Stanley Cup-Winning 3rd Lines: Ducks' Niedermayer, Pahlsson & Moen

Niedermayer, Pahlsson and Moen helped lead the Ducks to the Stanley Cup in 2007, shutting down stars and scoring like a second line along the way.

The playoffs are a time for contributions from unlikely places, and most of the time it comes from the bottom six - particularly the third line. Back in 2007, it was Rob Niedermayer, Samuel Pahlsson and Travis Moen providing the heroics for the Anaheim Ducks as they not only suffocated the opposition’s top players but also provided a lot of offense en route to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.

Rob Niedermayer, Samuel Pahlsson and Travis Moen of the Anaheim Ducks (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Let’s find out more about this trio, and how they came together to become one of the best postseason third lines of all time.

Rob Niedermayer

Selected fifth overall by the Florida Panthers in 1993, Niedermayer never really lived up to the stature of a top-five pick. However, he did become a very solid depth option who played his best hockey in the playoffs. It started really early too. At only 21 years old, after a career-high 26 goals and 61 points in the regular season, he helped push the Panthers to the 1996 Stanley Cup Final with five goals and eight points.

After 629 games with the Panthers and Calgary Flames, Niedermayer was traded to the Ducks for Mike Commodore and Jean-Francois Damphousse. Making the playoffs in his first season with the team, he had another long and productive run with three goals and 10 points en route to the Stanley Cup Final where they lost to the New Jersey Devils in seven games.