Anaheim Ducks devastatingly lose another Game 7

The Anaheim Ducks have found themselves with the same end result for the fourth consecutive season.

After Wednesday night’s Game 7 between the Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators, the words of Yankee great Yogi Berra come to mind, “it’s deja vu all over again.”

For the fourth year in a row the Ducks held a 3-2 lead in a playoff series with Game 7 on home ice — and they lost.

Like a horrible version of Groundhog Day, the Ducks have been re-living the same nightmare scenario and it seems to get worse every year.

Despite having home-ice in the series, the Ducks lost their third home game of the series; this time by a tally of 2-1.

Nashville got great goal-tending from Pekka Rinne, who made 36 saves and was able to resist a bombardment at the end to preserve the win.

When the game started the Ducks needed to avoid an early letdown and get on the scoreboard early to gain some momentum.  Neither outcome occurred, and the Ducks found themselves down early.

First, Colin Wilson scored six minutes into the game and then Paul Gaustad scored late in the period to make it 2-0 at the end of the first frame.

Being down 2-0 after one period woke up the Ducks, as they out-shot  the Predators 28-10, but they could only muster one goal of their own.

After the Predators took a late penalty that went into the third period, the Ducks were able to get on the board thanks to a power play goal by Ryan Kesler.  The Ducks never got the tying goal they so desperately needed and were left to contemplate another Game 7 loss at home.

In a team sport, there is no one person responsible for a team losing a playoff series, but it’s hard not to point some fingers.

Corey Perry, the Ducks’ leading goal-scorer during the regular season (34), came up with a fat zero during the series. Team captain Ryan Getzlaf led the team with 5 points during the series, but didn’t come up with a single point in the Game 6 and 7 losses where the Ducks need someone to step up and help clinch the series.

Despite these shortcomings when the team needed it most, the person who may end up as the scapegoat most likely will be coach Bruce Boudreau.

Despite winning a division title in seven of his eight seasons coaching the Washington Capitals and the Ducks, Boudreau is 1-7 in Game 7’s and has yet to reach a Stanley Cup Final.

It’s strange that such a successful regular season coach has hardly ever translated that to a successful postseason.  If he is let go by the team, he will easily find a new job but it’s hard to imagine what more he could have done to help the Ducks.

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This will be a long summer for the Ducks but they have young core that may one day finally exorcise their Game 7 demons.