ANAHEIM, Calif. — Despite their history of postseason calamities, the Anaheim Ducks enter this year’s Western Conference finals against the Chicago Blackhawks with a strong wind at their backs.
They have a playoff-best 8-1 record. They have averaged nearly four goals per game during the postseason, a figure that leads the N.H.L. They have allowed the fewest postseason goals of any team in the West. They have posted the best five-on-five goal differential of the postseason, and they are second to the now-eliminated Washington Capitals by an eyelash for the top face-off-win percentage. They have yet to lose when they score first, and they have also mounted four comebacks when trailing after two periods.