Win big or go home? The Anaheim Ducks did a lot of the former and will do the latter quite prematurely in 2013. There wasn't much in between.

Throughout the regular season Anaheim either was on a roll or falling flat. It started 22-3-4, won a club-record 13 home games in a row and looked every bit like a Stanley Cup contender. The flip side was that in its 12 regulation losses in the regular season it was outscored 46-15.

Such inconsistency was its demise in its Western Conference Quarterfinal series against the Detroit Red Wings, where the second-seeded Ducks were eliminated in seven games. Anaheim now has won one Stanley Cup Playoff series since winning the Stanley Cup in 2007.

Here are five reasons Anaheim will have an early start to its summer:

NEW YORK -- The National Hockey League announced today Game 1 dates of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Semifinal round for the three matchups that have been determined. Round 2 starts Tuesday, May 14, with a doubleheader. Game 1 in the Eastern Conference Semifinal series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators will be played at 7:30 p.m. ET at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh and the Western Conference Semifinal between the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks will start at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

Additionally, Game 1 in the series between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings will be Wednesday, May 15 at 8 p.m. ET at the United Center in Chicago.

The remainder of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Semifinals schedule, including dates, times and national television coverage for the entire round, will be released after the conclusion of tonight's games.

CHICAGO -- Patrick Kane was nearly done talking with reporters after a practice on Saturday afternoon when he was asked about Duncan Keith, the Chicago Blackhawks' top defenseman.

Duncan Keith

Defense - CHI

GOALS: 1 | ASST: 4 | PTS: 5
SOG: 12 | +/-: 5

"He's one of those guys you kind of take for granted because he's back there every night and does pretty much the same thing," Kane said. "Whether it's shutting down the other team, or creating offensive chances, or jumping in the rush, or how fast he skates, or how good he is defensively with his stick … he does so many things that you can name and really is huge for our team."

It's true that Keith's numbers have dipped since winning the Norris Trophy in 2010, the same season Chicago ended a 49-year Stanley Cup drought, but he's still in the prime of his career at 29 and is still the Blackhawks' top blueliner. He also remains one of the best in the League, even if he does fly under the radar a bit.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Growing up in the small town of Aneroid, Saskatchewan, Patrick Marleau always was the fastest kid on the ice.

Now that he's four months shy of his 34th birthday and in his 15th NHL season with the San Jose Sharks, not much has changed for Marleau.

Marleau used his sprinter's speed to score the game-winning goal in overtime when the Sharks completed a sweep of the Vancouver Canucks in their Western Conference Quarterfinal series.

OTTAWA -- The renaissance of Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson continues, from the blades of his skates to his unruly mop of blonde curls -- which, until now, hadn't made an appearance since his prime.

The 40-year-old Swede should be in the twilight of his career, but ignited by a youthful squad, he has led his team through adversity and into the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Alfredsson's experiences with the Senators during the Stanley Cup Playoffs have run the gamut during his 17-season career. From the frustrating losses to the Toronto Maple Leafs four times in five years, to the excitement of experiencing his first Stanley Cup Final in 2007, only to lose to the Anaheim Ducks -- it's a long resume, but hoisting the most recognized trophy in sports so far has eluded the Ottawa captain.

Mike Keenan, 63, announced via his Twitter account Monday that he has signed a contract to coach Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League.

The two-year contract also was announced by Metallurg on the team website.

Keenan spent 20 years in the National Hockey League as the coach of seven different teams, winning a Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994. He most recently coached the Calgary Flames for two seasons, from 2007 to 2009.

Marc Bergevin of the Montreal Canadiens, Bob Murray of the Anaheim Ducks and the Pittsburgh Penguins' Ray Shero on Monday were named the finalists for the 2013 NHL General Manager of the Year Award.

The award is voted on by the 30 NHL GMs and a panel of NHL executives and members of the print and broadcast media.

Bergevin, in his first season with the Canadiens, arrived in May 2012 and revamped the front office, topped by the surprising hiring of Michel Therrien as coach. He made the team tougher by signing free agents Brandon Prust and Colby Armstrong, and added center Alex Galchenyuk with the third pick of the 2012 NHL Draft, despite him playing just eight games the previous season because of a major knee injury. He then watched as his team went from a 15th-place finish in the Eastern Conference the previous season to Northeast Division champions for the first time since 2008.

ANAHEIM – Corey Perry and Cam Fowler still had their skates on. Shin pads were not removed from their sweaty bodies yet, as if there was some belief that their season wasn't over and they would get back on the ice to embark on another comeback.

That would imply that the Anaheim Ducks had a shot at a comeback in Game 7 of the Western Conference Quarterfinal series. Instead, the Ducks came out with another horrific start, struggled defensively at times and didn't generate a scoring chance in the third period in a 3-2 loss Sunday night to the Detroit Red Wings, an enormous letdown after the Ducks finished second in the conference.

"I think we all came to the rink tonight, not looking ahead, but looking for the win," Anaheim forward Bobby Ryan said. "We were confident coming in. This is a group that always continues to believe in itself. It's not a very happy group right now."