Hank

I have to respectfully disagree. I thought Giggy didn't play all that well and you could make a case that if it were a really good goalie in net we don't score those 3 goals. He routinely looks like a fish out of water when a shot gets deflected or comes flying off the boards. His whole game is sqauring up to the shooter so when the puck doesn't take a logical line he's way out and has no skill to recover. His defense deserves 100% of any credit that goes his way. In the end, I thought we were very much in command in this game. We didn't play well at all on special teams and that hurt us. But we carried the play for most of the night and we had a lot of chances. The puck bounces 1/8th of an inch different and Filpulla's breakaway goal is in the net. That's the breaks. In the end, I'm confident after how Detroit played the last 2 games. They know they played well and they'll carry that into game 5. Mark my words, Pronger will be a major reason why the Ducks lose the next game. He can be very suspect in his own zone and he takes bad penalties.

Not only that, but I guarentee you Perry isn't going to see a gift like he did tonight. After that goal that kid's pretty much invisible offensively. We'll tighten up our mistakes and we'll take it to them at the Joe.

I think the Wings played great. We got down 3-1 on some bad giveaways and some bad work by Hasek. But the boys didn't give up and battled back to tie the game. From their top players to their grinders nobody gave up (well, maybe everyone but Lang) and continued to work hard. Like bluemonk said, if we score on that 5-on-3 we're talking about going into Detroit up 3 games to 1. Ce La Vie. I'm sure a lot of people would have been ecstatic if we told them we'd come back to Detroit tied 2-2 after that Game 2 debacle. We're getting stronger people. And I honestly think the Ducks played better D without Pronger. He's been suspect in this series so far. How many times have we seen both Pronger and Neidermayer get turned inside out? Meanwhile our D has been rock solid. We'll win game 5 and we will finish them in Anaheim. Remember, this team seems relentless in doing everything the hard way.

Now if we were Calgary we would start spearing and hitting and fighting everyone on the ice.

Told you. In the end, Hasek lost us this game. It's alright though as he almost always rebounds with a great game afterwards. He'll lose you 1 but he'll win you 3. I'm still not worried. Anaheim has almost no consistant scoring from anyone. The only forward on the Ducks that has proven productive is Getzlaf. Everyone else has been invisible. The last 2 games we've totally dominated Anaheim 5-on-5 and outplayed them on special teams as well. We will win the next 2. Detroit is getting stronger and stronger while the Ducks look frustrated. And how many times have we seen Norris candidates Neidermayer and Pronger get turned inside out? The last 2 games Filpulla has made Neidermayer his *****.

Why are we trying to dangle the puck in at this point. The ice in Anaheim is brutal late in periods and I'm sure it can't be great right now. We have to keep it simple and dump and chase and shoot on net with traffic in front.

That's because Giggy never has a clue where the puck is. If it doesn't hit his enormous belly pad he won't know where it is. I will say, untilt he day I die, that Giggy is the most overrated goalie in my lifetime.

At that point it was 2-0 Japanese. And I didn't say anything about the series being done. Just this game.

I really hope this doesn't come back to bite us in the ass. In almost every series you can go back and look at one play or one incident and say "That turned the series around". I hope the fact that we couldn't capatilize with Pronger out and our inablity to score on a 5-on-3 in the 3rd, in a tied game in Game 4 doesn't keep us awake the whole summer.

That's the game boys. We failed to score or do anything productive on our 5 on 3 and they scored on their PP chance. Series tied going back to the Joe.

I'm glad he came back and played well. I thought it was a great move by the Wings to have him do so as well (at Homer's discretion of course). Like Burke said, there are a number of teams in the league that would have sent him to a hospital in an ambulance trying to get a tough suspension. The Wings showed class and Homer showed heart by going back out there. I'm proud of them.

We should also remember that Comrie's had some dressing room issues in the past and his asking price might hover around $2.5M. For that price I'd rather resign Calder or use it towards resigning Bert.

