Jordin Tootoo returned to the Nashville Predators line up after serving a two game suspension for running Buffalo Sabres goaltender, Ryan Miller.  The Ducks wished he'd had at least one more game. 

Tootoo, who had a goal and an assist, got the eventual game winner in a 3-2 loss for Anaheim.  The goal came at 5:25 of the third period.

"After he came to the bench I said that was a (heck) of a move," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "That's how you score in the League. You take that step and he popped it in. If there's a defender on his back, he would've had to cut to the front of the net, but you can't change his game.  I asked him not to change his game. Just stay on his game."

Tootoo's game is to be an annoying pest and get under the opposing team's skin.  It is something he excels at and the Ducks have been short circuited by Tootoo before.   The game on Saturday evening was no different.

Brandon McMillan, who was recalled from Syracuse along with Kyle Palmieri, fell hook, line and sinker into Tootoo's antics.  McMillan's retaliatory action against Tootoo landed him in the penalty.  With the Ducks shorthanded, rookie Roman Josi got his first NHL goal on the ensuing power play.

Prior to that, the game was tied, with a goal for the Ducks from Andrew Gordon :38 seconds into the second period and Nick Spaling evening things up at 12:03. 

Josi's go ahead goal and Tootoo's marker meant the Ducks had another two goal deficit to make up.  Again. 

Francois Beauchemin brought them within one at 13:24.  Teemu Selanne got the assist, his 900th point in a Ducks uniform.    900 points in the NHL is a respectable number for any player.  Selanne has a total of 1,369.  With more to come, for sure.

More would not come for Anaheim.

Although the Ducks pulled Dan Ellis, who got a rare start in net against his former team, the Ducks could not capitalize on their chances and get anything else past Pekke Rinne. 

The clock ran out and game over.  

The Ducks now return home and have a couple days of practice before playing again on Wednesday against Phoenix.

Hopefully that will be enough time for Saku Koivu to heal up.  He was out with a "lower body injury" (safe to say it is not a concussion or shoulder injury).    Koivu was injured during the game against St. Louis. 

The Ducks were back on the road after a win against the Kings on Tuesday.  Although they kept some of the positive momentum going, they were unable to get a second win in a row against the St. Louis Blues.  St. Louis grabbed the lead and refused to give it back in their 4-2 victory.

"We played a pretty good game," said Selanne. "The difference was we had a couple more mistakes than they had. That's a hot team right there and they made less mistakes than we did."

Overall, it was a much better game.  That is something the team can certainly build upon as they move forward. 

On the other hand (or as Selanne is fond of saying, on the same hand), a loss is a loss.  And the Ducks have plenty of those to their credit this season. 

A mistake by Jonas Hiller led to the first goal from Chris Porter at 9:19 of the first period.  Hiller thought he had the puck covered on the initial shot.  He did not.  Porter happily put it in the net to give St. Louis their first lead of the night.

Bobby Ryan, who is finally heating up this season, scored his 10th of the season at 14:31 to tie up the game.  Selanne forced a turnover behind the net and Ryan was all alone in front of Jaroslav Halak. 

Ian Cole put the Blues ahead at 7:39 of the second period.  It was Cole's first of the year and only the second of his career.  Cole was not even certain if he would be in the line up that evening, when Kevin Shattenkirk was a late scratch due to the flu.

"I was preparing like I was going to play no matter what," said Cole.  "If it didn't happen, it didn't happen, but luckily it did and I came out and had a great game."

TJ Oshie took advantage of a bad turnover by the Ducks to make it 3-1 at 18:15 and the Blues never looked back. 

Anaheim, to their credit, did not hang their heads or give up.  They kept pressing, kept working, and got rewarded for early in the third period.

Devante Smith-Pelly, who will be loaned to team Canada for the World Junior Championships at the end of this month, scored goal number three of his young career at 3:17. 

The Ducks kept sniffing for another goal to tie up the game, but Halak was superb, making several great saves on shots that should have gone in the net. 

