Ducks Are a Confident Team

The Mighty Ducks can point to Feb. 14 as the day they realized they can defeat the Dallas Stars.

After going 0-2-1 in their first three games against the Stars, the Ducks rolled into Dallas as one of the NHL’s hottest teams with points in 12 of their previous 15 games. But the Stars were also a hot team with a seven-game unbeaten streak and the Western Conference’s best record.

So what did Duck Coach Mike Babcock do?

He started backup goalie Martin Gerber and the Ducks scored two third-period goals to win, 4-2. Although the victory came against Dallas’ No. 2 goalie Ron Tugnutt, the Ducks gained a great deal of confidence that night.

In handing the Stars their third home loss of the season, the Ducks limited Dallas to only seven shots on goal in the final period and rode Gerber’s 26 saves. The Ducks have played with the same self-assurance in taking a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series.

A breakdown of Game 3:

DALLAS’ MOVE -- Just like the Detroit Red Wings in the first round, the Stars still have reason to feel confident after dropping two home games to the Ducks. Because they haven’t played poorly, the Stars believe they can get back into the series with wins at the Arrowhead Pond.

But in order for that to happen, Dallas has to get more consistent play from defenseman Sergei Zubov, who has a minus--3 plus/minus rating in two games. Zubov finished second on the team in scoring during the season with 55 points and had a plus-21 rating.

The Stars know they can’t afford to fall behind early tonight so expect them to launch a lot of shots at Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Dallas has had some success against the Ducks’ dominant goalie by crashing the net and this aspect of the Stars’ game will definitely get a boost if winger Bill Guerin, sidelined since late February because of a groin injury, returns the lineup.

DUCKS’ MOVE -- A big deal has been made about the Ducks’ lack of power-play goals in the postseason, but the Ducks haven’t been that bad when they’ve had a man advantage. Adam Oates’ goal in the first period Saturday was the Ducks’ first power-play score of the playoffs but there have been plenty of times when the power play was effective.

It’s all part of Babcock’s philosophy of playing responsible defense while being ready to attack. If anything, the Ducks have been efficient on special teams. They may be scoreless in eight of nine man-advantage situations against the Stars but they’ve limited Dallas to five power-play opportunities.

The Ducks also should be helped by tonight’s crowd, which should be energetic.

The atmosphere at the Pond was pretty wild for the clinching victory over Detroit.