On a Red Wing and a prayer, Ducks reach second finals
ANAHEIM, California: Rob Niedermayer and Ryan Getzlaf each had a goal and an assist as Anaheim held off Detroit 4-3 Tuesday to reach just their second Stanley Cup Finals in franchise history.
"Last year we came this far (semi-finals) but now we get to go to the actual dance," the 22-year-old Getzlaf said.
Anaheim, which entered the National Hockey League in 1993-94, will host the Ottawa Senators in the opening game of the finals on Monday.
Travis Moen (right) and Rob Niedermayer (center) of the Anaheim Ducks celebrate after Samuel Pahlsson scored a third period goal against the Detroit Red Wings in Game Six of the 2007 Western Conference finals on Tuesday at Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Anaheim beat Detroit 4-3 to reach just their second Stanley Cup Finals in franchise history. AFP |
The Ducks have played in the finals once before, losing in seven games to the New Jersey Devils in 2003.
"You work so hard to get to the finals and we going to take advantage of it," Anaheim goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere said. "They (Detroit) never quit. They are a dangeroius team and we are just happy to get the win."
Anaheim led 4-1 in the third after a tally by Samuel Pahlsson at 5:54 of Tuesday's game six of the Western Conference finals.
But two power-play goals from Detroit's Russian speedster Pavel Datsyuk made it a one-goal game with just over three minutes to play in regulation.
The Ducks killed a power play with under three minutes remaining and held off another late barrage by the Red Wings, who pulled Czech goaltender Dominik Hasek with a minute remaining.
Giguere, of Canada, made 29 saves for Anaheim, including 13 in the third period. He had stopped all 13 shots he faced through the first two sessions.
The Ducks controlled play for much of the first period, outshooting the Red Wings, 14-7.
Hasek was up to the challenge on all but one shot, which came 3:51 into the game.
With the Red Wings on the power play, Anaheim's Niedermayer won a faceoff in the Detroit zone.
Sean O'Donnell passed the puck to the high slot, where fellow Canadian defenceman Chris Pronger gathered the puck and shot on net. The drive deflected into the net off Niedermayer, who was screening Hasek in front of the net.
Hasek, who stopped 25 of 29 shots, continued his strong play into the next period, though Anaheim ultimately broke through for a pair of tallies.
In a three-minute span of the second, the 42-year-old made a glove save on a slap shot by Teemu Selanne, a sprawling save on a break-in by Corey Perry, of Canada, and stopped a breakaway by Kent Huskins.
Hasek's run of success ran out at the 9:52 mark when he failed to corral a slapper from the right point by Francois Beauchemin.
The Ducks' third goal - at 18:33 of the second - was somewhat similar, with the exception that Anaheim had the man advantage.
Selanne earned his fifth point of the series with an assist on the tally. Playing in his 14th season, Selanne will be making his first Stanley Cup Finals appearance.
AFP
(China Daily 05/24/2007 page24)