"In the third period, we had some golden chances," coach Bruce Boudreau praised. "When you get some golden chances, you've got to put those in.  You see that we never quit. Our team's got a lot of heart."

An empty net at the end of the period led to the usual empty net goal by the opposition.  Oshie got his second of the game at 19:14 and that was the end of that. 

Nonetheless, the Ducks can take their hard work and improving attitudes with them to Nashville on Saturday.  So far Nashville has owned the Ducks this season.  Time for Anaheim to change that.

It took a couple games, but the Ducks finally gave their new coach a win.  That it came in a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings made it feel even sweeter.

Instead of self imploding when things went wrong, the Ducks played a solid game and were rewarded for their hard work.  Hopefully, their confidence will also get a boost and they can continue to build on the positives.

Bobby Ryan put the Ducks on the board thanks, in part, to Jonathan Quick.  The Kings goaltender was out of position after making a failed play.  Teemu Selanne got the puck and Ryan finished it off while on his back at 7:59 of the first period.

Corey Perry made it 2-0 at 17:37, looking more and more like his Hart trophy winning self.  He did not look well early in the second period when he crashed awkwardly to the ice and to add insult to injury, Dustin Penner gave him a cross check for good measure.  After a very brief time in the locker room, Perry came back out

The Ducks continued their strong efforts in the second period, but Slava Voynov put the Kings on the board at 19:44.  Fortunately the period ended quickly and the Ducks had a break to make sure their focus was where it was supposed to be. 

A strange bounce off a stanchion tied up the game at 8:50 of the third period.  The puck bounced strangely, right to Dustin Penner, who shot it over to Justin Williams.  Jonas Hiller had no chance.

"It was a bad luck play," said Hiller. "Those things happen. I thought we didn’t panic after that. We played solid and created our chances. We worked really hard. If you work hard, you are going to get bounces. That is what we got on that third goal."

The third goal came as regulation was winding down.  Winning the faceoff in the Kings zone, Ryan did it again with his second goal of the game.   With only :49 seconds remaining, the Ducks got a huge boost and fans were ecstatic.  No one wanted this to go to overtime or a shootout.

"Had it gone the other way after another lead like that, I was a little worried about it," said coach Bruce Boudreau. "We got a lucky break [on the Ryan goal], but they got a lucky break [on the Williams goal]. So, it sort of evened out."

And in the end, the Ducks got two points and a win over the Kings. 

They can take that momentum on the road, where they will be for the next two games in St. Louis and Nashville and hopefully start putting together more check marks in the win column. 

As Boudreau said, it's not the Stanley Cup, but it's a start.

The biggest move of late has been getting a new coach, but Anaheim is still making little moves as well.

On Monday, Ben Maxwell was put on waivers to be sent down to Syracuse of the AHL.  Maxwell never made it there.  Winnipeg reclaimed Maxwell and that is that.  After the Jets had tried to send Maxwell to the AHL, Anaheim had picked him up.  It seems only fair that Winnipeg got him back.  Maxwell played a total of six games, earning one assist for the Ducks.

Jeff Deslauriers did make it back down to Syracuse.  He had been recalled while goaltender Dan Ellis dealt with groin issues.  Now that Ellis is clear and good to go, Deslauriers will be back in the AHL and Ellis will be on the bench backing up Jonas Hiller.

The Ducks were able to activate George Parros off IR after he was cleared for contact.  Parros suffered retinal damage that required surgery after being hit in the face with a puck in practice.  Parros, who had been wearing a visor while recovering, has stupidly decided to remove it.  Clearly a slow learner, it might take another injury or two, or worse, permanent harm to his vision, before he repents of his visorless ways. 

Parros and J.F. Jacques were both in the line up on Tuesday evening against the Kings, providing two big bodies to slam people into the boards.  Jacques was recalled over the weekend from Syracuse.  Again.   That man gets the Dan Sexton Frequent Flyer Award for this season.

Also heading to the airport was Nick Bonino.  Bonino was called up for Tuesday's game and arrived in time.  His equipment got a slower flight and did not arrive with him.  Therefore, he was a healthy scratch for the game.   He will likely play on Thursday against the St. Louis Blues. 

