On The Duck Pond - An Anaheim Ducks blog
So as a Duck fan, where are you in the stages of death and dying for your team? Denial? Anger? Bargaining? Depression? Acceptance?
As the season continues in the muck and mire and what appears to be a fighting chance at the number one draft pick in June, I am personally getting pretty close to acceptance.
Nearly a fourth of the way into the season and the Ducks have a lovely 6-9-4 record. The last time they started this slow was 2009-2010 (6-10-3) and they were not able to scramble enough to make the post season. Before that? You have to go all the way back ten years ago to 2000-2001 and 2001-2002. Back when playing crappy was expected by fans. Not enjoyed, but expected. Those seasons and most of the 90's were a painful exercise for Ducks fans. You earned the term "Diehard" because you had to be with their record.
The 2011-2012 season is beginning to look like a bad flashback for the Anaheim Ducks.
Another loss to the Los Angeles Kings for the second time in as many nights just continues to leave a sour taste in one's mouth. Those in attendance have given up hard earned bucks to sit in those seats and the prices are current, not a flashback to the 90's. Sure, the players don't like losing either, but at least they are getting paid to be there.
The Ducks are at the bottom of the Pacific Division and the Kings have now leapfrogged to the top.
Anaheim has yet to win a game where the opponent scores first. Last night was no exception in the 5-3 loss.
As it was on Wednesday night, the first period ended with no goals scored by either team. However, the shots on goal were much more even than Wednesday, a positive sign.
Even though Mike Richards (scorer of the lone goal on Wednesday) put the Kings on the board just :54 seconds into the second period, the Ducks still had a little more life. They were able to tie it up with Andrew Cogliano providing a little spark at 3:19.
Getting a power play seemed to be a great opportunity for Anaheim to take a lead in the game. Simon Gagne's short handed tally at 7:28 sucked that opportunity right down the drain. Too much time and space for Gagne to put the puck behind Dan Ellis, who was giving Jonas Hiller a break from being a shooting gallery target.
Once the third period began (a problem with the arena lights forced a weird 17 minute delay), things were wobbly for the Ducks. Toni Lydman took two consecutive penalties, the second one being a double minor that included an unsportsmanlike conduct for arguing with the ref. Probably the signs of early unraveling as Slava Voynov had a power play goal off the first penalty at 2:45 to give the Kings a 3-1 lead.
Anaheim really perked up and threw everything they had at Jonathan Quick. A power play goal from Corey Perry at 8:27 brought the Ducks back within one goal. The goal had to be reviewed, never making it easy on the Ducks, and showed that the puck went in off of Perry's knee into the net.
Building on that, Cogliano got his second of the night at 13:35 to tie up the game. Next goal would likely win it and either team was getting good chances.
Anze Kopitar dashed Anaheim's hopes with a goal at 16:59. It was one the Kings needed, and one the Ducks had hoped to get.
With three minutes to go and a late power play opportunity, all was not lost for the Ducks. Ellis was out of the net for an extra attacker and the Ducks were sniffing for a way to tie the game up once again.
No such luck.
Richards made a precision clear of the puck from the Kings zone that made it in the net at the opposite end. Not only an empty net goal, but the second short hander of the game. With under two minutes left, the Ducks could not climb the tall mountain to even get a point out of the game.
"It's always tough playing from behind and we played from behind most of the night," said coach Randy Carlyle. "We got fired up in the game in the third period. We started to play with that emotion and got skating. It seems we have to get hit over the head to get to that point."
Maybe someone should take a 2 x 4 before games and make sure they are awake. Maybe they can raffle that duty off amongst the season ticket holders, who are probably beginning to wonder why they continue to throw away perfectly decent money to watch a team lose.
The Ducks next opportunity to wallow further (or maybe redeem themselves) comes on Sunday against the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings will be playing the Kings the night before. That has not gone so well for the Ducks lately. And the Red Wings absolutely embarassed the Ducks at the end of their road trip earlier this month.
Remember, I am at acceptance. I am not going to even entertain a thought that the Ducks can win on Sunday, or pray extra hard that morning at church. No sense drinking away my depressed sorrows (my liver could not tolerate that anyway). I merely accept that I am going to be looking at a team that will most likely have a 6-10-4 record at the end of the evening. It's just better that way.
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As the season continues in the muck and mire and what appears to be a fighting chance at the number one draft pick in June, I am personally getting pretty close to acceptance.
Nearly a fourth of the way into the season and the Ducks have a lovely 6-9-4 record. The last time they started this slow was 2009-2010 (6-10-3) and they were not able to scramble enough to make the post season. Before that? You have to go all the way back ten years ago to 2000-2001 and 2001-2002. Back when playing crappy was expected by fans. Not enjoyed, but expected. Those seasons and most of the 90's were a painful exercise for Ducks fans. You earned the term "Diehard" because you had to be with their record.
