ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -George Parros scored one goal on 19 shots in 34 games for the Anaheim Ducks this season while racking up 102 penalty minutes.
Not exactly the prototypical player when it comes to playoff time, but his rugged style and bushy mustache have made him a fan favorite. The push is on to get him into a finals game so he can have his name inscribed on the Stanley Cup should the Ducks win it.
Ducks coach Randy Carlyle got the 6-foot-5 forward from Washington, Pa., into five postseason games this year, his second in the NHL. Parros had no points and 10 penalty minutes, and hasn’t played since the second round.
“Obviously, I want to be out there tomorrow night,” Parros said Tuesday shortly after the Ducks returned from Ottawa with a 3-1 lead in the Stanley Cup finals. “I want us to field the best team we can and if Randy thinks that’s somebody else then that’s the way it goes. He’s done a good job to this point.”
Carlyle didn’t rule out dressing Parros in the finals. But Wednesday might be his last chance because of the Ducks can wrap up the series with a win.
“We’ve haven’t openly discussed that among our group,” Carlyle said. “Those are tough ones. Real tough. I think that any member of our hockey club is deserved of having the opportunity to play in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Those are coach’s decisions and sometimes they’re not popular.”
Parros no longer watches games from the stands. The pressure of being there without having control of the action is too much to take. So, the dressing room TV is usually the viewing spot, at least when defenseman Chris Pronger isn’t around.
In each of the last two series, including Monday night’s 3-2 win in Game 4, Pronger has sat out because of a suspension. That has caused problems for Parros.
“I can’t watch these games with Prongs anymore,” he said. “He’s even more emotional than anybody. He’ll frustrate you. He’s too tightly wound. When he got suspended earlier, we watched the game together and I couldn’t do it anymore. I told him I’d never watch a game with him again.”
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NOTHING TO LOSE: Ottawa’s Daniel Alfredsson said the Senators were upbeat Tuesday on the flight to Anaheim in the wake of their 3-2 loss Monday night in Game 4, putting them within one loss of elimination.
“We know we’re in a tough one,” Alfredsson said. “It’s not going to be easy. I’m sure there’s not a lot of people that believe we can do it. (But) we have nothing to lose now. We’re going to go out there tomorrow and try to bring it home to Ottawa for Game 6. There’s no question we believe we can do that.”
Each of the Senators’ six losses in these playoffs have been by one goal.
“Obviously, it’s frustrating a little bit losing tight games, not scoring maybe as easy as we did the first couple rounds,” Ottawa’s Jason Spezza said. “But we have no time to really think about it – we have to turn this thing around.”
Goalie Ray Emery said after practice that the Senators’ attitude had changed in the previous 12 hours.
“There’s an easier feeling knowing every guy is playing with his back against the wall – almost a confidence,” he said.
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THE CUP IS IN THE BUILDING: The Stanley Cup will be in the Honda Center on Wednesday night when the Anaheim Ducks go for their first NHL championship.
Andy McDonald finds that a bit uncomfortable.
“It’s going to be kind of a weird feeling,” McDonald said after practice Tuesday. “You’ve got to try and keep that out of your mind. The reality is, you’ve got to prepare like all the other games.”
McDonald scored twice Tuesday night in Anaheim’s 3-2 victory in Ottawa, moving the Ducks within one win of the Cup. And they have an outstanding track record, going 7-0 in clinching games including 3-0 this year and a 5-0 record in the finals on home ice.
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COMEBACK TIME: The Ducks reached the Stanley Cup finals for the first time four years ago, losing to the New Jersey Devils in seven games. The Senators took the Devils to seven games earlier in those playoffs after being down 3-1.
“Our goal back then was to win Game 5,” Ottawa’s Chris Phillips said. “We can’t be worried about the results – just go and play as hard as we can and hopefully they’ll take care of themselves, and we’ll have another game to play and take it step-by-step, instead of looking at the big picture here.”
Said Ottawa’s Mike Fisher: “If we can be smart, go back to the way we know we can play, we’ll be fine.”
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