far and give our thoughts on what built the first four winners.  If you have any questions or comments, please email us at technologyted@mac.com or call us at 206-337-1885.

The pattern of going back and forth with losses and wins continued on Saturday night as the Ducks lost to the Flames 3-2.  Stymied by Miikka Kiprusoff in the first two periods, Anaheim spotted Calgary a 3-0 lead before finally responding.  Unfortunately, it was a case of too little too late as their rally fell short.

Anaheim's two third period goals came from Andy McDonald and Rob Niedermayer, but it wasn't enough to overcome two goals by Jarome Iginla and another from Tony Amonte.

Kiprusoff was very good, stopping 26-of-28 shots.  Jean-Sebastien Giguere was very ordinary, stopping only 5-of-8 before getting pulled early in the second period.  Ilya Bryzgalov played very well, stopping all 19 shots he faced.  His stats have been superb, raising a small dilemma for Randy Carlyle and his goalie choice for the sixth (and possibly final) game.  Giguere has had very mediocre statistics while Bryzgalov has been more than solid.

The Ducks will try to stave off elimination on Monday night.