ZAMBONI

I was looking for a link with Prongers statements and couldn't find one. Even emailed Greg Brady. I guess i'll get confirmation after he drops Jan and Cindy off at school. You referring to Homerism as pathetic is quite funny. Keep me laughing.

You've got it all wrong. I have watched the ducks since their inception in 93 guy. I've been an avid follower of hockey since 78 when i started to enjoy watching the great islanders teams of the 70's early 80's. Spent a great deal of time at the Forum watching kings games as i grew up and have always been a big fan of the sport. When the ducks came to town i started watching and have been a ducks fan since that day. I would say a small number of kings fans watch hockey at the HC but most are very loyal to their kings and frequent only staples center. You're dead wrong calling me a bandwagon fan,but have at it,i'm a dedicated ducks fan so it doesn't bother me in the least what uninformed response i hear from opposing fans.

And where exactly is the hockey talk in this post? Congratulations

Matt you seem like a real level headed guy and have a read on this series similar to mine. I think its been far too close for comfort. Detroit has been more physical then i expected and their skill line and shut down line has really impressed me. Its been a ral dogfight for the ducks near the net and Hasek has looked great. Even yesterday he gave the ducks all they could handle and the red wings a shot in OT. That last goal by Niedermayer was just a great wrist shot that was perfectly placed or else they would still be playing. I'm looking forward to the remaining games,this is turning into a great series.

Its called chippy play its the playoffs,i love to see hard-nosed in your face defense. Niedermayer was getting fed up with Chelios crosschecking rob in the back so he dumped him,that happens all the time lets not cry over spilt milk. And if the Ducks are lucky so be it,we'll take it seven ways to sunday and back again. Rather see them in the finals then not. My thoughts on the goal in question,the ref saw it was loose in his gear and Hasek had fallen backwards so they let it go. Keep calling the Ducks lucky the whole series and i'll be happy.

I think he forgot about S Niedermayer also.

Not a chance.

To be fair the Wings haven't done any real damage since Bowman was still Coaching so i'd say lets leave out the past and talk about the intangibles both teams bring in the present. Babcock from what i have seen has changed his coaching philosophy to suit the team he currently ices. They are still dependent upon great backchecking and clogging the neutral zone with their locks to create rushes the other way,but i don't believe coaching is gonna decide the series anyway,its gonna be decided on mistakes in your own zone. I hope the ducks prevelance for penalties does not catch up with them.

GO DUCKS!!

I don't think any real fan of the game is unfamiliar with Maltby and Draper and the kind of veteran savvy they bring each night. At least i hope not.

Niedermayer typically plays with Beauchemin so i see that as the defensive pairing that will deal with the first line for the most part. The ducks pair Pronger with O'donnell most of the time so the second line with Bert will get a healthy dose of them IMO.

Pronger is a very solid defenseman and judging from his selection as a finalist for the Norris trophy and his past one of the best. He can be beat,i've seen it numerous times this year. The best way to beat him is with a rush through the zone with your wingers,they can get around him. The thing to remember is he will always make up for a mistake with his plastic man arms. The guy can reach into the stands and grab your soda with his reach and hes one of the best poke check artists in the game today. While i think there were at least ten guys in the league this year that could have been nominated also for the norris,he clearly had a great year and is worthy of praise. He isn't very well liked around the league,but hes an exceptional talent and has added a real presence that cannot go unlooked to the ducks. My boy is Frankie B though,he is vastly underrated just like Lilja who has just been phenomenal this year. I think we're in for one hell of a defensive battle tonight,looking forward to it.

Holy toledo save some for the series guys. What a game,gotta love high powered offenses.

GO SENS!! Take it to them early and often. I tire of the Buffalo pundits and the media pumping up their regular season. Ottawa has plenty of skill to burn and can really give them problems if they keep working.

I'd love to see Ottawa win for the same reason home ice. Not to mention they have had some bad luck in the past and i really like some of their skill players.

Good thing they have Lidstrom in net indeed. What an absolutely awesome play by Nik the other day. I was counting the goal and then BAM,There is Norris Lidstrom with the blade and a save.

I think that detroits advantage will be their ability to cycle well. I think the ducks strength is in playing a physical game down low and while Bertuzzi is a load,Beuchemin and Pronger would rather see that side then the puckhandling skill of Detroit. I'm eager to see how the matchups play out as the first line change is gonna be huge for both clubs. I think if detroit tries to cater their game to the physical side of things,they're gonna take away from their skill players and that could prove to be a mistake. Can't wait for friday all the speculation will be gone.

I guess my intent was to poke fun,sorry if i offended anyone.

I think judging by your projected stats its pretty much a wash so of course you're gonna take Zetterberg being that hes a wing. Teemu has been very successful since his knee surgery and has his step back and seems hellbent on winning a cup. Zetterberg is surely a force also and if healthy matches up very nice with selanne,but i think by projecting the stats you ruined your argument for zetterberg in a sense because his overall stats didn't exceed Selannes. I'd love em both on the same line,git er done Burke!!

That guy is far too ripped to be Pavel.

Tough call. The Central division in baseball is the hardest fought division i've ever seen,we'll see on that one. I like the Pistons chances,they have a great veteran unit with rings and they play great team defense and have balanced scoring,so i'll agree here. The Red Wings if they get by the ducks,i like their chances also, i don't subscribe to the Buffalo/Ottawa east coast bias,i think the SC FINALS is anybodys cup to take.

I always liked that one good stuff. Teemu is an outstanding guy i respect the hell out of him. Hes a relentless offensive force and an even better guy off the ice. Him and Jarri Kurri both do some amazing things with charities here on SO-Cal.

I think any fanbase is gonna back their boys,nature of the beast. I think you need look no further then their regular season matchups to determine how the series might tilt. The wings really play lockdown D at home and showed the ducks how hard keeping the puck in the zone and actually getting shots was gonna be. 2-1 AND 1-0 games look highly likely. At the Honda Center the games had a more free flow and really opened up offensively but i don't suspect the ducks will have as easy a time as they did in their previous meetings at HC. Giguere has been outstanding and playing really well and The dominator has really impressed me in both series. Its really a crap shoot in guessing this series don't let the press or loudmouth fans tell you differently. The players all know its gonna be decided by bounces and it all comes down to hardwork and some luck. The hockey culture in California is growing,its never gonna be Canada,Detroit,Minnesota, but thats to be expected. I think if you attend some games at the honda center you would be pleasantly surprised at the atmosphere and love of the game,its not the Joe,but people love the game in Cali overall. While i think the ducks forecheck could prove decisive in this series i'm gonna take a wait and see approach because one thing detroit always does is surprise with me with their resolve and i gotta say Babcock knows how to win in playoff hockey.

Hello all,yet another Ducks fan looking forward to some hardhitting action. I'm looking forward to some good matchups in this series. Tons of respect for the dreaded wings,they always seem to be in the thick of the cup hunt every year. Even with the New NHL they couldn't sap the wings of their strength,Great drafting will do that for you. I'm very eager to see how the shut down line for the ducks matches up in particular against DATSYUK AND ZETTERBERG. Pahllson has been exceptional this year,but i must confess Datsyuk scares the hell out of me. I'm expecting some hard fought low scoring affairs as both team defenses are stingy and both offenses while having exceptional first lines,still have some questions to answer from line 2 down. Cheers to a great series and some hard hitting action.