Andrew Gordon was a healthy scratch for the first time on Tuesday.  That should not be a surprise, seeing as coach Bruce Boudreau was not fond of Gordon in Washington.  With the further addition of Bonino, Gordon could very well be seeing more of the press box and less of the ice.

Question - how many minutes are in a hockey game in regulation?

Answer - 60, but you would not know it judging by how the Ducks play.

Seems like such a simple concept - play a full 60 minutes of hockey.  How hard can that be?  Exceptionally difficult for the Ducks, who checked out for part of the game against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday, losing 5-3. 

Insert heavy sigh here.

New coach Bruce Boudreau might be regretting taking on these hapless wayward souls. 

"I think we felt a little bit sorry for ourselves," said Boudreau after the game.  "It took some soul-searching in between periods here, and and I think we played a solid third period.  But a) too little too late, and b) if you want to be successful in this league, that is how you have to play for 60 minutes."

Can someone print this up and put it in the Ducks locker room?  Or even better, in each stall?  Tattooed on their foreheads?  Whatever it will take to get the message through their thick skulls. 

On a plus note, the Ducks continue to find offense.  On the negative side, they continue to find ways to lose. 

Ryan Getzlaf got a power play goal at 5:57 of the first period.  Saku Koivu extended the lead with a goal at 9:25.  Looking as if they could take a 2-0 lead to the locker room, Anaheim continued more bad habits by going to the penalty box.  Twice.

If you give the Minnesota Wild a 5 on 3 power play for nearly 1:30 minutes, they are going to score.  Dany Heatley did just that 19:56. 

The Ducks held on, despite playing loosey goosey in the second period, until their lackadaisical ways caught up to them. 

Casey Wellman tied up the game at 15:18 and :32 seconds later, Pierre-Marc Bouchard gave the Wild the lead. 

Boudreau wisely called a timeout at that point and tried to remind his players that it was not the end of the world.

"Don't hang your head," was his message.  "You look like you're a beaten crew.  If you can't face a little adversity in sport or in hockey, you're not going to get anywhere.  Pull up your socks and get mad rather than feel sorry for yourselves."

Boudreau nailed it when he noticed that the Ducks get a "woe is me" attitude when they fall behind.

"We've got to get that mindset out of them right away," Boudreau stated.

Amen to that, but you are preaching to a bunch of sinners who are seemingly unrepentant.

While they did come out in the third period and dominate, it still was not enough. Cam Fowler, who exited the teen years the day after the game, got his third goal of the year to tie up the game at 10:45.  All three of his goals this year have come against the Minnesota Wild.  Too bad they can't play the Wild every night.  Then again, do they want to play the best team in the NHL when Anaheim is sitting at 29th?

There is a reason why the Wild are the best team in the NHL and they showed it. 

Nick Johnson got the go-ahead goal for Minnesota at 14:29.  Resilient.  Persistent.  Keep doing the right things and get rewarded and don't fall apart when things don't go your way.  

Anaheim still had a chance when Minnesota gave them a late power play.  With the net empty at the other end, Cal Clutterbuck finished off the game with :11 seconds remaining. 

Defenseman Luca Sbisa declared the Ducks to be "rock bottom."  Goaltender Jonas Hiller decided not to use the usual platitudes and stock answers when addressing the media after the game.  Instead, he bluntly stated that the Ducks were awful and detailed several reasons why. 

Seeing as the Ducks are in 29th place in the NHL, they are not quite at rock bottom, but they sure are close.  Unless they want to keep drowning, Boudreau needs to find a way to get these waterfowl bouyant again. 

Good luck with that Bruce.  You might have taken a bottom dwelling team and led them to the playoffs after taking over the Washington Capitals, but this is the Western Conference, not the Eastern Conference.  It ain't going to happen here.  Not that it is impossible.  Just highly improbable. 

Nonetheless, Ducks fans deserve better for the remaining 56 games.

