No one can say that the game between the Ducks and Penguins was a lackluster, boring affair.  For two teams that don't see each other more than once a year, there seemed to be a lot of bad blood and emotions ran high right from the first face-off.

Ducks were looking for their first back-to-back win of the season.  Pittsburgh was looking to redeem themselves from a stinker of a game on Wednesday against Dallas.   The Ducks got what they wanted with a 3-2 victory.  The Penguins were not nearly as happy, but were at least semi-redeemed with a much better effort than their previous game, but they still fell short.

Despite great chances by both teams, nothing got past Jonas Hiller or Marc-Andre Fleury until the second period.   In a strong push by the Ducks, Bobby Ryan scored at 7:35, getting a rebound shot into the net and Anaheim on the board.  At 12:22, Ryan Getzlaf extended the lead and at 14:26 Saku Koivu finished off a trifecta of rebounds left for the Ducks to finish off.

Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma wisely took his time-out at that point, trying to settle his team, who were back on their heels. It worked.

"The game got away from us a little bit," Bylsma observed.  "Getting down 3-0, but we stuck with it.  We kept playing and kept battling.  We kept working."

Even though the Penguins have been toothless on the power play, they finally broke their powerless drought (29 pointless attempts) with a goal from Sidney Crosby at 17:27.  Crosby deflected Kris Letang's shot and broke his own goal-less drought of five games. 

It could have been 3-2 with just seconds remaining in the middle period, but Hiller stopped a point blank shot by Evgeni Malkin, and Anaheim took a two goal lead to the final 20 minutes.

That lead shrunk to one goal when Crosby put a rebound puck between Hiller's legs at 3:48.  With the huge contingent of Penguins fans, the building erupted for the opponents.  Not to be outdone, the home fans got further involved in the game and you could see the players from both sides feed off the palpable energy of the announced sell-out crowd.

The Ducks were able to hold on to their one-goal lead, fighting off a valiant effort by the Penguins.  Now the Ducks need to take the next step - three wins in a row - which they will tackle on Sunday against the visiting Nashville Predators.

"Hopefully it's a stepping stone and we can get some confidence," said coach Randy Carlyle.  "That is what we're trying to do, somthing to build on here.  We want this building specifically to be a tough place to come into and play.  We've accomplished that in these last two games."

In other notes:   Teemu Selanne played in his 1200th career game, only the 10th European born player to do so and 87th player ever.  His assist on the third goal gave him a total of 1,275 career points, putting him in sold possession of 33rd all time. 

The Ducks have been stuck in reverse for the past two games and needed to shift back to forward.  Getting defenseman Cam Fowler back, after missing six games with a broken nose and stiff neck, certainly helped.  An infusion of youngsters (Nick Bonino and Kyle Palmieri) who were brought up due to a rash of injuries, also provided a boost.  More on Palmieri later.

Anaheim and Tampa Bay have had diametrically opposed seasons - the Ducks struggling and the Lightning off to a great start with a new GM (Steve Yzerman) and coach (Guy Boucher).  In the first period you would not know it.  

The Ducks were remarkedly well disciplined and despite a double minor for high sticking, the Ducks spent more time with the extra man, being handed three consecutive power plays.  On their second attempt, Teemu Selanne put the Ducks on the board at 12:22, adding yet another power play goal to his growing tally.

Tampa Bay got back in stride in the second period, tying the game on a shot from Blair Jones that found its way behind Jonas Hiller at 2:38. 

In a game that could have been hideously lopsided, things were remarkably even.  Any team had the chance to win the game.

Steven Stamkos gave the Lightning their first lead of the game just :21 seconds into the third on a carry-over power play.  There was no doubt why Stamkos was the player of the month in October, off to a blazing start and now with 10 goals in his first 11 games.

"We expected a tough game," said Stamkos.  "It just took us too long to wake up.  We got a point, but it wasn't our best effort."

The rest of the period was typical for the Ducks - plenty of effort but seemingly just short of going in the net.  And then came Palmieri.  Playing in his first NHL game, Palmieri had a couple of good chances earlier in the game.  He notched his first NHL goal at 15:40 to tie up the game, giving the Ducks at least a point by going to overtime.

"It was unbelievable," said a happy Palmieri, who had just gotten his picture taken with his first major memorabilia.  "I really don't have any words right now.  It hasn't really sunk in.  I'm just excited."

In the extra period Selanne, who had a huge game, assisted on the game winner with a beautiful pass to Ryan Getzlaf.  Getzlaf easily put the puck in the net at 2:53 and was promptly mauled by joyous teammates. 

