Series Preview
by Kevin Greenstein

Ducks Outlook: It’s difficult to evaluate the Ducks’ season, largely because they spent much of it without key components Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne. But with both stars back in the fold, the defending Cup champions are looking quite dangerous. Young Ryan Getzlaf took another huge leap forward with his game this year, scoring 82 points in 77 games to go along with a team-leading plus-32 rating, and he will be expected to carry Anaheim’s offense. The Ducks’ defense is the NHL’s finest, with Niedermayer complemented by perennial All-Star Chris Pronger, hard-shooting veteran Mathieu Schneider, and workhorse Francois Beauchemin. And in goal, Jean-Sebastien Giguere put together yet another Vezina Trophy-caliber season (.922 SV%, 2.12 GAA, 35-17-6).

Stars Outlook: Mike Ribeiro continued to enjoy a renaissance in Dallas, posting career highs in all major scoring categories. Ribeiro was awarded for his efforts with a lucrative contract extension midway through the season, and he’ll be expected to continue to pace the Stars’ offensive attack. Providing valuable support for Ribeiro will be captain Brenden Morrow (32 goals) and trade deadline acquisition Brad Richards (11 points in 12 games with the Stars). A big question mark for the Stars is defenseman Sergei Zubov, who likely won’t be available for the start of the playoffs. Without him leading the breakout, the Stars will have a great deal of trouble matching up against Anaheim.

Prediction: Ducks in Four

Game One
Stars 4, Ducks 0
by Brad Kurtzberg

Why the Stars Won: The Stars won this game on the power play, going 4-for-7 with the man advantage. With the extra skater, they controlled the puck, made excellent cross ice passes and converted on them consistently. Dallas was also able to move the puck through center ice well, especially when on the power play. Marty Turco was good when he had to be but the Stars' strong defense was the biggest reason for the shutout. They collapsed down low in their own zone and kept the Ducks on the perimeter, especially after the first 10 minutes of the game. The Stars also had a balanced attack. Dallas got points from seven different players and 16 of the 18 skaters dressed for the Stars registered at least one shot on goal.

Why the Ducks Lost: Anaheim came out hitting but their play quickly deteriorated into undisciplined hockey. The defending Stanley Cup champions took too many penalties, almost all of which were unnecessary because they did not foil an imminent scoring opportunity. Once they took the penalties, the Ducks had trouble killing them off. No team is going to win a series if they allow the opposition to score 57.1% of the time with the man advantage. Offensively, the Ducks failed to crash the net after the first 10 minutes of the first period. Anaheim took eight of the game's first 10 shots on goal and then were outshot 35-15 the rest of the game. The Ducks failed to clear rebounds and gave up too many second and third scoring chances. They also failed to cut off the Stars' passing lanes in their zone.

Key Play of the Game: With Ryan Getzlaf in the penalty box for roughing, Mike Ribeiro made a perfect pass from behind the net to Jere Lehtinen at the bottom of the right circle. Lehtinen lifted the puck over Giguere and under the cross bar and the Stars took a commanding 3-0 lead.

What's Next: The Ducks really blew a big opportunity to get inside the Stars' heads by winning game one. They way Dallas has struggled in the playoffs lately, a big loss to open the series could have been devastating to the Stars who also slumped late in the regular season. Now, the pressure shifts squarely to the Ducks who have to play their successful physical style but maintain discipline and not take foolish penalties. Anaheim has to use their size and strength to crash the net and dominate play down low in the offensive zone. Dallas has already achieved their goal of winning one game in Anaheim and a win in game two would give the underdogs a solid 2-0 lead with the next two games in Dallas. The Ducks must solve Marty Turco who has won his last four playoff games via the shutout.

Game Two
Stars 5, Ducks 2
by Brad Kurtzberg

Why the Stars Won: Dallas continues to play intelligent, disciplined hockey. The Ducks came out playing a hard, physical style and the Stars did not panic. They continued to make safe, smart breakout plays and did not commit many turnovers. Marty Turco was very strong in goal for the second straight game and the Stars' power play clicked again, giving it six goals in the first two games of the series. The Stars are getting offensive contributions from top players like Brad Richards, Mike Modano and Mike Ribeiro and from role players like Joel Lundqvist, Loui Eriksson and Stephane Robidas.

