GOOD GIG IN ANAHEIM IT MIGHT LACK THE FALSH OF HIS 2003 RUN, BUT GOALTENDER GIGUERE'S PLAY HAS DUCKS WITHIN A WIN OF STANLEY CUP.

Byline: ELLIOTT TEAFORD

Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - Last time, he took them within a game of the Stanley Cup championship.

This time, they have taken him within a game of Lord Stanley's mug.

Last time, tears rolled down his cheeks after the New Jersey Devils defeated the Ducks in Game 7 of the Finals at East Rutherford, N.J.

This time, what could be the decisive Game 5 is at the Honda Center.

Last time, goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere skated away with the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2003 playoffs.

This time, Giguere could skate off with the Stanley Cup and perhaps the Conn Smythe Trophy, too.

But ...

"We still have to focus on what needs to be done," Giguere said a little more than 24 hours before the Ducks were to face the Ottawa Senators in Game 5 tonight. "There's still a lot of hockey to be played if we don't take care of business."

The Ducks lead the best-of-7 series, three games to one. They will welcome defenseman Chris Pronger back to their lineup after his one-game suspension for his forearm to the head of Ottawa's Dean McAmmond in Game 3.

Only one team in league history, the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, has rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to win the Cup. In fact, the Maple Leafs erased a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Detroit Red Wings.

So if tears flow tonight, Giguere believes they will be tears of joy.

"We all want it," he said of winning the Cup. "We all want to win it. I'm sure the guys are going to be very focused."

Giguere was razor sharp in a 3-2 victory over the Senators on Monday, which gave the Ducks a commanding lead in the series. He made 12 saves in the first period, limiting Ottawa to one goal and giving the Ducks a chance to rally.

He hasn't been quite the sensation he was during the Ducks' surprising run to the Finals in 2003, when he made up for the defensive shortcomings of his teammates with remarkable game-turning saves.

But Giguere has been exceptional enough in this postseason to merit consideration for MVP honors.

He has rebounded after Ilya Bryzgalov started the first fourplayoff games after Giguere's newborn son, Maxime, was found to have an eye defect.

He has outplayed a regular-season MVP candidate in Vancouver's Roberto Luongo, a future Hall of Famer in Detroit's Dominik Hasek and a rising young talent in Ottawa's Ray Emery.

But there are questions about the identity of the playoff MVP.

It could be Giguere, who is 12-4 with a 1.97 goals-against average. They are not far off his 15-6 mark and 1.62 goals-against average from four years ago.

It also could be center Samuel Pahlsson, who has helped to throttle Ottawa's top line of Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson in the Finals.

"A lot of guys have to contribute if you're going to win the Stanley Cup," Giguere said. "To be honest, I don't care (who is the MVP). I want the Cup."

Giguere was only the fifth player from a losing team to win the MVP trophy since it was first awarded in 1965. It was a hollow consolation prize in 2003.

"It didn't feel very good," Giguere said. "You can't celebrate it when you lose because it would be selfish. You can't share it with anybody either."

If they win tonight, this could be Giguere's final game as a Duck. He can become a free agent July 1 and might command a cap-busting salary in the range of $8million to $9million.

"I'd like to re-sign here," Giguere said. "This is a team that's going to be good for many years. It's a well-run team, a well-owned organization. This would be my No. 1 pick. My home is here. My son's doctors are here."

The Ducks would be wise to retain Giguere's services because of "everything he's done," winger Teemu Selanne said. He also said he believes Giguere is a fitting candidate for a second Conn Smythe Trophy.

"He has a dedication I haven't seen before," said Selanne, who also needs a new contract. "It's every day. I haven't seen that many players who have made that kind of commitment to hockey."

[e-mail]

[phone]

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- 3 -- color) no caption (hockey photo collage)

Box:

DUCKS vs. OTTAWA