The Ducks are in a battle. No one believed this series would be a sweep for the Ducks but after dropping a marathon event in Game 2 that saw plenty of chances both ways, Game 3 is something of a must win for the Ducks. And a big time key for the Ducks to do that will be Ryan Kesler.
Kesler has been in “beast mode” since the opening puck drop of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He is one of if not the toughest player to play against and there is no denying his desire and compete level. He came to the Ducks with one goal in mind, to win the Cup and he’s seven wins away from accomplishing that goal. For it to happen however Kesler needs to be more than he’s been in the first two games vs. Chicago
Against the Winnipeg Jets Kesler had three goals and five points in the opening round. He made great play after great play and was a thorn in the Jets side especially in the hostile environment that was Winnipeg. Time and time again he silenced the “white-out” and was pivotal in the Ducks first round sweep of the Jets, especially scoring late in Game 3 to force OT, which would set up Rickard Rakell’s heroic goal and make the series 3-0 instead of 2-1. The Jets had no answer for him and he seemed to just stronger and better as the series moved along. He was also 64% on the dots allowing the Ducks to have more puck possession and he was physical as anything getting under the skin of numerous Jets players. He goaded them into taking bad penalties and poor plays which set up Ducks chances and goals.
Against the Calgary Flames Kesler picked up where he left off against the Jets. He had a goal and three assists while only being held pointless once in the five games it took to extinguish the Flames. He was an instigator and threat to make plays every time he had the puck. The sweet saucer pass to Matt Beleskey in Game 2 which got the Ducks rolling was a thing of beauty. In Games 3 and 4 in Calgary he seemed to embrace the heckling of the “Red C” and almost fed off and got stronger because of it. Thought not scoring in Calgary he made plays and was key in bringing the series back to Anaheim with the Ducks holding a 3-1 lead. To top it off finding the back of the net in Game 5 was a huge. The Ducks trailed 1-0 before that and his goal injected new life in them. He also set the screen on the tying goal in the 3rd that would allow the Ducks to force OT and set the stage for the heroics of Corey Perry.
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With the Ducks advancing they knew they would be playing Chicago and before the series even started Kesler knew he’d be matched up against Jonathan Towes’ line. When asked about it prior to Game 1 he said “I’ll just say we won’t be hugging each other in the face-off dot.” Kesler is battled-tested and knew the challenges that would go in to playing against that line. And while he has kept that line in check for the most part Kesler hasn’t been able to generate a ton of chances offensively. The Blackhawks have seemed to center attention on him and his line mates through the first two games resulting in limited opportunities. Kesler has gone pointless in the two games vs. Chicago so far and managed only 4 combined shots on goal. He must find a way to break through in Games 3 and 4. He can take over a game and if he does only good things will come to the Ducks.
His play also elevates the play of line mates Jakob Silfverberg and Matt Beleskey. Those two cashed in seemingly at will in the first two rounds. With Silfverberg and Kesler combining numerous times to bring down the Jets and Beleskey scored in every game vs. the Flames after being held scoreless against Winnipeg. To this point only Silfverberg has a goal against Chicago and it was of the empty net variety. Chicago is forcing all three of them outside and clogging up the slot. They can’t sit back and try to let things happen. They need to beat the defense on the fore check and make quick smart plays and get shots through. At times in this series it looks like they are trying to make the perfect play or let things just happen. They need to make things happy and press the issue. None of that line is afraid to throw their weight around and all three of them can make plays. They need to do that in big ways starting on Thursday night.
When The Kesler line is rolling it opens up more room for the Getzlaf line as well as the other two lines and will give Chicago’s already depleted defense even more to have to contend with. Kesler was brought in for a variety of reasons one of which was how he could make the Ducks serious Cup contenders. He has done that and then some and now he needs to do a little more. He needs to channel the “beast mode” he possess and get the Ducks seven more wins. One win at a time that all starts Thursday night in Chicago.