Posted on 6/1/2007 2:34:51 PM

NHL Betting - Ducks go Cup Hunting in Ottawa

By Curt Staley

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Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, and Daniel Alfredsson are still the top three scorers in the postseason, but unless Ottawa’s big line can turn it up a notch this weekend those scoring stats are going to look pretty hollow. The Senators find themselves in a big hole in the Stanley Cup final as the series shifts up to Canada for Game 3 on Saturday night.

The Anaheim Ducks took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven set with a 3-2 win over the Senators in Game 1 on Monday night. Ottawa actually had the lead twice in that contest – Mike Fisher opened the scoring just over a minute into the game, and Wade Redden put the team up 2-1 early in the second period. However, Ryan Getzlaf picked up his sixth goal of the playoffs early in the third, and Travis Moen followed up with the winner.

The Moen clincher came with just three minutes left in the game, and Ottawa was unable to get the puck past Ducks netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere in the dying seconds and force overtime. Giguere made 18 saves in the victory, while Sens counterpart Ray Emery had 29 stops. Andy McDonald scored the Ducks’ opening goal.

The line of Heatley-Spezza-Alfredsson accounted for just two assists in Game 1, as they were hounded by the Ducks’ checking line of Moen, Rob Niedermayer, and Samuel Pahlsson every time they hit the ice. Ottawa was hoping for a better result from their top forwards in Game 2 on Wednesday night, but the outcome was just the same.

 

In fact, the Sens’ top line, along with the rest of Ottawa’s skaters, were blanked in Game 2 as the Ducks skated away with a 1-0 victory at the Honda Center. Pahlsson added insult to injury by scoring the game’s lone goal at 14:16 of the third period, while Giguere was forced to make only 16 saves in the victory. Emery blocked 30-of-31 shots.

So the Sens now find themselves down 0-2 as the series heads to Scotiabank Place on the outskirts of Ottawa for Game 3 on Saturday night (puck drop is scheduled for 8:00pm ET). Game 4 will also be played in Ottawa, and it’s scheduled for Monday night. Senators fans now hope their team will be in position to tie up the series in that contest.

Heading into Ottawa, the Ducks are -350 favorites to win the series, while the Sens are listed at +250 to recover and win the Stanley Cup.

Assuming the Senators can win at least once on home ice Game 5 will be played in Anaheim on Wednesday. Game 6 and 7 are penciled in for Saturday and Monday. Check the BetUS odds section for the latest lines and prop wagers for the Stanley Cup.

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