Ducks Falling

With their 5-2 loss last Saturday night to the Dallas Stars, the Ducks are just two losses away from ending their their reign as Stanley Cup champions. It’s certainly a tough task to win back to back Stanley Cup titles in this era’s NHL with the Red Wings being the last team to accomplish such a feat in 1997 and 1998. However, what is most embarrassing aspect of the Ducks sudden collapse is the fact that they look sluggish on the ice for most of the game. In Game 2, they were sloppy and passive when they needed to be precise and aggressive. Other than a brief display of energy that allowed them to tie the score at two, Anaheim looks rather emotionless, a far cry from last season’s emotional run to the Stanley Cup finals.

In my opinion, the main cause for the Ducks’ lackadaisical performances in Games 1 and 2 was pyscological effects. After winning one title a team will largely be content with their performance and a little too relaxed because in their minds they have already done this before. With championship rings sitting at home, teams can develop a sort of relaxation and ease that may not have been there the season before. I am not sure if this is actually the case for the Ducks players because I am not a mind reader but it is a fairly likely scenario.