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The 2007 Stanley Cup will make its home in either Anaheim or Ottawa this year, as the Ducks and Senators face-off in the Stanley Cup final starting Monday night. The Senators will enter this nhl series well-rested after having eight days off between knocking off Buffalo and starting up with Anaheim. The Ducks will enjoy some time off as well, with five days of rest after sending Detroit packing on Tuesday. In their series clincher against Detroit, the Ducks jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind goals from Rob Niedermayer, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. Henrik Zetterberg finally got the Wings on the board with his sixth postseason marker early in the third period, but Samuel Pahlsson scored less than three minutes later to give the Ducks back their three-goal cushion. It turned out that the Ducks really needed that three-goal lead after Pavel Datsyuk scored two power-play goals to get Detroit back within a goal. That was as close as the Red Wings would get though, as Jean-Sebastien Giguere shut the door from there on to get Anaheim to their second Cup final in the last four years. This will be the modern-day Senators' first trip to the Cup final in franchise history. The original Senators last brought the Cup back to Ottawa in 1927. The Canadian Capital hasn't seen a Cup champion since after the original Sens moved to St. Louis following the 1933-34 season. This year's Senators heads to the final with plenty of firepower, led by their three big guns, Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and captain Daniel Alfredsson. Heatley leads all players with 21 postseason points, while Alfredsson is the playoff goal leader with 10 goals, four of which have been game-winners. Spezza is no slouch either with 20 points during the postseason campaign. Bet on Hockey at Wagerweb.com
The Ducks' leading scorer through their playoff run is Chris Pronger with 14 points. The big defenseman led Edmonton all the way to the final last season, but he'll be looking for a better end result with Anaheim. The Ducks leading goal scorer in the postseason is a three-way tie between Ryan Getzlaf, Teemu Selanne and Andy McDonald, who all have five. The last time the Ducks made it to the finals, their MVP was goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere. During their current playoff run Giguere has been just as valuable with a 1.87 goals against average and a .931 save percentage. Ottawa netminder Ray Emery has also provided stellar goaltending for the Sens, which had been lacking at times in past playoff appearances for Ottawa. Emery has posted a 1.95 G.A.A. and a .919 save percentage while playing every minute of every game for Ottawa. Anyone looking for any regular-season handicapping help won't find it, as the Ducks and Senators did not meet during the regular season. The last time the Sens and Ducks faced off was in Ottawa in January, 2006. The Ducks clipped the Senators 4-3 in a shootout in that game. Check out the 2007 Stanley Cup Betting Odds at WagerWeb.com View NHL Hockey Betting Odds now! |
