Faceoff Factor

Anaheim Ducks vs. Dallas Stars: Series Preview

Mike Wilson | National Hockey League

Apr 8, 11:32 AM | Hype this story!

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Ducks(4) vs. Stars(5) Conference Quarterfinals Preview
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This promises to be a great match-up as these two Pacific Division rivals square off in the first round of the playoffs. Anaheim will have a tough first round in defending its Stanley Cup; the Dallas Stars made some positive trades to load up its team for the playoffs.

The Ducks need to use their physicality brought about by their strong forwards and defensemen. If done properly, they can tire not only the Dallas offense, but also their defense. The Anaheim blue-liners will also be the key to this series to keep pucks from getting to their own net and to help put pucks in the Dallas net.

The Stars, however, have the advantage in special teams. During their regular season series, Dallas scored 11 of the 24 goals on the special teams (including 2 short-handed goals). They also will be looking to shut down Anaheim’s top scorers and defensive shooters on the powerplay where Dallas has a penalty kill of 85.5%, which is good enough for second in the NHL.

Dallas has the slight edge in the season series with a 4-3-1 record over Anaheim. Looking at the events in the past month or two, however, it is Dallas who had possession of the Pacific Division lead and the second spot in the Western Conference and has fallen three spots to five. Meanwhile, Anaheim has gone 20-5-3 since the beginning of February.

Goaltending edge goes slightly to Dallas simply because of depth. Turco vs. Giguere is a great, even match-up. However, Holmqvist is more experienced than Hiller and is more valuable a back-up only due to his previous starting duties in Tampa Bay.

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Team Numbers
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Standings
Anaheim: 47-27-8; 102 pts; 2nd Pacific; 4th Western; 5th NHL
Dallas: 45-30-7; 97 pts; 3rd Pacific; 5th Western; 8th NHL

Records
Anaheim: 28-9-4 at home; 19-18-4 on the road; 3-5-0 vs. DAL; 8-2-0 in last 10
Dallas: 23-16-2 at home; 22-14-5 on the road; 4-3-1 vs. ANA; 3-5-2 in last 10

Special Teams
Anaheim: PP, 16.6% (20th); PK, 83.1% (12th)
Dallas: PP, 18.1% (13th); PK, 85.5% (2nd)

Scoring
Anaheim: 197 GF (28th); 184 GA (2nd)
Dallas: 237 GF (9th); 204 GA (6th)

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Player Leaders
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Goals
Anaheim: Perry (29); Getzlaf (24); Kunitz(21)
Dallas: Morrow (32); Ribeiro (27); Hagman (27)

Assists
Anaheim: Getzlaf (58); Pronger (31); Kunits (29)
Dallas: Ribeiro (56); Morrow (42); Richards (42)

Points
Anaheim: Getzlaf (82); Perry (54); Kunitz (50)
Dallas: Ribeiro (83); Morrow (74); Richards (62)

Penalty Minutes
Anaheim: Parros (183); Pronger (128); Perry (108)
Dallas: Ott (147); Barch (105); Morrow (105)

Wins
Anaheim: Giguere (35); Hiller (10)
Dallas: Turco (32); Holmqvist (21)
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Injuries
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Anaheim: Carter (Right Forearm, IR)
Dallas: Lehtinen (Flu, day-to-day)

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Series Schedule
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All times are in EST.

Game 1: April 10 at 10:00 in ANA; ET, TSN, Versus
Game 2: April 12 at 10:00 in ANA; ET, TSN, Versus
Game 3: April 15 at 8:30 in DAL; ET, TSN
Game 4: April 17 at 8:00 in DAL; ET, TSN

Game 5: April 18 at 10:30 in ANA (if needed); ET, TSN, Versus
Game 6: April 20 at TBD in DAL (if needed); TSN
Game 7: April 22 at TBD in ANA (if needed); TSN