Everyone and their dog has already talked about how Zetts is a natural centre and Babcock likes him there more than the wing. The only reason Dats and Zetts are on the same line (where they both share time at C and LW) is because it's been effective and we have Lang. Next season expect Zetts to be a full time centre with an occassional game at LW or centering Datsyuk. Filpulla will be our #3 centre for most of the year - where he belongs. Filp is going to be a great player but even Dats was on the 3rd and 4th lines the first couple of years. We should concentrate on picking up a physical scoring winger (or two), not another centre.

This series has been a dandy. Lots of end to end action with great hits, moves and goals. I still don't see anyone taking Ottawa but it'll be a fun series with either Anaheim or Detroit in there.

Not only that, but has anyone else noticed how tiny his head looks in that helmet? He looks like that dude that got his head shrunk on Beetlejuice.

Yeah, Kunitz is out for the rest of the playoffs. I don't think that's going to impact the Ducks as much as you think. They still looked good against us in Game 2. And as far as worrying too much, she's a mom. All mom's worry too much. My mom used to freak out all the time too when I'd get hit in hockey or took a hard one-hopper off the chin while playing ball. What she should have been worried about was all the hearts I'd break in highschool. Oh yeah.

LOL. Glad to see you have thick skin. Not only do I have time for all of that but I also have a 4 year old that's into everything and a 7 month old that can't wait to do it all either. Hockey's a passion with me. When the kids are in bed I try to watch as much as I can or read up during breaks or lulls in the day. How many kids do you have? How old are they? What's minor hockey like in So-Cal.

Yes I do. Do you watch hockey?

Thanks for the great post. I don't mind if opposing fans come on here to discuss hockey. But don't start flame wars and bash the team. I've always equated people like that to having little to no knowledge of the sport. It also shows a lack of class. I'm glad to hear that you've also become an NHL fan. I'm a huge Wings fan but I'm a bigger fan of the NHL. I follow the league closely and watch as many non-Wings games as possible (thank you centre ice package!). The league needs more fans that do so. The NFL is so popular because most fans know what's going on around the league and it's better for it. I don't care if someone is new to the sport or not, but some people should show some class and respect where they're at. I feel that I can say whatever I want about Giggy's pads here because this is a Wings board afterall. I wouldn't do it at a Ducks site because the only purpose of that would be to start crap. But that's what a lot of people have come here to do - like Getzlaf15 and hockeymom95. They're bored and really don't know what they're talking about so lets go on the Wild, Canucks and Wings boards to cause problems. Their life must be incredibly boring to do so. Thanks for being a good member here. We need more of your kind.

Hahaha. That's not the only website that was reporting it; TSN, ESPN, CBC, The Score, etc. And you're right, we really fell apart. Afterall, all we did the year after we got knocked out by you was claim the #2 seed and advance to the 2nd round while the Ducks didn't even make the playoffs. And after that? We won a Presidents trophy and came within a tie of winning it again this year. You're right. Boy have we stunk since then. Glad to know you're ontop of your stats. But then again, I don't expect you to know much as you seem to spend most of your days posting at a rival message board for no real reason. Go back to being a hockeymom. I'm sure you're better at that than talking about hockey. Afterall, you've probably been a mother longer than the 2 years you've been a Ducks fan.

Finally an intelligent Ducks fans who's interested in talking hockey instead of causing crap all the time. I imagine about 95% of the fans here will forget about hockey the minute the Ducks season is over. Especially if they don't win the Cup or get beat by Detroit. Getzlaf15 himself said he takes a break during the summer. True fans follow their teams all year long.

Great post. One thing that's so nerve wracking for me is how we never seem to be able to clear the puck on the PK. And it's been happening since the first game agains the Flames. It's like the entire 2 minutes is in our zone. The first 2 Ducks goals were both scored because of our inability to clear the zone. And I'm not sure anyone here should be holding their breath for Lang and Bertuzzi to start producing. Bert gets a pass because of his back, rustiness, etc. But Lang seems to interested to finishing up the year so he can sign somewhere else. He played awesome after Babs benched him but since then has seem to put it back into neutral. He's effective on the PP though so we need to keep him out there. I really liked how Babs split up Zetts and Dats and gave them extra shifts together and apart. We desperately need a 2nd line centre to get us going so if that means moving Zetts back there for a few shifts I'm all for it.

