Anaheim Ducks Expert Panel: Our WCQF Predictions

The Anaheim Ducks begin their pursuit of Lord Stanley’s cup tomorrow night against the visiting San Jose Sharks. This week the expert panel gives their predictions.

The Western Conference Quarter-Finals (WCQF) start Thursday night. Even though there are some missing pieces to the Anaheim Ducks puzzle at the moment, predictions can still be made. This week’s panel

Blake Navarro

Ducks in seven.

I think Anaheim’s depth down the middle will be enough to get them past San Jose. The only set back that will make this a series will be the Sharks getting back Joe Thornton. Cam Fowler is probably out this series, that could cause problems for Anaheim. The Ducks will need their third and fourth lines to be effective to win this series with the Sharks.

Greg Johnson

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Ducks in seven games.

The loss of Cam Fowler will be tough to overcome. Having either Francois Beauchemin or Kevin Bieksa in their top four defensemen is much less than ideal. And having two rookies, Marcus Pettersson and Andy Welinski, on the blue line going into the playoffs doesn’t look good either.

However, this Ducks team should be able to overcome all of that. If they can get two wins in their first four games, they’ll be able to outlast these Sharks. Especially if Fowler can return.

My real prediction: Evander Kane will run over John Gibson, putting him out for the season. Ryan Miller will win the series in relief, then he’ll beat the Kings in the next round.

Ciara Durant

Ducks take round 1 in game 7

I believe that facing the Sharks in the first round is not going to be an easy feat. Both teams are eager to win, with the cross-state rivalry going on and advancement in the playoffs on the line.

The Sharks play a similar game to the Ducks offensively and defensively. I honestly think these games are going to come down to goalie performance. John Gibson, statistically, has a higher save percentage than Martin Jones. He’s been a huge reason as to why the Ducks have won as many games as they have this year.

However, If The Ducks want to win, they need to rely less on John Gibson to carry the team in the final period, and Randy Carlyle needs to be smart with his coaching decisions (especially with Fowler out and Bieksa now healthy).

Ed Stein

Ducks in six.

I was tempted to say Ducks in five. The only reason I didn’t is that I’m not sure of when John Gibson will be back. The Anaheim Ducks have said Gibson may be ready for game one on Thursday night. This time of year, I don’t believe any injury news. Miller is the best option to open the series even if Gibson is ready.

The Ducks are hitting their stride at the right time. It makes them the clear favorite to win the series over San Jose. Initially, I wanted Los Angeles in the first round. The more I think about it, San Jose doesn’t have a game-changing forward on their roster.

That’s good news for Ryan Kesler, who won’t have to log as many minutes in this series as he would have against Anze Kopitar. Kesler can build on his recovery before he has to take on a top offensive center in later rounds.

Next: Ducks 3 Stars of the week.

If the Ducks continue their run of greater distributed scoring, San Jose won’t be able to effectively defend all of them. Balanced offense and good goaltending will be enough for Anaheim to overcome their thin blueline corps.