Ducks willing to put themselves in harm's way
Stepping in front of a hockey puck flying at 80-plus miles per hour has to be one part guts, 10 parts crazy.
Players are in danger of a broken leg, arm, wrist, shattered kneecap, etc. - all in the name of keeping that round disc from reaching the goalie.
How often to they think, 'Oh God, this is going to hurt?' "
"Every time," said Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf on Friday at the United Center as his team enjoyed a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference finals over the Blackhawks.
Game 4 is Saturday at 7 p.m. (NBC).
Anaheim has been exceedingly proficient at thwarting shot attempts by nearly every Blackhawks player and it's something the team takes great pride in doing.
"From Day One coming to this team (from Minnesota in the off-season) I noticed that starting from our leaders - Getzy on the penalty kill, (Andrew Cogliano) - it starts with our forwards blocking shots," said defenseman Clayton Stoner. "We've always done it here. Whether you're the top player or a fourth-line guy, it doesn't really matter.
"Everybody's willing to sacrifice. I don't think you see that on every team, but it's a cool thing to see on this team for sure."
Blackhawks analyst Troy Murray, who played in the league for 15 seasons, knows not everyone has the chutzpah to put his body in harm's way.
"There's a lot of guys in the league that don't want to do it, and there's guys who will do it at any cost," Murray said. "They don't care how much it hurts."
During every game, NHL scoreboards track shots on goal. You have to go to a website to find the BS (blocked shots) or MS (missed shots). The shots on goal in this series is nearly even (117-116 in favor of the Hawks), but the Hawks' total shots attempts is 252 to Anaheim's 228.
The Ducks, though, have blocked 84 shots (33 percent), while the Hawks have blocked just 47 (21 percent).
"I mean they're playing great D-zone coverage," Andrew Shaw said. "It just means you've got to battle a little bit harder."
This is not to say the Hawks haven't done a good job of blocking shots in the postseason, as their top four defensemen are averaging 1.96 blocks per game; Anaheim's top six are averaging 1.75. It's just that in this series - thanks in large part to their forwards - the Ducks are finding ways to get their bodies in front of the puck at a ridiculous rate.
One way to look at that is it's a good sign for the Hawks that they're able to attempt that many shots. The flip side, as Brandon Saad pointed out Friday, is that the Hawks reverted to playing too much on the perimeter in Game 3. The extra second or two setting something up is allowing Anaheim to thwart scoring opportunities.
"I think when we delay the play and wait to find the perfect shot, they get the chance to get in the lane," Saad said. "The more we just force it to the net and make quick plays, it's going to be to our advantage."
An unheralded group coming into this season with not nearly the name recognition as the Hawks' Big Four, the Ducks' six defensemen have been a huge reason the Hawks have just 5 goals in three games and 3 at even strength. The Ducks' D-men are fast, young (four at 23 or younger), confident and willing to lay it all on the line every night.
Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau credits assistant coach Trent Yawney, who played for the Hawks (1987-91 and 1997-99), for the group's success.
"Trent's done a great job with them as far as getting them to play the right way," Boudreau said. "Sometimes that doesn't show in the goals against during the course of the season, but as the process continues you get better and better and better. They've done a good job so far."
In a game Saad said is "pretty much a must-win," the Hawks know they must find better shooting lanes and then somehow get pucks past goalie Frederik Andersen, who has a .957 save percentage in the series.
"Not only do we have to get in front of him and bang in rebounds," Saad said, "but they're doing a great job of blocking shots and playing a good defensive game in front of him. On top of a great goal-tender, that's a tough team to score on. …
"We've got to get more competitive and win those battles in front of the net because he's a tough goal-tender to beat on the first shot."
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