A new coach in Bruce Boudreau and a new perspective on the game gave the Ducks an initial boost in their game against the Flyers on Friday evening.  It was not enough to overcome old habits and brain freezes that led to a 4-3 defeat in overtime.

Having been unencumbered with a dump and chase system, the Ducks embraced the ability to use offense early on in the game.  Andrew Cogliano scored at 8:12 of the first period on the power play and Teemu Selanne made it 2-0 at 10:34. 

Andrew Gordon, who had played for Boudreau briefly in Washington, got his first goal of the year at 6:31 of the second period.   Gordon had a terrific training camp, but had not been able to net a goal once the regular season began.  Now that Boudreau is here, it was a good time to step up his game.  Boudreau, allegedly, did not like Gordon, which is why he spent so much time in Hershey of the AHL.  Gordon clearly does not want to visit Syracuse.

The problem for the Ducks is not how the game began.  The problem is where it unraveled.  Again.

The Flyers are the highest scoring team in the NHL.  Offense is not a problem for them.  Even when they spot you three goals. 

Not to be outdone by the old guy on the Ducks, the old guy in Philadelphia, Jaromir Jagr, got two power play goals.  The first at 15:18 of the second and then at 4:46 of the third period. 

Jagr, who turns 40 in February, seems to be just as young at heart as Selanne, who is 41.  And his two goals came while nursing a sore groin.

The question is, why were the Ducks in the penalty box so much?  Good luck with finding the answers to that one Mr. Boudreau.

You knew a tied game was coming.  Scott Hartnell fulfilled that at 16:58 to send the game into overtime.

The Ducks had a point, and should have had two points.  Then the captain, Ryan Getzlaf, got a call he did not like.  And he threw a tantrum about it.  Again.  Thank you very much, sir, that will be FOUR minutes you can sit your whiny hind end in the penalty box. 

Philadelphia made them pay.  Claude Giroux converted at 3:29 of the extra period.  Game over. 

"They came out pretty strong and obviously they've got pretty good players that can put the puck in the net," were Giroux's comments after the game.  "They made a couple of mistakes at the end, and we kind of re-grouped as a team."

Getzlaf seemed remorseful of his actions. 

"It won't happen again," Getzlaf promised. "That kind of penalty at the end of the game hurt our group tonight. I'll take that on me and we'll go forward from there.  I've said a lot worse to referees. I'm not afraid to admit that. At the end of the game like that, it's tough to make that call. I definitely regret what I did and it won't happen again."

Really? 

This is not Getzlaf's first temper tantrum.  I sincerely doubt it will be his last, despite his promises otherwise.  Won't do it again?  Should not have happened in the first place.  If that is what you call "leadership" from a captain, Boudreau might want to add nap mats to the locker room. 

Time to grow up and change those actions for good.  Getzlaf finally decided to listen to common sense and keep a visor on his helmet only after hurting his team last spring by sitting out for a couple months with a broken bone in his forehead, a preventable accident. 

Apparently Getzlaf is a slow learner.

So are the rest of the Ducks, who cannot seem to resist the opportunity to blow chances, commit errors and self implode.   Good luck with that Boudreau! 

There are certainly positive signs of progress and there is hope that things will turn around, but until the Ducks cease and desist in doing dumb things night after night, Boudreau might regret coming to Anaheim.  And players from the roster might just find themselves in different cities that are not nearly as hospitable in the winter time.

After the initial shock of coach Randy Carlyle's firing has worn off, now comes the reality of what is up next for the Anaheim Ducks. 

Bruce Boudreau wasted no time in getting to know his new team and conducted his first practice at Anaheim Ice. 

What a breath of fresh air!

Perhaps the best description of the new paradigm shift in Anaheim would be to describe the final act by the Ducks.  All the players had to gather around the goaltender in a semi circle and shoot pucks at the net.  If the puck was stopped, they had to try again.  But if the puck went in the net, they could head off the ice and to the dressing room.  Before heading off, they were to chuck their sticks and throw their gloves in reckless abandon on the ice. 