"I just had to put it in the net," said Getzlaf.  "(Selanne) did the rest.  He showed his speed and showed his legs.  He'll probably claim it was his two days off this week.  He was fresh and ready to go."

Those 40 year old legs deserve a day here and there, especially if they are always followed up with efforts like that one.  His goal and assist gives him 1,274 points, tied for 33rd all time with Al MacInnis. 

To say the Ducks needed two points would be an understatement.  At this point, every bit helps.

"We played against a hockey club that can really skate and plays with a lot of confidence right now," said coach Randy Carlyle.  "We've had our fair share of turmoil and inconsistency, but tonight was one of our more inspired games.  Overall our effort was way up there and we should feel good about ourselves."

If the Ducks are capable of another effort like this on Friday night, they just might have a chance for two more points against Pittsburgh.

While the Anaheim Ducks are languishing at 26th overall in the NHL and 14th in the Western Conference, at least there is one bright spot for the team.  Young defenseman, Cam Fowler, is going to stick around a little longer.

Fowler was drafted 12th overall in June by the Ducks and they should personally thank the other 11 teams who passed him by.   Fowler had one goal and two assists before getting creamed by Shane Doan on October 17, breaking his nose and causing a stiff neck.  Doan was suspended for the hit and Fowler has been out since.

Now sufficiently recovered and cleared, Fowler should be back in the Ducks line-up on Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"To go down with an injury like that, it kind of all washes away,” the 18-year old said. “You have to build from scratch again. These practices have been good and I feel good out there.”

Fowler now has a reason to feel even better.  Having played six games before being injured, there was still the nine game limit usually given to draft picks before being sent back to juniors.  GM Bob Murray confirmed he did not have to worry about that looming number, announcing today that he would be staying with the club, at least for now.

"It wasn’t really that difficult a decision,” coach Randy Carlyle said. “The way Cam Fowler has played for our hockey club, it quite amazes me still to think we got him at 12^th.”

Adding to the surreal factor is that now Fowler will be moving in with his childhood idol, Scott Niedermayer, who will be the best mentor Fowler could have.

The Ducks need all the help they can get from Fowler, who has been poised with the puck and not looked out of place on the ice thus far.

Continued injuries certainly have not helped Anaheim, the latest being Kyle Chipchura out for a minimum of a week with a concussion after encountering Doug Murray on Saturday in San Jose.  Chipchura goes on IR as Beleskey gets ready to come off IR after his concussion.

Andy Sutton?  Still out another three to four weeks recovering from a badly broken thumb.  Dan Sexton?  Still out at least another week after his nose blocked a puck.  Thank goodness for good surgeons who put all the pieces back together again (where were they when Humpty Dumpty needed assistance?)

Joffrey Lupul?  First glimmer of good news came after Monday's practice when Carlyle intimated that Lupul might be ready to start skating with the team in a while.

In the meantime, the Ducks continue to limp along, yearning for points.

In the second of back-to-back games, the Ducks remembered to bring their feistiness with them to San Jose, but forgot just about everything else.  As a result, the Sharks easily dominated Anaheim in a 5-2 defeat.  By the time the Ducks woke up in the third period, it was too little, too late.

The Sharks came out with a vengeance in the first period and the Ducks did nothing to stop them.  Dany Heatley scored just :36 seconds into the game and Logan Couture added a power play goal at 4:45.

Thanks to a continued lack of discipline by the Ducks that kept them in the penalty box for a good part of the game, San Jose extended their lead with another power play goal from Heatley at 2:08 of the second period.  Niclas Wallin and Patrick Marleau finished off the Sharks scoring to give their team at 5-0 lead by the end of the second period.

By the end of the second period, the Sharks had also outshot the Ducks 38 - 11.  Curtis McElhinney was left high and dry and Jonas Hiller, on the bench after playing the night before, could only sympathize with his fellow goaltender.  Antero Nittymaki could have read the newspaper or the long draft of the collective bargaining agreement before having to do any real work.

Seeming to be able to do nothing but fight (six fighting majors on the night), the Ducks finally woke up and started to play in the third period.  Did coach Randy Carlyle poke them with a cattle prod?  Threaten them with a Halloween bag skate?

Whatever it was, the Ducks at least got on the board and were not completely shut out.  But like a golf handicap, they needed help to do so by playing with an extra man.  Two power plays (their first opportunities of the game) yielded two power play goals, from Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Even strength?  Nothing.

