In the past couple of weeks it has become apparent that if you want to watch high-octane athletic competition, the place to turn is the NHL playoffs. And if you’re looking for a great individual performances, look no further than Jean-Sebastien Giguere of the Anaheim Ducks.
If you tune in this weekend you can watch the Ducks ride Jean-Sebastien Giguere straight into the NHL Western Conference finals and knock off the top-seeded Dallas Stars along the way. With great performances still to come, Giguere will lead the Ducks all the way to the Stanley Cup.
With his 1.27 goals-against average through the 2003 playoffs, Giguere has been more than stellar in goal. So far this postseason he has amassed an amazing 7-1 record, which included a streak of six-straight victories and three-straight overtime wins. The playoffs have been Giguere’s stage, and the curtain call will come when he is hoisting the Cup.
Underrated throughout the regular season, Giguere ranked fifth in wins with 38, seventh in save percentage at .920, and second in shutouts with eight. These stats have only been improved upon in the playoffs. The 25-year-old Quebec native has had a .960 save percentage while allowing only 1.27 goals a game through eight playoff performances.
In what was one of the greatest games of the playoffs, Giguere made 60 saves in the Ducks’ five-overtime game one thriller at Dallas. It was the fourth-longest game in league history, and Giguere followed the performance by making 29 saves in the Ducks’ game to overtime victory. Only once this postseason has Giguere given up three goals in a game, and his poise has been remarkable considering it is his first postseason experience.
Giguere posted his first postseason shutout Wednesday night, stopping 28 shots to help give the Ducks a 3-1 series lead. If beating the No. 1 seed in the conference doesn’t get people talking, then what will? Maybe a look back at the Ducks’ first-round series will shed some light on just how good the team is.
The defending champion Detroit Red Wings came into the playoffs with high aspirations of winning a second-straight Stanley Cup. But maybe they should have focused more on merely winning a game in the postseason. Instead, the Wings seemed to look beyond the Ducks and prepare themselves for a lengthy postseason run.
Enter Jean-Sebastien Giguere. The Ducks goaltender simply played splendidly in the Ducks’ sweep of the Wings. He made 165 saves on 171 shots (.965 save percentage) posting a 1.25 goals against average. Diving, jumping, falling, sprawling — not even Dr. Seuss could come up with a word to describe some of the saves Giguere made. His prowess in the net has given the Ducks that extra dimension that every Stanley Cup champion needs.
Giguere is in what sports analyst would call “the zone.” Watching him play, you get this idea that he could stand on the ice in overtime facing a penalty from the Stars’ best player and make the save nine times out of 10 … with his eyes closed.
He has made phenomenal saves that no one should be able to make, and the Stars can’t helped but be discouraged when trying to solve the mystery of Giguere. Jean-Sebastien could be running his mouth in press conferences and interviews, and no one would stop him. He’s just that good. The way he’s playing now he can’t be beaten in a seven-game series, it’s just not possible.
With him in net, the Ducks will skate away with the Stanley Cup this spring. Whichever beast from the East arrives in the Stanley Cup Finals, they are going to need an outstanding series to beat Giguere. And I don’t think a great series will necessarily win them the Stanley Cup, but maybe it will allow them to score.
