from Eric Stephens of the OC Register,

Game 7. Oh, boy.

It really is simple for them and has been for four years running. Whatever the round – first, second, third – the Ducks couldn’t close out a series to advance and didn’t play for the Stanley Cup because when it was left to winning Game 7, they didn’t.

All of the losses came at home. And so this latest all-or-nothing affair is, of course, at Honda Center on Wednesday night. Edmonton is the opponent this time, full of verve and confidence after administering its 7-1 destruction in Game 6.

The Oilers are eager to join Detroit (2013), the Kings (2014), Chicago (2015) and Nashville (2016) in shaking hands with some glum Ducks. The Ducks are tired of answering for past Game 7 failures. Their fans are tired of the same story played out, waiting and hoping for something different.

A seventh game was a logical endpoint for a team not wanting its championship window to close against an upstart team that is just cracking its window open. But it’s the Ducks who have a narrative they can change only by winning.

read on

from Dan Barnes of the Edmonton Journal,