Stanley Cup champions in playoffs: Anaheim Ducks are counting on goalie Giguere in Game 6
Stanley Cup champions in playoffs: Anaheim Ducks are counting on goalie Giguere in Game 6
The Anaheim Ducks’ best player in Game 5 will almost certainly have to be their best player in Game 6 tonight, if the Stanley Cup champions want to remain alive in the playoffs.
First-round series: Stars vs. Ducks
Stars lead series, 3-2
Turco a gamer but all business
Despite a deep, talented roster, nobody on the Ducks underestimates the importance of goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere. He finished with 40 saves in Game 5, the sort of clutch playoff performance that has defined his career.
With two trips to the Stanley Cup Finals, one title and a Conn Smythe Trophy, Giguere has taken on the postseason mantle previously worn by French-Canadian goaltenders like Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur.
For Giguere, it all began with a run to the Finals in 2003. The Stars were one of the teams that contributed to his reputation. In the second round, Anaheim upset Dallas in six games, with all four Ducks victories coming by one goal, two in overtime.
“I had nothing to lose,” Giguere said. “Every game, every hard situation that I faced was something I could learn from. I just went in there and played and didn’t worry about anything.”
Last season’s championship only added to his reputation.
He’s slightly less imposing in the net than in 2003, no longer a Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man in oversized pads. In a crackdown on equipment, the NHL downsized Giguere and other goaltenders following the lockout.
He remains a significant obstacle, almost always in position. Giguere has stopped 71 of 75 shots in Anaheim’s two victories in this series. Stylistically, he represents the polar opposite of his athletic Stars counterpart, Marty Turco.
Stars forward Steve Ott called Giguere a “blocking-style goalie.”
Said Turco: “He knows how to take away as much as you can.”
To be successful, Ott said, the Stars must duplicate their effort from Games 1 and 2, when they scored nine goals.
“We just need to get in front of him and get to rebounds,” Ott said.
Giguere understands what the Stars want to do, too. Unlike 2003, when he was making his postseason debut, he now has 50 playoff games to his credit.
“It doesn’t matter how much experience you have,” Giguere said. “If you don’t play your best and don’t work as hard as you can, you’re not going to win, experience or not.”
Niedermayer could return: Anaheim forward Rob Niedermayer, sidelined for the past three games with concussion-like symptoms, traveled with the team to Dallas on Saturday, a strong sign he could return for Game 6. His return would boost the Ducks’ checking line.
Staff Writer Mike Heika contributed to this report.
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HEAD-TO-HEAD
A comparison of opposing goalies Jean-Sebastien Giguere of Anaheim and Marty Turco of the Stars:
Giguere Category  TurcoÂ
30  Age   32Â
6-1  Height  5-11Â
200  Weight  185Â
191  Wins   207Â
2.43Â Â GAAÂ Â Â 2.15Â
33  Playoff wins  14Â
Stanley Cup Playoffs 2008: Anaheim Ducks are counting on goalie Giguere in Game 6. Editing by Charles Claire
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