Schedule and 2007 Results
Regular Season Records: Anaheim 48-20-14=110pts, Ottawa 48-25-9=105pts
Game 1 on Monday, 28 May: Ottawa loses at Anaheim, 3-goals-2
Game 2 on Wednesday, 30 May: Ottawa loses at Anaheim, 1-goal-nil
Game 3 on Saturday, 2 June: Anaheim loses at Ottawa, 5-goals-3
Game 4 on Monday, 4 June: Anaheim wins at Ottawa, 3-goals-2
Game 5 on Wednesday, 6 June: Ottawa loses at Anaheim, 6-goals-2

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: Hosting and defeating the Ottawa Senators 6-goals-2, the Anaheim Ducks win best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1004, 4-games-1. The Anaheim Ducks thus become the 2007 NHL champions. Anaheim, as both the "Mighty Ducks" and the "Ducks," now has a 10-4 best-of-7 NHL playoff series record overall, and a 1-1 best-of-7 NHL Finals series record. The Ottawa Senators now have an 8-10 best-of-7 NHL playoff series record, and a 0-1 best-of-7 NHL Finals series record. The victorious Anaheim Ducks posted a series 1004 win order of WWLWW: Series 1004 thus becomes the fifth NHL Finals series, the 33rd NHL series (overall), and the 87th MLB/NBA/NHL series (overall) to follow such a win order to completion. In series 1004 Game 5, the host Anaheim Ducks had taken a 2-goals-nil lead 17:41 into the first period, and thus were on sure footing: The last home team to take a 2-goals-nil lead in an NHL Finals game but lose the game was the Vancouver Canucks in series 665 Game 4, in which the New York Rangers rallied for four unanswered goals on the road to win that game 4-goals-2 in the 1994 NHL Finals. The six goals by Anaheim were the most by one team in an NHL Finals game since series 887 Game 5, in which the New Jersey Devils tallied six goals ... against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the 2003 NHL Finals. The completion of series 1004 thus brings to a close the 2007 NHL playoffs, in which a total of 81 games were played. That is the lowest total number of games in an NHL playoff season since 1995, in which 81 total games were also required. The 1995 and 2007 NHL playoff seasons thus tie for the fewest total games in an NHL playoff season (81) since the NHL adopted four rounds of best-of-7 play in 1987. Those 81 total games in 2007 are down from 83 in 2006, 89 in both 2004 and 2003, and 90 in 2002.

After Game 4: The Anaheim Ducks visited and defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-goals-2 to seize a 3-games-1 lead in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1004. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Anaheim Ducks and Mighty Ducks have a 3-0 series record and a 2-1 Game 5 record (the two Game 5 wins occurred during this playoff season; the sole loss occurred in 2003). When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Ottawa Senators have a 0-3 series record and a 1-2 Game 5 record. Ottawa scored the first goal of the game with less than a second left in the first period. In the history of continuous best-of-7 NHL playoff series (since 1939), twice before had the first goal of the game occurred at the 19:59 mark of the first period. In series 830 Game 4, the St. Louis Blues scored at 19:59 of the first period at San Jose, but the Sharks won the game 3-goals-2 in their 2001 NHL Preliminary-round series. In series 964 Game 5, the San Jose Sharks scored at 19:59 of the first period at Nashville, and defeated the Predators 2-goals-1 in their 2006 NHL Preliminary-round series. In the history of best-of-7 NHL Finals from 1939 through 2006, teams such as Anaheim that lead 3-games-1 with Games 1-2 at home and Games 3-4 on the road have a 19-0 series record.

After Game 3: With best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1004 in Canada for Games 3-4, the Ottawa Senators hosted and defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-goals-3 to reduce the Anaheim series 1004 lead to 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Anaheim Ducks and Mighty Ducks combined have a 3-0 series record and a Game 4 record of 2-1. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Ottawa Senators have a 0-5 series record and a Game 4 record of 3-2. Ottawa trailed series 1004 Game 2 by one goal as late as 16:13 into the second period: In the history of best-of-7 NHL playoff series from 1939 through 2006, home teams trailing by one goal as late as 16:13 into the second period had only a 133-344 (.279) game record. Series 1004 Game 3 is the first series 1004 game thus far to feature a lead larger than one goal.

After Game 2: With a goal 14:16 into the third period, the Anaheim Ducks hosted and defeated the Ottawa Senators 1-goal-nil to take a 2-games-nil best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1004 lead. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Anaheim Ducks and Mighty Ducks have a combined series record of 6-0 and a combined Game 3 record of 4-2 with a three-Game 3 winning streak. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Ottawa Senators have a series record of 0-5 and a Game 3 record of 2-3. Series 1004 Game 2 was the 362nd best-of-7 format NHL Finals game since the NHL permanently adopted the best-of-7 format for its Finals round in 1939 . . . and never before in a best-of-7 NHL Finals game had the first goal of the game been scored so late in regulation. Prior to series 1004 Game 2, the latest that a first goal of the game had been scored in regulation was 11:10 into the third period, by the Montreal Canadiens at home against the Calgary Flames in series 465 Game 4 (in the 1986 NHL Finals). There have been six best-of-7 NHL Finals games in which the first (and only) goal of the game was tallied in overtime; the most recent example of such was series 887 Game 4, in which the Mighty Ducks in Anaheim scored 0:39 into overtime to top the New Jersey Devils in the 2003 NHL Finals.

After Game 1: The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-goals-2 to take a 1-game-nil lead in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1004, the 2007 NHL Finals. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, Anaheim - as both the Mighty Ducks and the Ducks - has a perfect 7-0 series record and a 6-1 Game 2 record (with the loss sustained in the last such Game 2, to the Vancouver Canucks in series 1001, in the 2007 NHL Quarterfinals). When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Ottawa Senators have a 2-6 series record and a 3-5 Game 2 record. In the history of best-of-7 NHL Finals from 1939 through 2006, teams winning Game 1 at home (such as Anaheim in 2007) had a 41-6 (.872) record; the last team to lose Game 1 on the road and win the NHL Finals was the 1986 Montreal Canadiens over the Calgary Flames. The opening goal of series 1004 Game 1 was scored by Ottawa 1:38 into the opening period, making it the earliest opening goal of a best-of-7 NHL Finals series since 1982, when the Vancouver Canucks scored 1:29 into series 403 Game 1 against the New York Islanders.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2006-07 regular season, the Anaheim Ducks finished five points ahead of the Ottawa Senators. From 1939 through the 2007 NHL Semifinals, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by five regular-season points, they have posted a 22-9 (.710) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. Best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1004 is the 18th best-of-7 playoff series for Ottawa, and the 14th for Anaheim (as both the Ducks and the Mighty Ducks). In best-of-7 playoff series, Ottawa has an 8-9 series record, a 0-0 Finals-round series record, and a 9-8 Game 1 record, while Anaheim has a 9-4 series record, a 0-1 Finals-round record, and a 7-6 Game 1 record. Series 1004 is the first best-of-7 NHL playoff series meeting between the Ottawa Senators and the Anaheim Ducks.