I needed a brief cooling off period before I wrote this. To say Monday's Western Conference Finals (WCF) loss was disappointing, is a profound understatement. It was a series the Ducks had the talent to win, but couldn't overcome their own injury woes to pull it out. Best of luck to Nashville in the finals. As a former Music City resident, I call tell you that the Predators organization and fans deserve a championship.
Observations
* Without Patrick Eaves, the Ducks power play reverted to the impotence it showed before he joined the team at the deadline.
* Speaking of Eaves, losing in the WCF returned the worst possible scenario for Anaheim. When the Ducks made the penultimate round of the playoffs, the conditional pick to Dallas for Eaves was upgraded to a first rounder. That would have been fine had Eaves played in any games of the series. He didn't play, and now the Ducks first draft selection will be 50th.
* Shea Theodore's skating and puck handling ability was needed more in game six than Kevin Bieksa's physicality. Randy Carlyle pressed the right button many times this season, but missed that one.
* There might be more roster turnover this off-season than previously expected. I'll address that more in an upcoming blog.
* It heard it mentioned in passing by one of the announcer's that John Gibson may have surgery to correct his frequent lower body injuries (ie groin & hamstring).
Wrong Man, Wrong Time
As soon as Jonathan Bernier was announced as the starting goalie, an impending sense of doom came over me. I have been as high on Bernier as anyone, even after his Toronto debacle. I though he his play during the stretch run was a turning point for him, but it took this game to show me the light. Mike Augello, I salute you.
Using a classic simile, Bernier is a like a six-pack without the plastic thing to hold it together. His talent is not in dispute, but the intangibles such as rebound control and making those around him better are missing. When Bernier was with the Kings, he looked like a potential superstar. Many people believed his success was due to L.A.'s defense, but I have another theory, that also ties in with his play in Toronto.
It is a completely different mental situation between being the back up and being the man your team leans on for success. Its much easier to suck it up for a regular season game or two (or even a week or two) when you don't have the burden of being constantly depended on. In other words, with L.A., Bernier knew that it was John Quick's job; after a cameo here and there, he was back on the bench. In Toronto, he crumbled under the pressure of carrying the load as their number one goalie.
The Ducks did Bernier no favors on Tuesday with their sloppy play. To win this time of year, the team's goalie has to step up, cover for those mistakes and make tough saves. Bernier couldn't do that when he was thrust into a do or die situation and Anaheim lost. Yielding a hat trick to Colton Sissons in a series deciding game is inexcusable, no matter the circumstances. I believe a healthy Gibson wins game six.
Final Thoughts for the Day
I'd like to offer up some kudos. First to the Ducks fans at the Honda Center, Tuesday afternoon, who came out to welcome the team back home. You can watch a video at this link: https://www.facebook.com/anaheimducks/videos/10154824871823472/
Next, props to the Ducks fans and loyal readers of this site. When the trolls came out and started running down the Ducks on the discussion boards, you stood up for them and showed your team colors. Well done.
Anaheim Ducks Blogger • 
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