The 2011-2012 season is beginning to look like a bad flashback for the Anaheim Ducks.
Another loss to the Los Angeles Kings for the second time in as many nights just continues to leave a sour taste in one's mouth. Those in attendance have given up hard earned bucks to sit in those seats and the prices are current, not a flashback to the 90's. Sure, the players don't like losing either, but at least they are getting paid to be there.
The Ducks are at the bottom of the Pacific Division and the Kings have now leapfrogged to the top.
Anaheim has yet to win a game where the opponent scores first. Last night was no exception in the 5-3 loss.
As it was on Wednesday night, the first period ended with no goals scored by either team. However, the shots on goal were much more even than Wednesday, a positive sign.
Even though Mike Richards (scorer of the lone goal on Wednesday) put the Kings on the board just :54 seconds into the second period, the Ducks still had a little more life. They were able to tie it up with Andrew Cogliano providing a little spark at 3:19.
Getting a power play seemed to be a great opportunity for Anaheim to take a lead in the game. Simon Gagne's short handed tally at 7:28 sucked that opportunity right down the drain. Too much time and space for Gagne to put the puck behind Dan Ellis, who was giving Jonas Hiller a break from being a shooting gallery target.
Once the third period began (a problem with the arena lights forced a weird 17 minute delay), things were wobbly for the Ducks. Toni Lydman took two consecutive penalties, the second one being a double minor that included an unsportsmanlike conduct for arguing with the ref. Probably the signs of early unraveling as Slava Voynov had a power play goal off the first penalty at 2:45 to give the Kings a 3-1 lead.
Anaheim really perked up and threw everything they had at Jonathan Quick. A power play goal from Corey Perry at 8:27 brought the Ducks back within one goal. The goal had to be reviewed, never making it easy on the Ducks, and showed that the puck went in off of Perry's knee into the net.
Building on that, Cogliano got his second of the night at 13:35 to tie up the game. Next goal would likely win it and either team was getting good chances.
Anze Kopitar dashed Anaheim's hopes with a goal at 16:59. It was one the Kings needed, and one the Ducks had hoped to get.
With three minutes to go and a late power play opportunity, all was not lost for the Ducks. Ellis was out of the net for an extra attacker and the Ducks were sniffing for a way to tie the game up once again.
No such luck.
Richards made a precision clear of the puck from the Kings zone that made it in the net at the opposite end. Not only an empty net goal, but the second short hander of the game. With under two minutes left, the Ducks could not climb the tall mountain to even get a point out of the game.
"It's always tough playing from behind and we played from behind most of the night," said coach Randy Carlyle. "We got fired up in the game in the third period. We started to play with that emotion and got skating. It seems we have to get hit over the head to get to that point."
Maybe someone should take a 2 x 4 before games and make sure they are awake. Maybe they can raffle that duty off amongst the season ticket holders, who are probably beginning to wonder why they continue to throw away perfectly decent money to watch a team lose.
The Ducks next opportunity to wallow further (or maybe redeem themselves) comes on Sunday against the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings will be playing the Kings the night before. That has not gone so well for the Ducks lately. And the Red Wings absolutely embarassed the Ducks at the end of their road trip earlier this month.
Remember, I am at acceptance. I am not going to even entertain a thought that the Ducks can win on Sunday, or pray extra hard that morning at church. No sense drinking away my depressed sorrows (my liver could not tolerate that anyway). I merely accept that I am going to be looking at a team that will most likely have a 6-10-4 record at the end of the evening. It's just better that way.
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The first meeting of the season between the Kings and the Ducks that ended in a 2-1 shootout victory for the Kings was not nearly as even as the final score would make it appear.
Were it not for superb goaltending by Jonas Hiller, the game would have been over in the first period. The Kings outshot the Ducks 17-5, yet it was still 0-0 heading into the second period. Maybe Hiller knew he had to be good, because Dan Ellis was sitting on the bench with a sore groin as the back up.
Seeing as the Ducks were not good at getting shots on goal, they did find something they excelled in, besides goaltending. They were great at taking penalties. No matter how good you are at penalty killing, you are playing with fire when you give the team with the hot power play a 5 on 3 advantage for nearly a full two minutes.
Mike Richards took advantage of a strange bounce off the boards and gave the Kings a 1-0 lead at 7:38 of the second period. Never mind all the good work that LA had been doing. A bounce of the puck off the boards and right onto Richard's stick was all they needed. Hiller did not have a chance.
When the Ducks finally woke up in the third period and decided that they would finally get some shots on goal, it finally felt like a good game.