The Ducks more than doubled their shots on goal in the third period, outshooting San Jose 13 - 3.  So the final results looked better than the actual game.  Which was generally apathetic, undisciplined and ineffective. And were it not for the scoring, a deja vu of game one of the season, not game 12.

Anaheim gets to take a few days off to contemplate how to remove their head from their lower body region and try to get their act together before Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh come to town on Wednesday and Friday.  The Ducks do not want to be known as the team everyone else wants to play for an easy two points, but right now, it sure is looking that way.

The New Jersey Devils had the worst record in the league and a three game losing streak coming into the Honda Center.  The Ducks wanted to win two in a row for the first time this season.  Two guesses how this one came out.  The Devils still are lingering in the basement, but they finally got their third win with a 2-1 victory over the Ducks.  Anaheim?  Still looking for a way to string wins together.

The only description for the first period of the game was boring.  Flat and uninspired by both teams and an announced crowd of 14,724, equally unimpressed just two days before Halloween.

A little life was breathed into the building and the fans when Jason Blake scored a power play goal at 8:07 of the second period.  Blake, who had been a healthy scratch the previous game and called out by coach Randy Carlyle, redeemed himself by pushing the puck beyond Martin Brodeur and putting the Ducks on the board.

"You can't score if you don't shoot," said Blake after the game.  "(Brodeur's) obviously a Hall of Fame goaltender.  You try to get as many shots as possible.  He's probably going to save the first one.  You just try to get some bodies there and disrupt his rebound chances."

The lead was short-lived when Jamie Langenbrunner put a puck past Jonas Hiller at 10:39.   The Devils took their first lead in the third period with a goal from Patrik Elias at 1:54.  Danny Syvret deserved a special assist for turning over the puck to Alexander Vasyunov, who made the perfect pass to Elias.

That turnover sunk the Ducks and ended up being the game-winning goal.

The Ducks had plenty of chances, including a few more on the power play.  Pulling Hiller for the extra attacker, the Ducks came within inches of tying up the game but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.  If the puck does not cross the line, it doesn't matter if it missed by an inch or a mile.

"Every time we get it going, we play a game like tonight and lose and it starts all over again," said Hiller, who made 25 saves.  "It would be great if we got a streak going."

Anaheim does not have long to wait to try again.  They play the San Jose Sharks on Saturday evening, their first meeting of the year.  If they play like last night, they just might start another losing streak, the only thing the Ducks seem good at this season.

In other notes:  Josh Green was recalled from Syracuse in light of the injuries suffered to Dan Sexton and Matt Beleskey while on the road trip.   Cam Fowler missed his fifth game in a row recovering from a stiff neck and broken nose.

The Ducks headed back to the ice after returning home from a four game road trip.  Coming home with a 2-2 record certainly helped buoy the team.  The trip did result in some casualties, though.

In addition to losing Dan Sexton for the next two weeks with a broken nose (that's what happens when your face stops a flying puck), the Ducks also have lost Matt Beleskey for at least the next week with a concussion.

Beleskey was boarded by Stephane Robidas in Tuesday night's game against the Dallas Stars. Robidas received a five minute major penalty for the infraction.  Per rule #42.5, when a major penalty is imposed under this rule for a foul resulting in an injury to the face or head of an opponent, a game misconduct shall be imposed.

Beleskey clearly had his bell rung on the play and left the ice to be evaluated.  Robidas was handed a one game suspension because it was his second game misconduct for boarding in the past 41 games.

Although Beleskey initially tweeted that he was feeling fine, he clearly was feeling the effects of the hit and the concussion by tweeting earlier today that his body "sure doesn't feel like 22."

Beleskey will miss the next two games and will be eligible to return to the line-up for next Wednesday's match against Tampa Bay, assuming no further problems with the concussion.

The Ducks, who do not have an extra forward on their roster at this moment, were uncertain if they were going to recall another player from Syracuse.  Anaheim has two games, back-to-back, this weekend - Friday against New Jersey at home and then in San Jose on Saturday night.

Things have not come easily for the Ducks this season while on the road, but they are starting to look a little better.  A 5-2 victory over the Dallas Stars put the Ducks at .500 for this four game road trip.  Considering that their last win in Dallas was February 28, 2009, two seasons ago, the victory was even sweeter.  Perhaps not having to face a wandering Marty Turco in net helped (Kari Lehtonen has taken Turco's place and is more rooted to his crease.)

Dallas got on the board first with a goal from Loui (where did that "E" go?) Eriksson at 16:06 of the first period on the power play.  Eriksson seems to have the Ducks net pegged whenever the two teams get together and this was no different as he merely redirected a shot behind Jonas Hiller, who was in net again after sitting the past two games.