Um, last year and this year. There were several rumours and talks about them dealing one of their 2 goalies. But they wanted to unload Giggy because of his enormous contract and the fact that Bysrsrflgyslf had a very small one. But I guess you would have known that if you actually follow the NHL. Check out this site; it's a good one for new fans trying to learn the game or wanting to climb back on the bandwagon until their team gets knocked out again: http://www.spectorshockey.net/ There's stlll a good chance that he won't be resigned after this year so they can resign some of their UFA's and possibly add another scorer. And clutching and grabbing does not equate working. It's laziness. So yeah, I guess you were more lazy than us. And I'm glad that you enjoyed that view. After we lost I drown my sorrows with the several videos I have of the Wings winning the Cup. Watching Giggy cry after the Ducks got beat by the Devils also makes me happy.

Ken Dryden put is best. He said that the larger equipment does things psychologically to a shooter. If they see very little space, they think pass instead of shoot. But I don't expect you to know who Ken Dryden even is. And it's funny that you mention Roy. After he retired he was one of the first guys to say that the equipment is rediculously huge and should be cut back. Now you're really showing your lack of hockey intelligence. Where to start? First, Kelly Hrudey talked to Giggy and he said himself that he lacks athleticism and relies on making himself big and cutting down angles. Secondly, just because you weren't a great hockey player doesn't mean you don't know the sport. Look at Ken Holland (again, do you know who he is?). He was a terrible NHL goalie and yet he's one of the best GM's ever. Scotty Bowman? Again, didn't make the NHL but did do something like win 9 Cups. Herb Brooks - couldn't even make the US National Mens team and yet has gone down as one of the best NCAA coaches of all time as well as cementing himself as an international legend. See the pattern here? Just because you might not have been the best pro doesn't mean you don't know what you're talking about. And since Hrudey DID play in the NHL and won a CUP I'll take his word over a bandwagon jumper like yourself who probably wouldn't know a hockey player if he slept with Bobby Orr (again, you'll probably have to google the name). ] Giggy doesn't make acrobatic saves because he can't. First, he doesn't have the reflexes or talent to do so. Secondly, he's so packed full of sofa cushions he can't move to do so. 3 words - Dead Puck Era. Giggy won the Conn Smythe based off of several things: 1. That series was beyond boring and nobody else looked good in it. Who else could you pick? Giggy looked like a hero because his 8th seeded team went all the way. 2. Clutching and grabbing and neutral zone trapping made it infinitately easier for teams to play good D. When Giggy was challenged with a serious chance he was beaten often. I still remember that Elias shot that went top shelf on him. Giggy didn't even more. With most goalies they'll at least wave at it, but he didn't even move. That's because he's too slow. 3. He had even larger pads than he did now, making all of the above even more exaggerated. In the end, Giggy is a bad goalie with great D and big pads to cover up his shortcomings. You can insult Hasek all you like but the man has only won several Vezina's and has a Cup himself. Does Giggy have a Cup? Does he have any Hart Trophy's or Vezina's? Nope. Didn't think so. Back to your cave troll.

That's funny. By saying we played with no heart you would think the Ducks outworked, outhussled, outchances and outplayed us. But that's not the case. If you go back to stats from that series you'll see that we had more shots, scoring chances and time with the puck in the offensive zone. Not only that, but if you actually watched the series, you would have seen that we were winning in all 3 zones. We lost because at that time clutching, grabbing and interference were allowed. The Ducks uses this to a T while Giggy made the most of sofa cushions up his jersey. And he's still with the Ducks because he earned a huge contract after that playoff run and nobody else in the NHL can afford it via a trade.