=== Stanley Cup Notebook: Now it's best-of-three ===

By Matt Canamucio, NHL Editor

Anaheim, CA (My Sportsbook) - Shocked.

Amazed.

Dumbfounded.

Puzzled.

All of these are fitting words to sum up a reaction to the Hyde to Jekyll transformation we have seen the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim make in Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Just when we thought Cinderella's carriage was going to crash into the Pacific, Anaheim renewed the possibility of living happily ever after with a pair of overtime victories.

Fittingly, the hero in Game 4's 1-0 win over New Jersey was the man on the Ducks' roster who had waited the longest for his Finals appearance, Steve Thomas. The 39-year-old winger has an abundance of "big" goals on his NHL resume, but none had the impact of the one he fired past Martin Brodeur 39 seconds into overtime Monday night.

Thomas, as he has so often in his career, found himself in the right place at the right time before causing an eruption at the Pond that might have registered on some seismic monitors. After Brodeur had made a stellar pad save on Samuel Pahlsson in tight, the rebound popped out to the right circle and Thomas was able to skate in and one-time it into the cage.

"I have to pinch myself every time I find myself in that position," said Thomas. "Tonight the goal I scored tonight was the effort of 20 guys that came to play and came with the inspiration and the passion and emotion that was needed to win a game like that."

As a result of the tally, the Ducks improved to 7-0 in overtime this spring. Only the 1993 Montreal Canadiens recorded more playoff wins -- 10 -- in the extra frame, but the Habs had one in the loss column as well.

"In overtime we feel good going in," said Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere. "You don't have time to think. You've got to go out there and play. That's what we have been doing so far. We go out there and play our game, go after them. We're not scared to lose. We go out there to win."

With the 39 seconds of OT on Monday -- he stopped one shot in that time -- Giguere extended his NHL-record overtime shutout streak to 168 minutes, 27 seconds and became the first backstop in playoff history to win his first seven extra-session games.

In all, Giguere and the Ducks have showed their gumption by pulling out 10 of their 14 victories this postseason in the last five minutes of regulation or OT.

"I don't know for sure," Anaheim coach Mike Babcock said when asked why his club has been able to shine in crunch time. "Obviously, we really believe. We have been in a lot of them all year long. We're pretty comfortable in that situation."

The Ducks have stayed true to themselves in knotting this series at two games apiece. When many suggested they open things up to break through the Devils' dominance after Game 2, both Babcock and his players shot down those recommendations. Anaheim has remained within its defensive structure and relied on what has gotten it to this point -- Giguere's performance and the quality of the team's goals rather than the quantity.

But perhaps the biggest factor in the Ducks' resurgence is their confidence and swagger. After another dreadful performance in Game 2, they were as down in the dumps as a club could be. But now, they're initiating contact and talking back to the Devils' jabbering. As Giguere put it, the Ducks had been giving New Jersey "too much respect."

The re-birth of the team's psyche is being attributed to the club's closed- door meeting and the ensuing harsh press conference held by Giguere, who is back playing at the Conn Smythe level that carried the Ducks through the Red Wings, Stars and Wild. Anaheim is a team of quiet leaders in Paul Kariya and Adam Oates, and someone had to stick his neck out on the line.

"If somebody doesn't stand up and make a stand, the series is over and you wonder what could have happened," Babcock said. "When you do that, you put a ton of pressure on yourself. You have to be able to answer the bell.

"He's skilled and mentally tough enough and demanding of himself enough [that] he's able to do that. Obviously, because we're here talking about it."

Giguere's words helped inspire, and the Mighty Ducks were able to overcome their faults through baby steps. First they got involved physically, then they actually scored a goal, then they won a game. But there's another hump yet to be hurdled, and that's to win at the Meadowlands, where the Devils are 10-1 in these playoffs.

Seems like a daunting task, but the way things have gone, who's to say what the Ducks can and cannot do anymore.