Lighthearted fun?  Absolutely.  Symbolic of shedding the baggage and getting rid of the weight that has burdened them this past month?  Without a doubt. 

The energy of the players was a marked improvement under the new eye of Boudreau.  There was a jump in their step.  There were smiles on their faces.  They were trying to get their minds around a new way of approaching their hockey game. 

It seemed freeing, and it was not just the gloves and sticks that were being abandoned.  It was everything about the old way of doing things. 

Bobby Ryan certainly had plenty to smile about.  He was back on the top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry.  For now, the rumors about trading him seem to be quieter and less grounded in reality.  The idea that the Ducks would have traded their proven 30 goal scorer before hiring a new coach seemed utterly ridiculous, but not unlikely given GM Bob Murray's track record. 

Despite backing Carlyle, come hell or high water, and both had arrived in Anaheim with horrible play by the team, Murray did the unfathomable.  He fired Carlyle.  And the rest of the coaching staff.  To most people, it was the logical response.  With Murray, it was an unlikely response. 

Maybe when everyone in Canada and even the US media were calling for Carlyle's head, including former players, it was time to listen.  Whether Murray made the decision himself or he was pressured by ownership, the decision had to be made. 

Boudreau never even had to go to the unemployment office.  After being fired on Monday, the Ducks apparently obtained permission to talk with Boudreau, a sign something was brewing.  Boudreau was already signed with the Ducks to replace Carlyle when the coaching change came on Wednesday evening after the Ducks win over Montreal, their first in 19 long miserable days. 

The media, having been alerted to an announcement coming late after the game, were thinking it was Bobby Ryan who had been traded.  No one saw the coaching change coming. 

Teemu Selanne, who has had a difficult time being positive during the latest Ducks struggles, was as surprised as everyone.

"This came as a big shock,” Selanne told a Finnish magazine after the morning skate. ”I feel sorry for him, also behalf of myself. The business is tough sometimes.  I’m very grateful for the coaching staff for them giving me an opportunity to get a silver lining to my career. After all, we won a Stanley Cup together. All of the guys have been very important for my career, especially Randy. He gave me an opportunity after my reconstructive knee surgery, even though I was an older guy."

Most importantly, Selanne sees the coaching change as an opportunity to move forward.

"All I can hope is that this will rejuvenate the team. It’s sad that a wake-up call like this has to be made, before we get back on track.”

After just one practice, the Ducks appear to be on a new track, one that needed to be explored.  There won't be much time for adjustment before the Ducks play Philadelphia on Friday, but you can be sure, the Ducks are going to be a much livelier team.   It's about time.

File this under things I did not expect to see. 

Coach Randy Carlyle is coach no longer of the Anaheim Ducks.  After earning an extension and continued praise from General Manager Bob Murray, who insisted players would go before Carlyle, the unimaginable finally happened.

After a 4-1 victory over Montreal, only their second victory in the month of November, Carlyle got the axe.  As did his assistants, Dave Farrish and Nick Foligno.  Video coach Joe Trotta also gets to collect unemployment benefits.   Carlyle had been head coach since 2005, one of the longer tenured coaches in the NHL.

"This was an extremely difficult decision," said Murray in a prepared statement. "Randy is a terrific head coach and did a tremendous job for us for six-plus seasons. We thank him greatly for his hard work and dedication to our franchise, not the least of which was a Stanley Cup championship. At this time, we simply felt a new voice was needed. Bruce is a proven winner with a great track record, and we are optimistic we can turn this season around under his leadership."

Bruce is Bruce Boudreau, who was fired on Monday from the Washington Capitals. 

Let's see if Boudreau can help the Ducks stay facing in the right direction that they turned this evening.  And let's certainly hope there is no swear jar, because Boudreau will fill that thing up before he even arrives in Anaheim.

Boudreau will be heading up Thursday practice at Anaheim Ice at 11:00am, with a press conference to follow. 

A Ducks win and they fired the coach.  Yes, the world is truly coming to an end.

