Ducks credit playoff success to practicing as hard as they play
Allen Iverson didn't want to talk about practice, but the Anaheim Ducks sure are happy to talk about it. They've had a whole lot of it after the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In the last month, the Ducks have played only nine games. But with only one of those a loss, it's clear their game hasn't gotten stale. Anaheim points to its ability to practice harder than most as the reason for the consistently high level of play.
"This is one of the best practice teams I've ever been on," center Ryan Kesler said. "The last two times, we've come out pretty good off of breaks. Is it good? It allows the body to rest but it also develops rust, so it's up to us to keep the practices sharp and keep going."
The drills the coaching staff put the team through over the last month typically are reserved for training camps, not necessarily the playoffs. But it's allowed them to create a routine along the way, and no one is arguing with the results after two rounds.
"We've had our buildup again. We've had to approach it almost like a football team where you have day one, day two, day three," said captain Ryan Getzlaf. "You work on different things every day in preparation for a team. It's been no different for us. We had our tough practice three days ago. The last two days have been more of a structural thing. But we're prepared again. That's the big thing."
The Ducks' approach practices with the same intensity and energy as games. They're fast, physical and chirp one another. They've practiced like this all season, but it's been taken up a notch as the team has progressed in postseason play. There hasn't been any casualties, just wins.
If you take a break and flip the switch off, you might not be able to turn it back on again. Anaheim isn't planning on turning it off anytime soon.
"It might be easy to kind of sit back and relax for a second," defenseman Cam Fowler said. "I think the big reason why we've had some success is because how we've been practicing has carried over into the games. That's really important, especially when you have six, seven days off."
No introduction needed
Kesler and his Blackhawks nemesis, captain Jonathan Toews, have fielded questions about one another all week long. The renewed rivalry has reached a fever pitch.
There's no love lost between two of the best two-way centers in the NHL, but if you're expecting them to drop the gloves, you're likely to be disappointed.
"Do I hate them? I think we're here for one reason: to win," Kesler said. "I think we've done a good job of keeping our emotions in check, not let that so-called hatred come into your game. I think that's when things get a little hairy for us."
But still, they aren't exactly going out and getting beers together on their off days.
"If I play against him in this series, I'm sure, you know, we won't hug each other on the dot," Kesler said. "Let's just say that."
Wally Pipps no more
The Ducks will start the Western Conference finals injury-free, but third-line center Rickard Rakell was sent home from Saturday's practice after feeling "under the weather." Should he be unable to play by Sunday, coach Bruce Boudreau said either Tomas Fleischmann or Chris Wagner would take his place.
Fleischmann, Wagner, Emerson Etem and Jiri Sekac all practiced in white jerseys at Anaheim Ice on Saturday. With Chicago's speed game, Boudreau said he's "strongly considering" using speedy left wing Sekac, but he hasn't made any final decisions yet.
