Tonight, the Nashville Predators took game one of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. The Predators seem to have gotten under the skin of the Ducks, and Mike Fisher scores twice as the most experienced Predator when it comes to the playoffs.
When it comes to getting under the skin of an opponent, it shows in several ways. Tonight in the third period, the Ducks found themselves in the penalty box over and over again. Six different players were penalized eight times, for a total of 40 minutes. The frustration level was very high, and I do believe that the Ducks were surprised that the execution level wasn't where they thought it was going to be.
Tonight Mike Fisher scored Nashville's fourth goal at 00:56 of the third period, and Dan Ellis was promptly pulled from the Ducks' net. He was replaced by Ray Emery, who played for the remainder of the game. As a fan, having the goalie pulled gets under my skin more than anything. Sometimes it sends the right message to the team, and a turning point is reached. Other times, the end of an embarrassment is all the coach is looking for.
I keep wondering who will start in net for the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. Will Dan Ellis return? Will Ray Emery get the nod? Coach Randy Carlyle evaded giving an answer to that question in the post-game interviews, and leaves me wondering. I've decided to research the issue, and make my own decision. On Friday, we can see what actually matches up.
Dan Ellis:
Dan was born in Canada on 06-19-1980, and played with the Nashville Predators through the 2009-2010 season. Through a series of trades, he ended up with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and he played 31 games with them this season. In February, he was traded to Anaheim.
2010-2011 Season
With Tampa: 31 Games, .889 SV%, 2.93 GAA
With Anaheim: 13 Games, .917 SV%, 2.39 GAA
Ray Emery:
Ray was born in Canada on 09-28-1982. Ray has not had an easy career by any means. In 2009, Ray found out that he suffered from avascular necrosis, which is the same disease that ended Bo Jackson's career. In August of 2010, Ray once again began workouts, and signed with Anaheim on 02-07-2011 as an unrestricted free agent.
2010-2011 Season
With Anaheim: 10 Games, .926 SV%, 2.28 GAA
Momentum is an odd thing with a professional sports team of any kind. A change could mean total destruction, or could be their saving grace. My pick will be Dan Ellis for Friday; recent experience may prove to be a difference maker. I predict that the Ducks will work on their defensive strategy instead of make a change in net. "Gotta stay with Dan - or it smells of desperation." -EJ Mackie
No comments:
Post a Comment