For Ducks, Winning This Is a Simple Twist of Faith

For every argument against their chances to become the third NHL team to win a best-of-seven playoff series after losing the first three games, the Mighty Ducks see a reason to believe they can join the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and 1975 New York Islanders in overcoming that daunting deficit.

They have faith that their Western Conference finals series against the Edmonton Oilers will go beyond tonight’s fifth game at the Arrowhead Pond and to a sixth, in Edmonton on Monday, and a seventh, in Anaheim on Wednesday.

And that they’ll win the series and advance to the Stanley Cup finals.

“I can’t see any reason why not,” winger Teemu Selanne said Friday. “It’s all about confidence. We have that momentum, that confidence going right now.”

Only 20 teams have overcome 3-1 deficits in 210 playoff series, a 9.5% success rate. And the Oilers didn’t upset the Red Wings and Sharks and win the first two games at Anaheim by being sloppy or lazy. They were physical, fast and energetic, banging bodies and paying attention to detail at both ends of the ice.

Goaltender Dwayne Roloson, aided by a defense corps that fearlessly blocked shots and clogged the slot, had steered the Oilers’ second-round series in their favor with a stunning, second-overtime save against San Jose’s Jonathan Cheechoo in the third game. He became an overnight sensation at 36, taking on almost mythical proportions.

In the last two games, however, the Oilers have been more miss than myth. They nearly gave away Game 3 when they allowed the Ducks to score four goals in the third period. They were ragged and slow to react Thursday, hints of fatigue.

The Ducks, who switched their wingers around Thursday to generate more offense and reverted to goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere in search of the spark that such changes often ignite, left Rexall Place with a 6-3 rout and renewed hope.

“I think they should be confident. They played a very good fourth game,” said Oilers defenseman Chris Pronger, who has manhandled Selanne and harassed the Ducks’ top line while playing an average of 31 minutes 40 seconds per game.

“At the same time, we understand we didn’t come with our best effort and our best game and certainly there were a lot of aspects of our game that we can improve on, and we’re going to look to do that in Game 5.

“We’ve got to win one game. They’ve got to try to continue to build on that game. I’d take our position over theirs any day, but at the same time, we’ve got to have a lot better effort in order to try and get this done.”

The Ducks believe they have given themselves the tools to build a comeback, shift by shift, period by period. Game by game.

“We know we can score some goals against them now. If we play our game and forecheck hard, they’re human just like us. They’ll make mistakes. They’ll take penalties. Roloson is human after all,” said Giguere, who is sure to return tonight.

Selanne sees the Ducks’ recent success against Roloson as their second pivotal postseason moment. The first, he said, was defenseman Francois Beauchemin’s triumph in a fight with Flames captain Jarome Iginla barely a minute into the sixth game of the Ducks’ first-round series. The Ducks won that night and went on to shut out the Flames in Game 7 at Calgary.

After that bout, “Those guys, they looked smaller, they felt smaller,” Selanne said. “And I think they were shocked what happened, and we just got so much power. It was just a boost for us.

“A little thing can change the whole thing around. And when we realized we can score against Roloson, there’s no better feeling.”

Edmonton center Shawn Horcoff said the Oilers plan to revert to the punishing style that has carried them to within one victory of their first Cup finals appearance since 1990. What they lacked Thursday, he said, was “effort, the little things. That’s what we built our reputation upon in these playoffs, being strong and physical along the boards and tough, and we weren’t. ...

“They’re going to have a little more confidence with a win like that. But we’re still in the driver’s seat, and we feel most confident that if we can go out and play the type of game we’re accustomed to, we’re fine and we can win.”

History says they should be able to maintain their edge.

“I don’t really care about history. All we’re focused on is just winning one game,” Ducks defenseman Joe DiPenta said. “When you look in the past you get kind of complacent, and when you look in the future you get a little too anxious and worried about stuff. I think it’s important that we stay in the now.”

It’s now, or not until next spring, an eternity in the NHL. Rookie Ryan Getzlaf said that although one mistake can end their season, the Ducks are “having a blast.”

He added, “I don’t think you can play this game with fear, scared to make mistakes. We can do a better job to avoid those mistakes. We can make our power play better. Everything else is there, and there’s so many good things on this team. That’s why I believe we can come back.”