DUCKS FLYING NORTH ARRIVE IN OTTAWA WITH MOMENTUM.

Byline: ELLIOTT TEAFORD

Staff Writer

OTTAWA -- Welcome to Canada, eh?

The Ducks took their act on the road Thursday, flying across the continent and across the border. The last time they were in the capital of the Great White North, they tuned up for a game by playing a pickup game on a frozen canal.

The stakes are a good deal higher on this trip, however. After all, the Ducks are two victories away from claiming the Stanley Cup.

Games 3 and 4 of the Finals are Saturday and Monday, a world away from the comforts of home. The Ducks won Games 1 and 2 at the Honda Center with superb efforts in the third period that carried them to a pair of one-goal victories.

Now, it gets tougher. Or, at least, the Ducks expect it to get tougher.

They know their Stanley Cup Finals history. They also know their own history. They understand momentum can swing the other way in an instant and that a 2-0 series lead can disappear in the blink of an eye.

Since the NHL adopted a best-of-7 format in 1939, teams have gone on to win the Stanley Cup a remarkable 29 out of 30 after building a 2-0series lead on home ice.

But the Ducks nearly became the second team when they rallied to force a seventh game after falling behind the New Jersey Devils, two games to none, in 2003. The Devils won Game 7 and the Cup, however.

So, the Ducks said all the right things about their opponents, the Ottawa Senators, during a news conference upon their arrival Thursday evening.

"Everybody takes pride in being a good team at home," Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere said, referring to the Senators. "They've worked too hard this year to just let it go. We know it's not going to be easy."

The Ducks have been a good road team during this postseason, winning five of seven games. They have played in electric environments in Minnesota, Vancouver and Detroit and haven't let it faze them.

That figures to be a warmup for what could greet them Saturday night in Game 3. The buzz around Ottawa was difficult to miss as the Ducks arrived Thursday. There were red, white and black Senators flags flying on cars all over town.

In order to avoid some of the hype and glory, the Ducks decided against staying in Ottawa and settled into a suburban hotel some distance away from downtown.

"We had thought of staying in a hotel (near the arena), but the NHL took all the rooms and made it the media hotel," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "The league booked it ahead of us. We could have gone downtown, but knowing the intensity and the atmosphere of the hockey culture in Canada, we decided it was better to move here."

The Ducks still couldn't avoid the media, however.

A swarm of television, radio and print reporters were on hand when the team's bus arrived with a police escort at about 6:30 p.m. local time. It didn't seem to trouble Giguere, who did a quick TV interview in French, his native tongue.

Giguere ticked off several reasons why the Ducks have been so good on the road this season, especially during the playoffs.

"I believe we're very comfortable playing on the road," Giguere said. "We have size. We have toughness. We can skate with any team in the league. If we follow our game plan, we should have a chance to win at the end."

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Photo:

Jean-Sebatien Giguere and the Ducks have been good on the road so far in the postseason.

Sean Hiller/Staff Photographer