3 Players Who Must Step Up For The Ducks Against Chicago
Francois Beauchemin
Mar 20, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin (23) looks on against the Colorado Avalanche during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Only three players from the 2007 stanley cup championship team remain on Anaheim’s roster. Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Francois Beauchemin. At 34 years of age, Francois Beauchemin is the vocal veteran presence on the Ducks blue line. He has played 55 more playoff games than the second most experienced Ducks defensemen ( Cam Fowler 35 Playoff Games ) and that experience will never be more important than it is now. Cam Fowler, Simon Despres, Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm are all under the age of 24. It will be up to Beauchemin to keep the young guys in check against the highly skilled Chicago squad.
After playing alongside future hall of famer Chris Pronger, Fancois Beauchemin learned how to be a vocal leader on the ice. The past two seasons Beauchemin has taken a page out of Pronger’s book to be extremely vocal while playing alongside 21 year old second year defensemen Hampus Lindholm. The duo has become the top defensive pairing for the Ducks and the vocal presence of Beauchemin has lead to the rapid growth of Lindholm’s maturity and confidence. Lindholm could very well be considered the Ducks best all around defensemen and he will need to be flawless against Chicago. The vocal direction from Beauchemin will be extremely important during this series as he and Lindholm will likely be relied upon to shutdown the first or second line of the Blackhawks.
Beauchemin is coming off one of his best offensive seasons as he scored a career high 11 goals. He has backed up that impressive regular season production with six assists in nine games during these playoffs, three of which have come on the power play. Beauchemin brings a rifling slap shot from the point on the power play which has helped him generate rebounds, giving the Ducks the number one power play (31%) heading into the western conference finals. Offensively and defensively it will be Beauchemin who will have to set the tone for the Ducks.
To Help Anaheim Win Beauchemin Must…
If the Ducks are going to beat the pre season stanley cup favorite Chicago Blackhawks, Francois Beauchemin will need to use his physicality and veteran leadership to carry the Ducks young defensemen. Beauchemin must use his lethal hip check on smaller players like Patrick Kane and Teuvo Teravainen to deny them easy entries into the offensive zone. If he can be overly physical while still being a solid stay at home defensemen then Hampus Lindholm will have the green light to join the rush and generate offense for the Ducks. Beauchemin must constantly communicate with Hampus Lindholm if the two are going to have any chance at slowing down the top six forwards for Chicago.
If Beauchemin Plays Poorly…
If Beauchemin constantly turns the puck over and is exposed by the Chicago offense then the Ducks will likely lose this series very quickly. Poor play by Beauchemin will force Lindholm to play heavy minutes in the defensive end and the Duck offense will suffer. If Beauchemin does not play a strong stay at home defensive type of game then the Hawks may expose him and force Lindholm to defend a number of odd man rushes. As the vocal veteran leader of this Ducks team, Beauchemin’s performance will create success or ultimate downfall.
Next: Ryan Kesler