ANAHEIM – Well, it looks like Toronto Maple Leaf fans will be going to plan “B” in their Stanley Cup playoffs watching schedule. After the Leafs put up a valiant effort, pushing the league champion Washington Capitals to a sixth game before losing in overtime.
For many Six Nations hockey fans, the Anaheim Ducks are the team to watch with Six Nations’ own Brandon Montour patrolling the blue line. The Ducks open Round No. 2 with the Edmonton Oilers.
To win, Anaheim needs to shut down Oilers captain Connor McDavid, which will put a lot of pressure on Montour and the young Ducks’ defense.
Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf knows this and adds, “McDavid is someone you have to pay attention to when he’s on the ice, but much like [Johnny] Gaudreau last series, we don’t want to direct too much of our attention at him. Respect the guys around him.”
Injured Cam Fowler may be back in the Ducks lineup as early as Game No. 1 where he will be matched with Montour on the blue line when the whistle blows Wednesday night. Game No. 2 will also be in Anaheim, Friday, April 28, and Sunday, the series moves to Edmonton.
One of the most telling of statistics for a defenseman isn’t how many goals one scores, even though Montour is more than capable of, but rather the plus/minus stat and Montour’s +11 after the regular season is impressive. He is a +3 going into the second round.
Elsewhere around the league, the Nashville Predators take on the St. Louis Blues, the New York Rangers play the Ottawa Senators, and the Pittsburg Penguins are coupled with the Washington Capitals.
