The Anaheim Ducks lost a vital game seven on home ice Sunday. The team had led the series throughout, but was never able to pull away from the Detroit Red Wings. Now the Ducks head into a summer full of disappointment and uncertainty regarding their oldest player Teemu Selanne. Here are the reasons that the Ducks are no longer competing fro Lord Stanley's Cup.
Blown Leads
The Duck won Game 1 but lost Game 2 after a huge comeback. The team rebounded with a dominant Game 3. However, two blown one-goal leads and an eventual loss in overtime marred Game 4. In Game 5, the Ducks managed a win, but never held a lead for the remainder of the series and eventually fell against the Red Wings in the decisive game. This series was decided by five one-goal games; the Ducks were simply never able to get the breathing room they needed to lock up the series.
Overtime
This series went to the extra session four times; the Ducks finished on top in only one of those matches. In Game 2, Anaheim battled back from a 4-1 deficit and pushed the game to overtime. However, just a little over a minute in, a defensive lapse gave the Wings a win. In Game 4, Anaheim blew two leads and wound up defeated in the extra session. They would win one in overtime at home in Game 5, but blew another exceptional comeback in Game 6 with another loss in overtime. The lack of killer instinct was apparent in this team, not only in its inability to extend leads in games and the series, but also in overtime.
Corey Perry
It is tough to place the blame on one player for his team's loss, but the former MVP was invisible the entire series. After putting up 36 points in the regular season, Perry scored two assists in seven; he never put the puck in the back of the net on his own. His two points came in Game 3 and Game 6; the former was a 4-0 blowout by Anaheim and the latter was a series-tying loss. When his team needed a huge performance from him in the defining match, he responded with four shots, but no points. Anaheim's other top players, including Ryan Getzlaf, Emerson Etem, Bobby Ryan, and Teemu Selanne all contributed offensively. With such a tight series, one goal from Perry could have made the difference. He never stepped up.