Why the Ducks Lost: After a more disciplined start to the game, the Ducks continued to make key mistakes. They took some more foolish penalties later in the contest and gave up the puck at key times which cost them. Key hidden stat: Anaheim had 13 giveaways, Dallas only 3. The Ducks penalty killing was a problem again and J.S. Giguere gave up a few shaky goals and did not look like the same goalie that led Anaheim to the Stanley Cup last season. As the game progressed, the Ducks grew frustrated and lost their cool.

Key Play of the Game: The Ducks had just tied the score 2-2 late in the second period and they had momentum. Anaheim then had three straight power plays starting at the 17:33 mark of period two through the 4:41 mark of the third period, but they failed to score on any of them. Just after the third power play expired, Bobby Ryan took a hooking penalty and gave the Stars a power play. Mike Modano scored what proved to be the winning goal with the man advantage and Brad Richards scored 55 seconds later to clinch the win.

What's Next: The Stars are in a very strong position heading home with a 2-0 lead. They can't let the quick start go to their heads and they cannot afford to change their style and try to get fancy in front of their home fans. Dallas has to continue to play smart hockey and not be intimidated by Anaheim's hard-hitting sytle. If Marty Turco continues to shine in goal, the Stars will be tough to beat.

The Ducks need to go back to doing the little things right and then the big things will follow. They cannot take unnecessary penalties and they have to convert more of their scoring chances down low. They also have to stop coughing up the puck and giving the Stars easy breakout opportunities. Unless the Ducks penalty killing comes around, they have little chance of winning this series. J.S. Giguere must also regain his usual stellar postseason form.

Game Three
Ducks 4, Stars 2
by Brad Kurtzberg

Why the Ducks Won: Anaheim gained a lot of confidence early when they killed off the first Dallas power play of the game and then scored at 6:39 of the first period to take the lead in a game for the first time in the series. The Anaheim power play was efficient, going 2-for-4. Anaheim also killed penalties well, at least until they had a 4-0 lead. The Ducks also prevented the Stars from moving the puck easily through the neutral zone to set up their offense. J.S. Giguere looked more like the goalie who led the Ducks to the Stanley Cup last season than the shaky performer in the first two games in Anaheim. Overall, the Ducks kept it simple and played a good road hockey game.

Why the Stars Lost: Marty Turco proved he was human and had a sub par game, allowing four goals in the first 20:34 of the game and on just 15 total shots. The Stars weren't crashing the net as strongly as they did in the first two games, at least not until this contest was already out of reach. The Stars penalty kill didn't play well and allowed Chris Pronger open shooting lanes with the man advantage. The Stars seemed more relaxed than they should have with a chance to go up 3-0.

Key Play of the Game: With the score 4-2, Mathieu Schneider took a double minor to give the Stars a four minute power play with 9:21 left in the third period. The Stars had plenty of chances but weren't able to score and the Ducks were in a commanding position thereafter.

What's Next: The pressure shifts a bit to Dallas for Game Four. If the Stars lose, the Ducks are even up in the series with two of the final three games in Anaheim and the Stars will start getting a feeling of deja vu over past playoff failures. The Stars need to continue their excellent cross ice passing on the power play and to get a stronger game from Turco. The Ducks need to get their penalty killing solved and need to play with more discipline. They didn't take too many bad penalties early but let the Stars back into the game in the third period when they reverted to their earlier series form.

Game Four
Stars 3, Ducks 1
by Brad Kurtzberg

Why the Stars Won: The primary reason for the Dallas win was the stellar play of goalie Marty Turco who came within 7.6 seconds of earning his second shutout in the series. Turco prevented the Ducks from tying the game or taking the lead despite the fact that Anaheim controlled the tempo of the game for long stretches. The Stars also got clutch offensive production from veterans like Stu Barnes, Mike Modano and Mattias Norstrom and their defense played a smart game despite starting three rookies on the blue line. Dallas also did a great job on the penalty kill, keeping the Ducks off the board in five chances with the man advantage.

