NHL: Ducks look to finish on road

The Stanley Cup crossed the continent from Anaheim to Ottawa on Thursday morning. If the Ducks have their way, the prized trophy won’t make that journey east again.

The Ducks carried a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup finals to Canada’s capital city, full of confidence and holding a tinge of hope that when they return home after Game 4 they will be in possession of the cherished chalice that was unveiled in Ottawa in 1892.

On the strength of winning goals by checking-line forwards Travis Moen and Samuel Pahlsson, the Ducks swept their first two home games and improved to 5-0 in Cup finals games in Anaheim. They won all three during the 2003 title series against New Jersey but dropped four on the road.

“This is a totally different season this year,” said goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, the MVP of the playoffs four years ago. “Our team is a lot more talented. We have a lot more offensive power and a lot more size. It just makes my job much easier.”

Around the league

Sidney Crosby, at 19 already the youngest player in NHL history to get 100 points in a season and to win a scoring title, is now the youngest to wear the captain’s C on his sweater. … The Carolina Hurricanes signed goaltender Cam Ward – the most valuable player of the team’s run to the Stanley Cup last year – to a three-year contract. Ward will earn $2 million next season, $2.5 million in the 2008-09 season and $3.5 million in 2009-10.