Quacking to the finals

Wild didn't go quietly in entertaining Game 4

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Wild head coach Jacques Lemaire best summed up this game -- and the series -- when he said, "It shows you that when you're due to win, you win."

Through the first two rounds of the playoffs, that aptly described both Lemaire's team as well as Mike Babcock's Mighty Ducks. After the Western Conference finals, it applied only to Anaheim.

Minnesota didn't go without putting forth a commendable effort, though. Shut out in three straight games, the Wild scored a power-play goal in the first period to secure their first lead of the series. Telltale was that their enthusiasm lasted less than four minutes, as the Ducks answered by also counting their first power-play goal of the series.

It was the manner in which Anaheim scored that had ominous overtones for Minnesota.

The Wild got their fair share of breaks in the first two rounds, but more often than not it was the Ducks who benefited from fortuitous bounces in this series, including the first-period power-play goal by Adam Oates. The puck caromed of the skate of Wild defenseman Filip Kuba as Mike Leclerc tried to pass the puck along the boards behind the net. Instead of going harmlessly to the corner, the puck flipped out in front to the weak side before anyone could react. Anyone except Oates, that is.

Oates added a second power-play tally midway through the second. The situation dictated that Minnesota had to forecheck aggressively with two men on the puck. That strategy coupled with the Wild's forwards digging hard to get to the front of the net generated plenty of action and opportunities in front of goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

Giguere again withstood the pressure, turning aside 24 bids, as he backstopped his team to their 10th one-goal decision of this postseason. The aggressive approach left Minnesota more susceptible than usual to counter attacks off the rush, which Anaheim turned into scoring chances of its own, but Wild netminder Manny Fernandez would not yield further.

It all added up to an entertaining tilt that went right down to the bitter end. Minnesota had two good looks to tie the score in the waning moments, but Marian Gaborik and Sergei Zholtok couldn't capitalize. Those were the final indications that it wasn't the Wild's turn. That distinction belonged to the Mighty Ducks.

Truly, the Ducks got their due, and they are heading to the Stanley Cup finals as the surprising champions of the Western Conference.

Three Stars

First Star: One of the premier passers the game has ever seen, Oates turned opportunistic marksman and gave a timeless clutch performance, tallying both goals in this pivotal game.

Second Star: Giguere's shutout streak ended, but his resolve and fine play continued.

Third Star: Leclerc continued his marvelous postseason with two more assists. He is tied for the Ducks' team lead in scoring, while playing on a knee that will require surgery this summer.

Darren Eliot, a former NHL goaltender, is a hockey analyst for SI.com. Eliot will provide Stanley Cup Playoffs commentary throughout the postseason, and he is also broadcasting the Western Conference finals and Stanley Cup Finals for NHL Radio.

 

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