A victory for the Ducks over the Canadiens was an itsy bitsy teeny weeny baby step for Anaheim.  After seven losses in a row, the Ducks desperately needed a victory to keep any semblance of morale amongst the team.  They got the boost they needed against Montreal and hopefully the momentum they need to put Nightmare November (or Miserable Movember) behind them and delve into a (God willing) Delightful December.

The Canadiens scored first, which has been the kiss of death for Anaheim.  Their record for the season when the opposition nets the first one?  0-10.  That is right folks.  If the other team scored first, your chances were excellent that you could turn off the tv at that point or just exit the building and avoid the traffic going home, because nothing was going to change.

On Wednesday night, the Ducks finally did the improbable.  They overcame the initial deficit and went on to win.

Teemu Selanne was the culprit in the Canadiens first goal.  Turning over the puck at the blue line, Tomas Plekanec happily took the gift and made the perfect pass to Andrei Kostitsyn.  Kostitsyn said "thank you very much" and put it in the net behind Hiller at 3:10 of the first period. 

The Ducks followed that up with some time in the penalty box.   Never a good idea when you are already behind in the game. 

Rather than continue to implode, the Ducks had some decent penalty killing, a few good saves by Hiller and with less than a minute to go in the period they tied up the game.  Ryan Getzlaf broke a 14 game scoreless streak with a goal at 19:41.  Just as Plekanec had executed the perfect pass to Kostitsyn, Corey Perry made an equally flawless pass to Getzlaf in front of the net.

How good did that feel for the Captain, who had been bearing the brunt of a lot of criticism of late for perceived lack of leadership?

"It is nice to get the monkey off his back and get him going again," said Perry. "We need him to score big goals and he did that tonight."

Apparently in a pact to make sure the penalty boxes remained warm and cozy with bodies, both teams continued to make sure the seats did not go vacant for long. 

Devante Smith-Pelly gave the Ducks the lead on the power play at 6:26 of the middle frame.  It was Smith-Pelly's second goal of his career, first on the power play, and a bigger smile could not have been had from the 19 year old.  Considering that his first goal had been a tip in off his knee that was not even credited until after the game ended, this goal felt more like the first time, and it could not have come at a better time.

In the third period, Perry added another power play tally at 2:55 to make it 3-1.  You know Ducks fans were wondering what was going to go wrong at that point. 

Nothing went wrong.  In fact, it was the Canadiens who decided to parade into the penalty box rather than make a concerted effort to come back in the game. 

The final joy for the Ducks was Niklas Hagman getting an empty net goal to seal the deal at 18:31.  4-1 Ducks and assured of a win at that point.

Maybe it was a good thing the Canadiens put Peter Budaj in goal instead of Carey Price.  Maybe it was a good thing that Montreal struggled.  But it was a better thing that the Ducks maintained their composure, stayed the course, and did not veer from it. 

They needed a win.  Something to build upon.  Something to gain confidence from and take with them to the next game. 

"It's a frustrating thing," said Getzlaf. "It's one of those things where you're working and working and working and not getting the results that you need. This is the first time I'd ever been through something like that. We're going to take tonight and enjoy this one and get back to work."

Back to work is tomorrow morning at practice in preparation for the next game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday.  Can the Ducks make it two in a row after having won only one game in the previous 14?  Can this truly be a righting of the ship? 

Regardless, like those slot machines in Las Vegas, the way they keep coming back is by paying out from time to time.  A win from the Ducks is like a payout that might keep you watching.  Anaheim was beginning to look like a dud machine in a casino that was never going to give you any coins back.  Ever.   It was very satisfying to know that they aren't quite dead yet.  They got better.

There is an old definition of insanity - doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.  Right about now, both Ducks fans and the Anaheim Ducks team are completely, certifiably insane. 

Ducks fans are insane because they keep showing up (or watching) games, expecting a win every time.  They figure the losing streak has to end sometime, and yet the results are the same every single time.  Loss.  Loss.  Loss.   Gluttons for punishment, they can't seem to stop hoping.

The team itself is equally insane - from the top level of management all the way down to the fourth line.

