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Stanley Cup Finals Notebook Oates' clutch faceoff win led to Salei's game-winnerPosted: Saturday May 31, 2003 7:41 PMUpdated: Sunday June 01, 2003 2:12 AM ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- When the Mighty Ducks' Adam Oates beat New Jersey's Pascal Rheaume on the faceoff, it was only an instant until the 40-year-old Anaheim center joined a select pair in NHL playoff history.
The assist was Oates' eighth in playoff overtime, and his nine points tie him with Joe Sakic and Doug Gilmour for first place on the NHL's all-time list for overtime in the postseason. Anaheim coach Mike Babcock wasn't surprised to see Oates come up with a big play. "This guy's a star. He's got unbelievable ability, and he's so good defensively," Babcock said. "And he's a competitive guy who tries to generate offense all the time." Oates helped the Ducks to a 51-30 edge in faceoffs as Anaheim narrowed New Jersey's lead to 2-1 in the Cup finals. "I have been worried all year along about our faceoff situation," Devils coach Pat Burns said. "It's nothing new. Joe Nieuwendyk's not being here, that really hurts us. "We struggled a good part of the season on faceoffs." Nieuwendyk has not played in the finals against the Ducks because of an undisclosed injury. Ducks don't mind playing close gamesThe Mighty Ducks' 3-2 overtime win over New Jersey in Game 3 looked very familiar. They have played 12 games decided by one goal this postseason, winning 11 of them. In 10 of their 13 playoff wins, they have scored the game-deciding goal in the third period or overtime. Their victory Saturday night marked only the third time a home team has won an overtime game in the Cup finals since 1990. Home teams have gone 3-11 during that stretch. Babcock getting plenty of suggestionsHave some suggestions on how the Mighty Ducks should be playing in the Stanley Cup finals? Just call 1-800-B-A-B-C-O-C-K. Mighty Ducks coach Mike Babcock said Saturday night before Game 3 that he's been inundated with suggestions ever since his team fell behind New Jersey 2-0 in the series. "What I found is suddenly, we need a lot more help than we did last week," Babcock said. "That's great people are trying to help you out. That's great." He didn't sound convincing. "I don't know how they get your numbers," Babcock said. "I had a few [ideas] from fans that are pulling for us like crazy. It was great. I listened carefully." Sure he did. The SPF factorFans "chilling" outside waiting for the doors to the arena to open were getting hot. The afternoon temperature was in the high 80s, with heat emanating off the sidewalks and asphalt. Appearing particularly uncomfortable were those fans wearing Mighty Ducks jerseys, including many with goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere's name and No. 35 -- on shirts that looked fresh off the rack. As Phil Reed waited to file into the building, he seemed the atypical Southern California fan -- wearing dark glasses, a Ducks' cap and drinking an espresso double. Inside, workers in heavy coats and gloves prepared the ice for Anaheim's first Stanley Cup game. No lineup changes madeBabcock suggested after the Mighty Ducks' 3-0 loss in Game 2 Thursday he would consider making lineup changes for Game 3. Apparently, after a night's sleep and a review of the video tapes, he changed his mind. Babcock said he wouldn't make any changes, although he did say, "We've changed our lines at times in the playoffs to draw the best matchup." There has been speculation he might use a line of Paul Kariya, Adam Oates and Petr Sykora more at home, when he has the last line change and the opposing coach can't always get a checking line or his best defensive pairing on the ice to counter. Kariya usually plays alongside Rob Niedermayer and Steve Rucchin. McCool-est game on EarthBe honest. Ever heard of Frank McCool before this year's playoffs? McCool probably received more notoriety during the month of May than he did in April 1945, when he became the only goaltender to post three consecutive shutouts in the Stanley Cup finals since the NHL assumed total ownership of the silver chalice after the 1926 season. The only other goalies with three straight postseason shutouts are Giguere, Ottawa's Patrick Lalime, St. Louis' Brent Johnson, and John Ross Roach of the 1929 New York Rangers. But they never did it with the Stanley Cup on the line. Only after Giguere blanked the Minnesota Wild in the first three games of this year's Western Conference finals did even die-hard hockey fanatics become aware of McCool. And when Martin Brodeur beat the Mighty Ducks in Games 1 and 2 by identical 3-0 scores, McCool's name was mentioned again. McCool was a sportswriter from Calgary, Alberta, before he took over as the Toronto Maple Leafs' goalie for the 1944-45 season at age 26. The 6-foot, 170-pounder replaced Turk Broda, who left the NHL to serve in the Canadian armed forces during World War II before resuming his Hall of Fame career. McCool was nicknamed "Ulcers" by his teammates, because he drank milk before and during games to help control his nervous stomach. It worked, because he won the Calder Trophy in 1945 as the NHL's top rookie with a 3.22 goals-against average. McCool finished that postseason with four shutouts in 13 games, matching his total in 72 games during his two-year NHL career. NotesEmilio Estevez, the star of Disney's three Mighty
Ducks movies, attended the game. ... The most overtime wins by a
team during one postseason is 10, by the Montreal Canadiens in
1993. The Carolina Hurricanes are second on the list, with seven
last year. ... Eight players have scored late, game-deciding goals
for the Ducks during these playoffs. ... The Ducks had held a
players-only meeting before Game 3.
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