Anaheim’s road warrior gets to play the role of villain in the C of Red tonight!
The place was rocking: 15,004 fans wearing white and screaming their lungs out as they welcomed NHL playoff hockey back to Winnipeg, Manitoba after a 19-year absence.
The boos were raining down, including chants of “Kesler sucks!”
The home team was feeding off the energy, having just taken a 4-3 lead in a Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals, a game they desperately needed to win.
And then . . .
Ryan Kesler devoured the Winnipeg Jets’ souls with that goal, and then had the nerve to return to the scene of the crime and bang not one but two stakes into the hearts of the Jets in Game 4, finishing Winnipeg off and cementing his reputation as a Stanley Cup Playoffs bully.
LOVE IT.
For whatever reason, Kesler, who has never been suspended a game in his entire NHL career, has become the target of opposing fans in these playoffs, something he clearly relishes:
"“I think he likes it from the fans. He’s not a negative guy. Ryan, sometimes he looks a little grumpy, but it’s because he’s a perfectionist,” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. “When things don’t go well for him and he thinks things should be going better or he should be doing things. He’s an emotional guy and he lets it show, but I know in the last series he fed off the fans being on him.”"
Kesler is playing great for the Anaheim Ducks this postseason, both at home and on the road – but there’s no doubt that he kicks things up a notch when the Ducks are in hostile territory, which is exactly where Anaheim will find itself tonight.
If the Honda Center is a den of horrors for the Calgary Flames, who haven’t won in Anaheim since ice was discovered, the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, is the Flames’ happy place, as they are currently undefeated at home in these playoffs. If the Ducks want to avoid the walk – or more accurately, the drive – of shame down the Red Mile tonight, they could use a healthy dose of Kesler’s ability to silence raucous fans screaming for duck stew.
Pucks and Pitchforks
Kesler has accumulated three goals, one assist, a +/- rating of +3 and over 20,000 enemies (give or take) in two road games for the Ducks. As much as Anaheim’s top line of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Patrick Maroon have dominated the Flames during Games 1 and 2 of this series, Kelser and his linemates Jakob Silfverberg and Matt Beleskey are going to see a healthy dose of Calgary’s best players, since the Flames enjoy the luxury of the last line change for Games 3 and 4.
If the Anaheim Ducks wind up taking a suffocating 3-0 lead in this series, it may very well be due to how nefarious Ryan Kesler is once the puck drops tonight. He has had an extremely solid series this far, but I expect his efforts to generate numbers in the box score now that the series shifts to Calgary.
Let me know what you think of Kesler’s play in these playoffs and how he will perform tonight in the comments below, and never forget to follow us @pucksofafeather in time for our live-Tweeting of Game 3 tonight!
Next: Freddie Andersen is Having a Breakout Postseason
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