The Ducks continue to play the same system, refuse to play a full 60 minutes of hockey, talk until they are blue in the face, commit the same errors that prove costly time and time again, and cannot dig themselves out of a hole to save their lives.  Yet they keep showing up to the games and proceed to hope for rather than create a victory.

Management is nuts because they continue to believe that it is the personnel and personnel alone that is contributing to the poor play on the ice.  Yes, every single one of those team members has a personal responsibility for their actions on the ice and how they play.  However,  like an orchestra, someone has to conduct them or you get a cacophony of noise, no matter the talent level of each individual musician. 

Clearly GM Bob Murray has replaced the people whom he obtained to replace the people that he had alrady replaced.   And Murray has blatantly (annually) stated he is not getting rid of Randy Carlyle, ever, during his tenure with Anaheim. 

Yes, Carlyle helped the Ducks achieve a Stanley Cup.  But how many other coaches have helped their teams win the Stanley Cup, yet they are no longer coaching those teams?  Past performance is not indicative of future returns. 

The latest Anaheim loss, a 5-2 debacle to the Toronto Maple Leafs, was no different than the other losses suffered by Anaheim since mid October.  Since October 17, the end of a four game winning streak, the Ducks have won two games.  They have had 12 losses and 4 overtime losses.  One of the two games, on November 11 versus the Vancouver Canucks, felt like a loss despite the final results.  With the way the Ducks played in the final period of that game, they should have lost that one, too.

The past three games the Ducks have been scoring first, but to no avail.  The opposing team (fill in the blank for the name) comes back and takes the lead, often in a short period of time, and the Ducks might as well get off the ice and concede defeat.  Insanely, they continue to skate, pull the goaltender for an extra attacker to try to score more goals than they have for the whole game in less than a minute, then shake their heads when things are not any different at the final buzzer. 

"We just seem to be dead between the ears," Carlyle said. "We're not thinking. We're not reading. Then it seems we pile on extra work for ourselves from our lack of execution by making a pass to a guy who is covered or an ill-advised pass where the opposition has a player in a position to block the pass that we make. It turns into defensive zone coverage for 35-40 seconds. It's mind boggling some of the plays we're trying to make."

In the game against Toronto, Francois Beauchemin gave brief hope to the Ducks by scoring on the power play at 9:51 of the first period.  Less than five minutes later, all hope was dashed.   Tyler Bozak and Clarke MacArthur scored :19 seconds apart to give the Leafs the lead.  The rest of the game was an exercise in futility for Anaheim.

Joey Crabb made it 3-1 at 2:36 of the second period, and Bozak promptly got his second of the game at :47 seconds into the final period. 

Corey Perry's goal at 5:38 seemed hollow and meaningless and it was no surprise that the Leafs added an empty net goal with seconds remaining.  Was there anyone left at the Honda Center in the stands who was an Anaheim fan?  And if so, should their heads be examined?

Nothing changes and the Ducks continue to trudge in a downward spiral that even has Teemu Selanne sounding a wee bit depressed. 

"It seems to me that nothing works," Selanne opined. "When things go bad, they really go bad. We try to stay positive and try to find some bright sides. I don't really see any bright sides. It's just unbelievable."

Unbelievable indeed.  Something has to change.  Something has to happen.

The Carolina Hurricanes fired their coach, as did the Washington Capitals.  The Ducks?  They sent Brandon McMillan back to Syracuse.  He might actually be grateful to be out of Anaheim and in the AHL. 

In the meantime, the Ducks do nothing and nothing changes.   Next chance to see an opposing team's victory is Wednesday when another Canadian Original 6 team comes to town in the shape of the Montreal Canadiens.  Chances are good you do not have to spend good money on tickets (unless you want to see the Canadiens in person) or the electricity for your TV to know the results.  Another Ducks loss with some moments of promise thrown in here and there, peppered by more of the same mundane efforts.

The Ducks have lost their heart.  There isn't any wizard in sight available to restore it any time soon.  What a sad commentary to a season only one fourth of the way complete.