Anaheim Ducks clinch top spot in West, will face Winnipeg Jets in first round

With Saturday's 2-1 win in Arizona, the Anaheim Ducks (51-24-7, 109 points) clinched the top record in the Western Conference for the second consecutive season.  As a result, Anaheim’s first round opponent will be the number 8 seed Winnipeg Jets, who secured the Western Conference’s second Wild Card spot on April 9.

The 2015 Ducks-Jets series will begin this Thursday, April 16, at Honda Center, and will be the first time the two clubs have faced each other in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The series will follow a 2-2-1-1-1 format.

The Ducks swept the 2014-15 regular season series between the clubs, 3-0-0. The first game occurred on December 7 at MTS Centre, a 4-3 Ducks overtime victory on Kyle Palmieri’s goal 53 seconds into the extra session.

The Ducks were back in Winnipeg six nights later on December 13, a 4-1 Ducks win in which Ryan Getzlaf collected 1-1=2 points.

The Ducks wrapped up the series on January 11 at Honda Center, a 5-4 shootout win, on Teemu Selanne's jersey retirement night.  In that game, Anaheim rallied from a 4-2 deficit with 13:35 remaining in the third period and won it with a shootout goal by Sami Vatanen.

Rickard Rakell led Anaheim skaters with 2-4=6 points in the three matchups versus Winnipeg, while Mathieu Perreault (0-3=3), Andrew Ladd (2-1=3) and Dustin Byfuglien (1-2=3) paced Winnipeg skaters in points versus the Ducks.

Anaheim’s 2015 playoff berth marks its third straight postseason appearance and 11th in franchise history.

This season, there are reasons for optimism that a Stanley Cup can be brought to Anaheim.  First, the Ducks have been clutch all year, as Anaheim set an all-time NHL record with 33 wins in one-goal games (33-1-7).  The Ducks also led the NHL in winning percentage (.805) in one-goal games and were the only NHL team with fewer than four one-goal losses in regulation.

Second, the Ducks also showed resilience and the ability to overcome deficits, as Anaheim earned 24 comeback victories in 2014-15 after posting 26 last season.

Of course, many thought the same way last year when the Ducks fell to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings.

ANAHEIM DUCKS VS. WINNIPEG JETS FIRST-ROUND SCHEDULE

Game Date Venue Time (PDT)
1 Thursday, April 16 Honda Center 7:30 p.m.
2 Saturday, April 18 Honda Center 7:30 p.m.
3 Monday, April 20 MTS Centre 6:00 p.m.
4 Wednesday, April 22 MTS Centre 6:30 p.m.
5* Friday, April 24 Honda Center TBD
6* Sunday, April 26 MTS Centre TBD
7* Tuesday, April 28 Honda Center TBD

*If necessary

By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services