Hiller, who made 35 saves, stopped a huge one at the end of the first, keeping the score at 1-0 to head into the second period.

The Ducks rebounded in the second period, getting two goals from Bobby Ryan.  The first came just :28 seconds in and the second at 10:30 to give the Ducks the lead.

Even better was the Ducks third goal and eventual game winner.  George Parros took advantage of a turnover and breakaway opportunity by placing what was probably his prettiest goal of his career at 11:23.  Parros has never been known for soft hands.  His hands are usually used for fighting opponents on the ice.  This time, they were the sweetest pair of hands ever and it was his first game winning goal since the minor leagues.

Unlike their last game against Detroit, the Ducks did not panic and fall back. Then again, the Stars are not the Red Wings.

Brian Sutherby, a former Duck, managed to push in a puck that had squirted loose in the crease, making it 3-2 at 6:08 of the third period.  That was as close as Dallas came.

After struggling on the power play on the road, the Ducks made one count.  With Brad Richards in the box, Teemu Selanne did what he does best - score on the power play.  It was his 611th goal of his career to put him is sole possession of 15th all time in goal scoring.  It was also his 800th point as a Duck.

The Ducks extended their lead after Stephane Robidas was kicked out of the game for a vicious boarding on Matt Beleskey.  Beleskey clearly had his bell rung and was still being medically evaluated after the game.  In a strange quirk, no one was sent by Dallas to the penalty box to serve the five minute major penalty, so when it expired, the Stars had to wait until the next whistle to put a fifth player on the ice.  Before that could happen, Corey Perry put his fourth of the year into the net at 15:30.  5-2 Ducks.  Game essentially over.

The Ducks certainly needed the boost of the win after the disappointing loss in the final seconds to Detroit, a game they should have won and could have won on Saturday.  They head home now with a 4-5-1 record in their first 10 games.  Not the best start ever, but not their worst.

The next eight games are all in their time zone, six at home and two in San Jose.  If the Ducks are smart, they will do their best to earn as many points as possible.  They will need every one of them if they want to make the playoffs again.

In other notes: Dan Sexton, who broke his nose in numerous places by blocking a shot on Saturday in Detroit, is back in Anaheim and awaiting surgery to repair his schnozz.  He is expected to be out for the next two weeks recovering.

When the Ducks visit Detroit, wins are in short supply.  Anaheim has been in the NHL since 1993.  In the regular season, the Ducks have a whopping  three wins total in those 17 years.  Three.   March 30, 1997.  March 19, 2002.  February 10, 2008.

Anaheim came really, really close to adding another date for the record books.  At the very least, coming away with a point that was within their grasp.

Instead, the Ducks left frustrated and with another road loss for the season, this one 5-4, with Pavel Datsyuk scoring the game winner with a mere :11.4 seconds left in the game.

Henrik Zetterberg got his first of two goals at 7:42 of the first period.  It was the first power play goal that the Ducks had yielded since October 15.  Then again, three consecutive power plays by Detroit is asking for trouble.

Teemu Selanne, who had one of the Ducks four goals, was not happy with the officiating in the first period.  Considering he received an elbow/shoulder to his face from Niklas Kronwall that was not called, he had a right to be angry.

Eric Stephens, from the Orange County Register, tweeted some of Selanne's post-game quotes.

"As long as I’ve played here, it’s always the same story. You almost know. They get at least three power plays in the first period."

"Every 50-50 call is going to go in their favor. We knew it. It’s not a secret for anybody."

"That guy is dangerous out there," Selanne referred to Kronwall.  "One of these days, somebody’s going to get him. I know that. It’s just a matter of time when."

The Ducks should have been credited for keeping their cool, something they completely abandoned when they were last in Detroit on October 8.

Bobby Ryan, who was elbowed by Ruslan Salei in front of an official, but again, no call, tied up the game at 19:38.  The best revenge is scoring goals and the Ducks took a tied game into the second period.

They extended their lead to 3-1 with goals from Ryan Carter at 6:34 and Danny Syvret at 7:08 before the ice re-tilted in Detroit's favor.

Johan Franzen poked in a puck past a prone Curtis McElhinney, who could not cover the puck after making the first great save.  Tomas Holmstrom tipped in Brad Stuart's shot at 17:08 and the Ducks were fortunate to get to the third period still tied.

