Round 1: Ducks (P1) vs. Predators (WC1)

[CarltonTheBear]

G1 Fri. April 15 Nashville @ Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. ET CBC
G2 Sun. April 17 Nashville @ Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. ET SN
G3 Tues. April 19 Anaheim @ Nashville, 9:30 p.m. ET SN 360
G4 Thurs. April 21 Anaheim @ Nashville, 8 p.m. ET FX
G5* Sat. April 23 Nashville @ Anaheim, TBD
G6* Mon. April 25 Anaheim @ Nashville, TBD
G7* Wed. April 27 Nashville @ Anaheim, TBD

 

[Boston Leaf]

Got to think Anaheim wins this one

 

[hockeyfan1]

Anaheim 5  Nashville 2.  Ducks lead series 3 games to 2.

It was the first home victory by a team in this series, as the Ducks made the most of Game. 5 with a solid win over the Predators.  Anaheim has so far outscored Nashville in this series by a 16-9 margin, plus, their penalty-killing special teams is second-best in these playoffs with a 95.5 efficiency rating.

Both goaltenders -- Nashville's Pekka Rinne  & Anaheim's Frederik Andersen -- faced 27 shots each.  The game was placed out of reach for the Predators when the Ducks scored three successive goals in the third period.

Game 6 is Monday in Nashville.


Source:  Sportsnet

 

[hockeyfan1]

Nashiville 3  Anaheim  1.  Series tied at 3 apiece.

For the Nashville Predators, it will be the first Game 7 in franchise history. 
For the Anaheim Ducks, Game 7s have not been so kind to this franchise.

Alas, to Anaheim it will be, as the Predators played determinedly and decisively in forcing a seventh game.  Nashville, on goals from James Neal and Matthias Lundholm, with an empty net insurance marker from Shea Weber, gave it's fans something to cheer about.

This series has featured only one home win up to this point, which was in Game 5 played in Anaheim.  Strange series, indeed.

Game 7 is Wednesday in Anaheim.


Source:  CBCSports, Sportsnet

 

[CarltonTheBear]

And Nashville takes down Anaheim. Wow. Did not see that coming.

 

[bustaheims]

And Nashville takes down Anaheim. Wow. Did not see that coming.

These playoffs are weird.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

[tweet]725657169375301632[/tweet]

Basically showing that Boudreau's teams in G7s/close-out games are dominating but just can't get a save or a goal if their lives depended on it (which they kind of do). Amazing.

 

[herman]

RIP my bracket

So, Anaheim as prime landing spot for JvR. I don't think they'll let go of Lindholm as he is their Rielly, but Vatanen...

 

[Kin]

RIP my bracket

So, Anaheim as prime landing spot for JvR. I don't think they'll let go of Lindholm as he is their Rielly, but Vatanen...

They might be forced to make some moves but if they do I doubt it will be one where they take sizable salary back. JVR isn't making a ton but he's probably not making much more than it would take to get someone like Vatanen signed.

 

[herman]

RIP my bracket

So, Anaheim as prime landing spot for JvR. I don't think they'll let go of Lindholm as he is their Rielly, but Vatanen...

They might be forced to make some moves but if they do I doubt it will be one where they take sizable salary back. JVR isn't making a ton but he's probably not making much more than it would take to get someone like Vatanen signed.

I was thinking something along the lines of the trade that brought JvR to our team in the first place: two teams trading from positions of relative strength to bolster a gap.

Are the Ducks sour about their relatively early exit because they couldn't find timely scoring? I think JvR fits their big and somewhat fast model and his contract length still fits their window of success (Getzlaf/Perry) without breaking the bank.

 

[Kin]

They might be forced to make some moves but if they do I doubt it will be one where they take sizable salary back. JVR isn't making a ton but he's probably not making much more than it would take to get someone like Vatanen signed.

I was thinking something along the lines of the trade that brought JvR to our team in the first place: two teams trading from positions of relative strength to bolster a gap.

Are the Ducks sour about their relatively early exit because they couldn't find timely scoring? I think JvR fits their big and somewhat fast model and his contract length still fits their window of success (Getzlaf/Perry) without breaking the bank.
[/quote]

It's a side point but is that really how people remember the JVR trade and how it was perceived at the time? I always thought of it as a "Hey, let's trade our disappointment for your disappointment in the hopes that a change of scenery will do them good".

Anyways, I guess the way I'd look at it if I were running Anaheim and I were paying almost a full third of the salary cap just to Getzlaf, Perry and Kesler and the coach said "man, what we need to invest in is some big guys who can score" I might think much more significant changes needed to be made.

Although I guess it's fair to say that we don't know what might be coming their way or what fits their model when there's a pretty good chance they'll make some significant front office changes. Alls I know is that on Marek vs. Wyshinski they've talked quite a bit about how Anaheim might be looking to cut salary for next year.

 

[herman]

I was thinking something along the lines of the trade that brought JvR to our team in the first place: two teams trading from positions of relative strength to bolster a gap.

Are the Ducks sour about their relatively early exit because they couldn't find timely scoring? I think JvR fits their big and somewhat fast model and his contract length still fits their window of success (Getzlaf/Perry) without breaking the bank.

Anyways, I guess the way I'd look at it if I were running Anaheim and I were paying almost a full third of the salary cap just to Getzlaf, Perry and Kesler and the coach said "man, what we need to invest in is some big guys who can score" I might think much more significant changes needed to be made.

Although I guess it's fair to say that we don't know what might be coming their way or what fits their model when there's a pretty good chance they'll make some significant front office changes. Alls I know is that on Marek vs. Wyshynski they've talked quite a bit about how Anaheim might be looking to cut salary for next year.

They're also freeing up $7M LW salary in McGinn and Perron at the end of this season.

If they don't torch the front office this year, I can see them trying to push one or two more seasons out of Perry/Getzlaf/Kesler before trying to jettison one (or all) while there is still value. I can't see them holding onto 24M in three 35 year olds.

 

[herman]

Also pretty brutal (and maybe meaningless):

How Bruce Boudreau's 9 NHL seasons have ended:
2008 WSH: Game 7 home loss to Philadelphia
2009 WSH: Game 7 home loss to Pittsburgh
2010 WSH: Game 7 home loss to Montreal
2011 WSH: Swept by Tampa Bay as the higher seed
2012 WSH/ANA: Fired midseason, hired by Anaheim and missed playoffs
2013 ANA: Game 7 home loss to Detroit
2014 ANA: Game 7 home loss to Los Angeles
2015 ANA: Game 7 home loss to Chicago
2016 ANA: Game 7 home loss to Nashville

From: https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comments/4gsgqe/the_anaheim_ducks_have_been_eliminated_from/d2klui8

 

[CarltonTheBear]

They're also freeing up $7M LW salary in McGinn and Perron at the end of this season.

Probably a decent chance they look to re-sign both those players, especially Perron who had a very good regular season with them after the trade.

That Bieksa contract is looking pretty terrible right now. How they gave a deteriorating 34-year old defenceman a 2-year, $8mil contract extension a year before he would even become a free agent is beyond me. And a NMC-clause to boot that he likely won't waive.

 

[Kin]

They're also freeing up $7M LW salary in McGinn and Perron at the end of this season.

Well, they're freeing up 7 million in cap space but they sure as heck didn't pay McGinn and Perron 7 million dollars this year. I think the Perron/Hagelin itself probably had something to do with that they wanted to cut costs.