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Anaheim Ducks (1-0) vs. Winnipeg Jets (0-1): Why the Ducks MUST Win Game Two

By Richard Spalding

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Even though it’s early in the series, the Ducks need to approach game two as if it was game seven.

Game one of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Anaheim Ducks was almost everything Ducks’ fans could have wished for – almost.

First and foremost, it was a win.  Hey, those are always good, right?  Especially for a team and a coach that have such high expectations pushing down on their shoulders.

Second, it was a comeback win, which proves that Anaheim’s penchant for late-game heroics was not just a regular-season phenomenon.  Even now, when the stakes are much, much higher, the Ducks do not, will not, give up.

And finally, Anaheim’s win came courtesy of its two superstars, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf.  It’s tough for any team to go far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when its stars are mired in a slump, but given the fact that Anaheim was a .500 club when Perry and Getzlaf failed to score in the regular season, it is absolutely imperative that these two guys are playing their best hockey of the season now, when it matters the most.

Still, there were omens of ill-tiding on display in game one against the hungry Winnipeg Jets.  If those omens appear again tonight, we could be in for a long, tight series – and that’s bad news for the Ducks.  Here’s three reasons why the Ducks absolutely have to treat tonight’s game like a win-or-go-home scenario.

Anaheim Does Not Want to Have to Play Three Games in the MTC Centre – Especially if One is Do-or-Die

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Clearly, every arena in the NHL is a hostile environment comes playoff time.  They call it home ice advantage for a reason – the fans are screaming for blood, the home team has the better locker room, and the home team was sleeping in the comfort of their own homes instead of the confines of a its-not-quite-home hotel room.

But some arenas are more intimidating than others, and the MTS Centre definitely qualifies.  With its compact size (it’s the smallest arena in the NHL) and deep lower bowl that gives fans a good view of the ice, the MTS Centre has always been a tough place to play.  Add in the fact that one of the NHL’s most rowdy fanbase have been waiting 19 years for playoff hockey to return to the city, and you have a potential house of horrors on your hands.

Obviously, the Ducks are going to have to play at least two games in the MTS Centre, but they most definitely want to have to return there for a third – especially if it’s a do-or-die game six.  Winning tonight lowers the odds of that worst nightmare scenario coming true.

Long Series = Advantage to the Next Team

Even if the Ducks manage to survive a six or seven game series against the Jets, Lord a’mighty, they’ll be in rough shape.  Did you watch game one?  There were 100 hits in the first period!  (Okay, not true.  But there 83 in the entire game, still a hell of a lot).

How many shots like THIS do the Ducks want to endure, if they hope to advance past the second round?  (Ignore the fact that it was Clayton Stoner who get nailed, haters!)

The Ducks want to be able to ice their joints and let their bones heal before the next series starts.

Pressure

I really don’t want to dwell on this one – it speaks for itself.  There WILL be changes in store for this team if it fails to make it out of the first round, and everyone in the Anaheim organization knows this.  The longer the series goes on, the tighter the Ducks will get, and the more players will press, rather than stick with the system.  Going up 2-0 will get their fans and the press of of their backs, making life so much easier for the Ducks.

Tonight’s game is set to begin at 10:30/7:30 p.   You can catch it on NBC Sports Network, and don’t forget to follow us @pucksofafeather so you can chat it up with me throughout the action!

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