Goldstein: Ten things on Senators

Everyone in hockey says teams have to pay the price to get to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Anaheim Ducks understand, because this trip is costing them a first-round draft choice.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere could add another Conn Smythe Trophy to his collection. (Getty Images)

Anaheim threw a conditional pick into the big package it sent to Edmonton for Chris Pronger last year, and the condition was that it would become a first-rounder in 2008 if the Ducks made the Finals. Anaheim already had given up a first-rounder this year and a second next, along with young players Joffrey Lupul and Ladislav Smid.

"What happened is that we were getting the deal done, and Kevin (Oilers GM Lowe) said, 'I'm giving you a ticket to the final,'" Ducks general manager Brian Burke told the Canadian Press this week. "So I said, 'Well if we make it to the final, I'll put in another first-rounder.'"

"I'm very happy to pay it."

So now you know. Here are a few other things to know about the Ducks as they prepare to face the Ottawa Senators:

1. Ducks coach Randy Carlyle suggested Jean-Sebastien Giguere has gone under the radar in the playoffs, which might be the result of the goalie making things look easy. Giguere's 1.98 GAA and .931 save percentage are gaudy, but what has made him so effective has been his positioning, particularly on first shots. That's why Giguere has allowed few softies and has done well controlling rebounds or directing them to avoid second chances, which will be critical against a team that will likely get to the net better than Detroit did.

2. The spotlight always shines brightest on the blue line when it comes to the Ducks, not surprising since it includes Pronger and Scott Niedermayer. The former Norris winners are critical cogs for Anaheim, but the key to the Ducks' chances in this series will more likely be the performance of the team's checking line. Center Sami Pahlssson might be the best defensive forward in the league, and his unit will be charged with shutting down Ottawa's scorching No. 1 line, which has triggered the Senators throughout the playoffs.

3. Back to the big guys on defense. Their giant shadow has made it hard for anyone to notice Francois Beauchemin, who has been a steal as a throw-in from Columbus for Sergei Fedorov last year. He has been there every step of the way, playing 30 minutes a game, or about the same as the other two. Beauchemin's numbers declined this season because he lost a lot of power-play time to Pronger, but he gives Anaheim a good option on the second unit with his booming slap shot. And more important, he has been the steadiest Ducks player in their end so far.

4. A potential concern for the Ducks if the series goes long is ice-time distribution. Anaheim has played with a shorter bench than Ottawa throughout the playoffs. Sean O'Donnell is the only other Anaheim defenseman who gets any kind of ice, and even then he is limited, which essentially gives the Ducks a 3½-man unit. And the Ducks' fourth line averages about three minutes a game, while Ottawa rolls six defensemen and four lines.

5. Teemu Selanne's line, which is supposed to spearhead the Ducks, seems to have gotten over its struggles since Game 4 of the Red Wings series. That might have to do with Todd Marchant finding a comfort zone on the wing after replacing injured Chris Kunitz, or it could be that the No. 1 line has had a lot of pressure removed. Unlike Ottawa, the Ducks haven't relied on just one line to carry the load. The Ryan Getzlaf line has 11 goals, and Pahlsson's checking unit has 10.

6. Getzlaf's line bears watching in the Finals. Dustin Penner, the oldest at 24, and Corey Perry are on the wings, which makes this a true kids line. They're all big, physical players who don't hurt themselves with their skating, and they've been an important force for Anaheim in the postseason -- Getzlaf and Perry, anyway. Penner -- the brute force of the group -- hasn't looked particularly good. If he starts getting to the front of the net again, the line will do a lot more damage than it has.

7. Another thing to watch is whether the Ducks can rattle Ray Emery's cage. The Ottawa goalie has been known for, um, an excitable streak on the ice that has earned him league discipline. No team is better than Anaheim at getting in your face and escaping penalty. The Ducks have avoided many interference calls this spring because of the borderline subtlety in their ability to "accidentally" fall on top of goalies after the whistle. But Emery has been known to react.

8. Polling companies north of the border are doing surveys to see if the Senators are now considered "Canada's team," although it seems Anaheim suits that label better based on the nationality of its players. The Ducks have 19 players who were born in Canada, including Olympic gold medal heroes Niedermayer and Pronger; the Senators only have 12.

9. Birthplace isn't the only consideration for the Ducks when they build their roster. Neither is doing things the way everyone else does. The Ducks have mined Canada's junior leagues well in recent drafts, but they have also done an incredible job tapping U.S. college teams. They have 12 current players who came from the NCAA, including several key un-drafted players who they gave a chance as free agents.

10. Speaking of building the Ducks, Burke is always quick to credit Senators coach Bryan Murray for his role. And for good reason. Murray, who coached Anaheim in 2001-02 and became GM for the next two seasons, oversaw drafts that produced Getzlaf, Perry and a core of prospects that makes the Ducks' system one of the deepest and most enviable in the league. By the way, Smid and Lupul, the key pieces in the Pronger deal with Edmonton, were both Murray first-round picks.