Ryan Getzlaf nearly tied up the game early on during a power play, but it was waved off. Getzlaf got his hand on a bouncing puck and it deflected into the net behind Quick. Getzlaf had tried his best to get his stick on the puck but missed, barely. The review clearly showed it was not a good goal.
Finally near the end of the game, the Ducks had another power play opportunity and this time, the goal was legitimate. Teemu Selanne continued to lead his team with the goal at 16:35. Even if the puck did not go into the net, Corey Perry was right there to finish it off.
The game remained tied through the rest of regulation and into the overtime period. The shootout had to go seven rounds before it was decided. Justin Williams got his puck behind Hiller and Kurtis Foster (not coach Randy Carlyle's usual choice of shooters) could not keep the shootout going.
"We did get the two (points) which is huge, but at the same time, we let them get a point out of it," Quick said after the game. "A game like that, we outplay them like that, that should be a game where they don't get any points. I'm sure over there … I'm sure they're happy with getting that point. Especially a division rival like them, you know they're going to be right in the hunt with us, and we want to not allow them to get any points."
I don't think the Ducks were exceptionally giddy with a point, but it was more than they've garnered in a while.
"You've got to celebrate the little victories," Bobby Ryan commented. "I thought we did a good job taking pucks to the net, especially in the third. We turned our game on and got going in the right direction. We were rewarded for it. I don't know if you want to call it a fluky goal, but a goal that probably is going to be saves most of the time."
The Ducks get a second opportunity against the Kings tonight, this time at the Honda Center. How about making sure the "on" switch is in the right position from the first period forward? If they can continue playing like they did in the third period, they might have a chance of getting both points from the Kings this time.
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Were it not for superb goaltending by Jonas Hiller, the game would have been over in the first period. The Kings outshot the Ducks 17-5, yet it was still 0-0 heading into the second period. Maybe Hiller knew he had to be good, because Dan Ellis was sitting on the bench with a sore groin as the back up.
Seeing as the Ducks were not good at getting shots on goal, they did find something they excelled in, besides goaltending. They were great at taking penalties. No matter how good you are at penalty killing, you are playing with fire when you give the team with the hot power play a 5 on 3 advantage for nearly a full two minutes.
Mike Richards took advantage of a strange bounce off the boards and gave the Kings a 1-0 lead at 7:38 of the second period. Never mind all the good work that LA had been doing. A bounce of the puck off the boards and right onto Richard's stick was all they needed. Hiller did not have a chance.
When the Ducks finally woke up in the third period and decided that they would finally get some shots on goal, it finally felt like a good game.
Ryan Getzlaf nearly tied up the game early on during a power play, but it was waved off. Getzlaf got his hand on a bouncing puck and it deflected into the net behind Quick. Getzlaf had tried his best to get his stick on the puck but missed, barely. The review clearly showed it was not a good goal.
Finally near the end of the game, the Ducks had another power play opportunity and this time, the goal was legitimate. Teemu Selanne continued to lead his team with the goal at 16:35. Even if the puck did not go into the net, Corey Perry was right there to finish it off.
The game remained tied through the rest of regulation and into the overtime period. The shootout had to go seven rounds before it was decided. Justin Williams got his puck behind Hiller and Kurtis Foster (not coach Randy Carlyle's usual choice of shooters) could not keep the shootout going.
"We did get the two (points) which is huge, but at the same time, we let them get a point out of it," Quick said after the game. "A game like that, we outplay them like that, that should be a game where they don't get any points. I'm sure over there … I'm sure they're happy with getting that point. Especially a division rival like them, you know they're going to be right in the hunt with us, and we want to not allow them to get any points."
I don't think the Ducks were exceptionally giddy with a point, but it was more than they've garnered in a while.
"You've got to celebrate the little victories," Bobby Ryan commented. "I thought we did a good job taking pucks to the net, especially in the third. We turned our game on and got going in the right direction. We were rewarded for it. I don't know if you want to call it a fluky goal, but a goal that probably is going to be saves most of the time."
The Ducks get a second opportunity against the Kings tonight, this time at the Honda Center. How about making sure the "on" switch is in the right position from the first period forward? If they can continue playing like they did in the third period, they might have a chance of getting both points from the Kings this time.
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Having won only two games in the past 12, the Ducks will need to do something, fast, to turn things around. Nothing like a good old-fashioned rivalry with the team up the road to get you motivated!
The Ducks will play the Los Angeles Kings in a back to back series on Wednesday at Staples Center and then Thursday night at the Honda Center. There will be no time to lose momentum or lick wounds, and these next two are critical for Anaheim.
Niklas Hagman will not be joining the Ducks line-up. Although he was picked up off re-entry waivers, he does not have his work visa yet. Ben Maxwell, who was claimed last week off waivers, did finally receive his visa and is set to arrive in southern California today. Will he be in the line-up against the Kings? Highly unlikely, as he has not even practiced with the team.
