Freddie Andersen is Easily the MVP of the Western Conference Finals So Far
The Anaheim Ducks have gotten just enough offense to take a 2-1 series lead, but the best player on the ice won’t score a point.
Congratulations, Simon Despres! Your first NHL postseason goal proved to be the game-winner in Thursday night’s 2-1 Anaheim Ducks victory over the Chicago Blackhawks!
Not get the hell off of the stage – the real star of the night, and the entire Western Conference Finals, is your net minder, Frederik Andersen.
Normally, I try to keep in mind that Pucks of a Feather is just a blog, and that I am but one guy with an Internet connection, a computer, and a whole lot of opinions.
But this is no opinion, folks. This is a flat-out fact: Andersen has been THE best player on the ice during this series, bar none.
Now let’s get this straight: Freddie has had a hell of a postseason so far, so it’s not like his play in the WCFs has been a surprise. He’s been a wall right from Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against Winnipeg, and it’s an understatement to say that Freddie has been steady ever since.
However, Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler and Jakob Silfverberg and were cold-blooded assassins against the Jets, and Perry continued to be a monster against the Calgary Flames, along with his linemate, Ryan Getzlaf, and Matt “Hells Bells” Beleskey.
In short, Andersen was great through the first two rounds, but a lot of us were guilty of glossing over him when we talked about Anaheim’s best players. Heck, Andersen didn’t even get a chance to compete for our first ever Ducks MVP Not Named Perry or Getzlaf award!
I won’t make that mistake this series – three games in, and Andersen is THE biggest factor contributing to Anaheim’s 2-1 series lead.
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Anaheim’s 4-1 win in Game 1 of this series looks impressive, but anyone who watched the game knows that the Blackhawks outshot the Ducks 33-26, and enjoyed significant stretches of sustained pressure in their offensive zone. It was not until the third period that the Ducks finally put Chicago away, and they were only able to do so due to Andersen’s dominance.
Then there was the heart-breaker, Game 2, which began disastrously for the Ducks, with Chicago taking a quick 2-0 lead due to careless penalties by the Ducks to open the first. Once again, Andersen stood tall, keeping Chicago off the scoreboard until there was only 3:38 left in the third overtime.
And how about last night, when the Blackhawks outshot the Ducks 10-5 in the third period as Anaheim apparently decided to go into prevent mode? The last two minutes were especially scary, as Chicago pulled goalie Corey Crawford for the extra attacker and absolutely lived in Anaheim’s zone. Chicago had plenty of chances to tie things up, including this flurry, but Andersen was unflappable.
Andersen has faced 117 shots in this series and stopped 112, good for a .957 save percentage and a 1.67 GAA. There have been numerous stretches of each game when Chicago’s speed has kept the Ducks on their heels. Add to this the fact that Anaheim’s best lines have been their third and even fourth lines, and that Chicago has enjoyed more man advantages than the Ducks (five last night alone), and it is conceivable that the Ducks should be down 2-1, instead of on top . . . yet here we are, enjoying last night’s win and a series lead, mostly because Freddie is seeing the puck beautifully and making key save after key save.
The Anaheim Ducks are two wins away from heading to the Stanley Cup Finals, and we certainly cannot overlook the play of Anaheim’s forwards and defensemen, but right now it’s not even up for debate who the best player on the ice for both sides has been. Frederik Andersen has made all of the “easy” saves he has to make, plus an awful lot of saves that the Ducks need him to make in order to bail them out of trouble. He’s literally gone from being unnoticed to making a case for himself as the Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
What a difference a year makes!