Ducks Ice It: They Qualify for Playoffs
The Mighty Ducks clinched their first berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs in their four-season history in the National Hockey League with a 3-2 victory Friday night over the Dallas Stars at the Pond.
The Ducks’ playoff opponent and the dates of the first-round best-of-seven playoff series are yet to be determined. The top eight teams in each of the Western and Eastern conferences qualify for postseason play.
With a week left in the regular season, the Ducks (34-33-13) and in fourth place in the Western Conference) now will focus their attention to securing fourth place and home ice for four of the possible seven games.
Colorado, Dallas and Detroit have clinched the top three spots in the conference. The Ducks, the Phoenix Coyotes, the Edmonton Oilers, the St. Louis Blues, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Calgary Flames are vying for the fourth spot.
A sellout crowd of 17,174 cheered Duck goals by Steve Rucchin, Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya.
Details in Sports, C1
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