Selanne's goal at 8:32 gave the Ducks back the lead.  Career goal #610 ties him with Bobby Hull at 15th all time, and would have been even sweeter had it remained the game winner.  11:28 seconds is too long for Detroit not to come back.

Zetterberg got goal number two at 11:17 and things were tied.  Again.

All things appearing good, and the temperature in Hell (Purgatory, not the town in Michigan) seeming to lower just a bit, did not stay that way.  McElhinney, who got the third star of the game, stopped 36 shots, including a potential hat tricker from Zetterberg, but could not keep Datsyuk's shot out of the net.  :11.4 seconds and all chances for a point or two were blown to ....well, Hell.

Maybe next season the Ducks can bring home a point from a trip to the Joe Louis Arena.  Instead, they'll take a sour taste in their mouth and head to Dallas for a game on Tuesday night against a division rival.

In other notes: Dan Sexton left the game midway through the first period after blocking a Salei shot with his face.  Sexton wears a face shield, but that wasn't where the puck hit him.   He did not return to the game.

It took a while, but the Ducks finally managed to find both offense and a win on the road.  Playing the second of back-to-back games, Anaheim found enough energy to earn a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Curtis McElhinney got his first start of the year and had no less of a shooting gallery than Jonas Hiller has been facing.  McElhinney stopped 40 of 42 shots and looked solid in net.

Lubomir Visnovsky put the Ducks on the board just :35 seconds into the game to give the team a much-needed boost.  Scott Hartnell tied up the game at 4:16, but the Ducks regained the lead with a goal from Jason Blake at 10:52.

The Ducks went into the second period with the lead, but left it tied 2-2.  Claude Giroux roofed a rebound behind McElhinney at 13:50.

Things seemed destined for overtime, but the Ducks managed to tough it out and hung in there to get the game winning goal with just 1:46 left in the game.  Ryan Getzlaf poked a puck through Sergei Bobrovsky's legs.  After a review of the play, the goal was good and the Ducks merely had to hold on to the lead to get their first win.

There were a lot of positives for the Ducks to build on besides the win.  They doubled their offensive production in road games.  Three goals total in the first four games, but now there are six goals on the road.

The Ducks also continued strong on the penalty kill on the road.  Anaheim has killed 28 of 30 penalties.  Yes, there are too many penalties, but for a change, they are able to kill them off. That will continue to be key if the Ducks want to improve their road record.

A better power play would help them out, too.  While the penalty kill has been effective, the power play has been ineffective.  If they can get that clicking, the Ducks will also have better chances to add to their win column.

As coach Randy Carlyle is fond of saying, a win is a win, and the Ducks desperately needed one.

"We need to keep moving," said Getzlaf.  "Limit mistakes and move forward from here."

Ducks move back to Detroit, scene of their disastrous season opening game.  This time they want different results.  This time they might just have a better chance.

The Ducks headed back on the road to start a four game road trip.  Having lost their first three road games, the Ducks wanted to turn things around on the next trip.  A 3-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets continued the Ducks road woes.

On the plus side, it was a much better effort on the Ducks part and many mistakes they had previously made were corrected.   The Ducks outshot the Blue Jackets 32 - 21, the fewest shots against allowed so far this year.  They were also better disciplined, taking only three penalties and they killed all of them.

Despite a better effort by Anaheim, Columbus scored two goals 1:11 apart in the second period and that was all they needed.  Derek MacKenzie scored at 3:32, taking advantage of a turnover by Sheldon Brookbank.  Rick Nash got a lucky bounce at 4:43, with the puck going off Toni Lydman's skate and shooting behind Jonas Hiller.

Columbus handed the Ducks several consecutive power plays, but the Ducks could not get anything generated.  It took a strong opening effort in the third period to get the Ducks on the board.  Teemu Selanne scored his 609th goal of his career just :58 seconds in.  That surpassed Dino Ciccarelli for 16th on the all-time list and puts him within one goal of tying Bobby Hull for 15th.

The Ducks tried, but could not tie things up.  With an empty net behind them, the Ducks were unable to complete any crisp passes to give them a reasonable chance to go to overtime.  Instead, Nash took advantage of the gaping opening with just :27.8 seconds left to put the game away for Columbus.

The incredibly cliched phrase, "it doesn't get any easier from here," does apply.  The Ducks head to Philadelphia tomorrow evening to meet a rested Flyers team.  Another visit to Detroit is up on Saturday and then a first look at Dallas on Tuesday.

The Ducks cannot continue winless on the road, but with the schedule they are facing, it seems a tough mountain to climb.  Not impossible, but extremely difficult.