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Casting a net Ducks-Stars series likely to come down to hot goaltenderPosted: Thursday April 24, 2003 12:02 AMUpdated: Thursday April 24, 2003 12:54 AM
This series is a case of what matters most -- the immediate or the past, with both possibly converging here. At the moment, both the Ducks and the Stars are playing well. In the past, the Stars have owned the Ducks, including a 3-1-1 mark against them this season. But that was then. In the here and now, Mighty Ducks netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere looks unbeatable thus far in the postseason. In the regular season, however, Giguere got the hook in two starts against the Stars. Giguere has the opportunity to overcome those uncomfortable regular-season recollections by authoring a sequel to his gripping storybook sweep of the defending Stanley Cup champions. It was only the second time in history that the defending champs exited in the first round via a sweep, with Giguere and the Ducks accomplishing what Terry Sawchuk and the Red Wings did to the Leafs in 1952. And from an historical standpoint, Giguere and his Stars counterpart, Marty Turco, are vying to become just the fourth netminder in the past 52 years to lead a team to Stanley Cup glory in their first postseason. This much we know -- one will be a step closer when this series is over. To that end -- deciding the eventual outcome of this series -- a lot will depend upon the play of Ducks centerman Steve Rucchin against the Stars' star of stars, Mike Modano. Both delivered decisively in round one -- Rucchin defending against Red Wings catalyst Sergei Fedorov and Modano producing in dramatic fashion with 10 points in the six-game series with the Oilers, including the series-clinching goal. And Modano has more than recent history on his side entering the series against the Mighty Ducks -- no opponent has amassed more points versus the Ducks than Modano. Rucchin will have help in marking the Stars' main marksman, though. In addition to Rucchin's standout effort on Fedorov, defenseman Keith Carney was also part of the defensive scheme. The same will hold true here. Carney and underrated defensive partner Niclas Havlid will draw stopper duty against the Modano line at even strength. On the penalty kill, the Ducks found a way to neutralize Nicklas Lidstrom's effectiveness from his power-play point position, holding him scoreless. Similar to Lidstrom for the Wings, the Stars rely on defenseman Sergei Zubov -- maybe the best power-play quarterback in the game -- to run their offense with the man advantage. He was brilliant against the Oilers with four goals and six assists -- tremendous production that the Ducks can ill afford to see Zubov duplicate. Meanwhile, the Ducks have to get some production of their own in this series with the manpower advantage. Their sweep of the Red Wings was a stunning upset -- made more shocking when you factor in that the Ducks failed to score a single power-play goal. The X-factor in this series is the Stars' imminent health. Both Pierre Turgeon and Bill Guerin should return to the lineup after missing the stretch run of the regular season and the first round. Both obviously boost the Stars' offensive capabilities, but there are the questions of conditioning and compatibility. How much rust will the pair exhibit, and will they seamlessly slide into a Dallas roster that got better as the first round wore on? That was certainly true of Turco, who fought off some soft goals early in his first playoff stint and looked more and more comfortable and confident as the series unfolded. Darren Eliot, a former NHL goaltender, is a hockey analyst for SI.com. Eliot will provide Stanley Cup Playoffs commentary throughout the postseason and is also broadcasting games for NHL Radio. |
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