Why the Ducks Lost: While they out-shot the Stars for the first time in the series, the Ducks couldn't beat Turco until it was too late. They also still took too many penalties, giving the Stars six power play chances in the game although the Stars didn't convert on any of them. Anaheim didn't get offensive production from their big guns as Getzlaf, Bertuzzi, Selanne, Niedermayer, Pronger and Kunitz were all kept off the scoreboard. Trailing 1-0 in the third period, the Anaheim defense had to take chances and allowed too many odd man rushes which helped the Stars extend their lead.

Key Play of the Game: The Ducks appeared to have tied the game midway through the second period when Brian Sutherby put the puck behind Turco. Video replay reviews showed that Sutherby kicked the puck in and the goal was disallowed. The complexion of the game would have changed if the score was 1-1 but it remained 1-0 Dallas.

What's Next: Expect the Ducks to play an all out and desperate game as the defense of their Stanley Cup title is now on the line. They have to make sure they are physical without crossing the line and giving the Stars a lot of power play chances. Anaheim cannot let their offensive frustrations get the best of them. Dallas will continue to rely on Turco and their veteran leaders. Expect the Stars to play a simple, smart road game as they try to wrap up the series tomorrow night in Anaheim.

Game Five
Ducks 5, Stars 2
by Brad Kurtzberg

Why the Ducks Won: J.S. Giguere made 40 saves and was the biggest reason the Ducks won despite a strong game by the Stars. The Ducks special teams also came up big: Anaheim went 2-for-3 with the man advantage while keeping the Stars off the scoreboard in seven power play chances. Many of the Ducks best offensive players scored multiple points in this game including Selanne, Getzlaf, Kunitz, Pronger and O'Donnell. The Ducks also outhit the Stars 36-22.

Why the Stars Lost: Dallas failed to take advantage of its opportunities. The Ducks took a lot of penalties but the Stars didn't score with the man advantage. Marty Turco was good but not great in goal and the Stars need him to be great to beat the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Stars also had 15 giveaways in the game which cost them.

Key Play of the Game: Sean O'Donnell's goal with just 7:55 left in the game gave the Ducks a two-goal lead. The Ducks killed off a penalty less than two minutes later to clinch the win.

What's Next: Game 6 puts more pressure on the Stars who have to have their recent playoff failures in the back of their minds. They really want to close out this series at home. That being said, the Stars need to keep playing the way they have been as even in game five, they carried the play for most of the game. Turco has to return his game to a higher level. The Ducks still need to cut down on the penalties while remaining physical. Giguere won't make 40 saves every game so the Ducks also have to tighten their defense to keep the series alive.

Game Six
Stars 4, Ducks 1
by Brad Kurtzberg

Why the Stars Won: Dallas played a strong defensive game, holding the Ducks to 18 total shots on goal with just three in the second period. Marty Turco was good when he did faced shots (except for the one Ducks' goal which was a softy). The Stars power play came alive in the third period after being ineffective the past two games. Stephane Robidas scored the tying goal and set up the game winner despite playing with a broken nose.

Why the Ducks Lost: Anaheim's top offensive players were not able to get a steady attack on the Dallas goal. The Ducks took a few undisciplined penalties which plagued them throughout the series. They also struggled with puck possession in game six, suffering 22 giveaways while the Stars added 13 takeaways. J.S. Giguere played well and kept the team in the game but in the end, Anaheim lacked a strong enough offense to successfully defend their Stanley Cup title.

Key Play of the Game: On the power play, Stephane Robidas tied the game just 1:18 into the third period. The goal pushed the momentum squarely to the Stars' corner and just 52 seconds later, Dallas had the lead for good.

What's Next: The Ducks will go home and lick their wounds after becoming the fifth straight defending Cup champion to fail to get out of the first round of the playoffs. The Stars advance to the second round with a big boost of confidence. Marty Turco won a playoff series for the first time since 2003 and played very well for the second straight year. Dallas will need to continue to shine on the power play and to play strong team defense. A return to action by either Sergei Zubov and/or Philippe Boucher would be a further boost to the Stars. Dallas will face either Colorado or San Jose in the next round.