Nick Bonino, who was out with a hyper-extended knee, was well enough to practice with the Ducks on Tuesday, and was sent back to Syracuse on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, J.F. Jacques and Nate Guenin were called up from Syracuse on Tuesday.
Jacques could find himself in the line up against the Kings in light of George Parros' absence. The Ducks need someone with a bit of toughness to keep the Kings in check. Jacques has finished serving his five game suspension, so he would be eligible to play. He is likely chomping at the bit hoping to redeem himself from the sins of his pre-season.
Guenin, a defenseman, was called up to provide extra depth on the blue line. With the injury to Lubomir Visnovsky, Kurtis Foster was inserted in the line-up, but he has not really shone. Then again, none of his teammates have either. Guenin will give the Ducks more options at that position.
Regardless of who shows up in the line-up, the important thing is that they show up.
"The games are always spirited with L.A.," was how coach Randy Carlyle described the rivalry. "We need something good to happen with our group but we’re going to have to earn it. If we’re not prepared to go to battle, with the group that they have up there in L.A. we’ll be embarrassed. We’d better be ready.”
Amen to that.
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The Ducks will play the Los Angeles Kings in a back to back series on Wednesday at Staples Center and then Thursday night at the Honda Center. There will be no time to lose momentum or lick wounds, and these next two are critical for Anaheim.
Niklas Hagman will not be joining the Ducks line-up. Although he was picked up off re-entry waivers, he does not have his work visa yet. Ben Maxwell, who was claimed last week off waivers, did finally receive his visa and is set to arrive in southern California today. Will he be in the line-up against the Kings? Highly unlikely, as he has not even practiced with the team.
Nick Bonino, who was out with a hyper-extended knee, was well enough to practice with the Ducks on Tuesday, and was sent back to Syracuse on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, J.F. Jacques and Nate Guenin were called up from Syracuse on Tuesday.
Jacques could find himself in the line up against the Kings in light of George Parros' absence. The Ducks need someone with a bit of toughness to keep the Kings in check. Jacques has finished serving his five game suspension, so he would be eligible to play. He is likely chomping at the bit hoping to redeem himself from the sins of his pre-season.
Guenin, a defenseman, was called up to provide extra depth on the blue line. With the injury to Lubomir Visnovsky, Kurtis Foster was inserted in the line-up, but he has not really shone. Then again, none of his teammates have either. Guenin will give the Ducks more options at that position.
Regardless of who shows up in the line-up, the important thing is that they show up.
"The games are always spirited with L.A.," was how coach Randy Carlyle described the rivalry. "We need something good to happen with our group but we’re going to have to earn it. If we’re not prepared to go to battle, with the group that they have up there in L.A. we’ll be embarrassed. We’d better be ready.”
Amen to that.
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A day after another check in the loss column, the Ducks claimed Niklas Hagman off re-entry waivers from the Calgary Flames.
The Ducks are in desperate need for a shot of something that will cure what ails them. Hagman should inject some life into the team that is struggling mightily of late. Hagman is certainly familiar with the Ducks, having been with a fellow Pacific Division team for several seasons.
Meanwhile, the Ducks have also sent Peter Holland back to Syracuse in the AHL. Holland played four games with the Ducks, and scored his first NHL goal on Friday night against Vancouver.
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The 31 year old left wing has appeared in 707 career NHL games with Florida, Dallas, Toronto and Calgary.
Hagman was unclaimed when he initially went on waivers last Thursday. However, splitting his $3 million salary seemed more appealing when he went on re-entry waivers. Calgary is responsible for the other $1.5 million.
Apparently the Flames had been attempting to trade him, but found no takers.The Ducks are in desperate need for a shot of something that will cure what ails them. Hagman should inject some life into the team that is struggling mightily of late. Hagman is certainly familiar with the Ducks, having been with a fellow Pacific Division team for several seasons.
Meanwhile, the Ducks have also sent Peter Holland back to Syracuse in the AHL. Holland played four games with the Ducks, and scored his first NHL goal on Friday night against Vancouver.
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Third game in a row where the team that plays the Ducks has played the Kings the night before. Third game in a row, where the supposedly "tired" opponent does not go down easily. Especially when being beaten the night before.
Minnesota was not happy about losing to the Kings and took it out on the lowly and uninspired Ducks, who have now lost seven of their past eight games. They nearly lost eight of eight to Vancouver, but held on, barely, in the 4-3 victory on Friday.
Victory? What is that? It is beginning to feel a lot like the team that played in the 90's. You were just happy when they got a win every few games or so. No expectations, because you knew the team was bad, but you loved them nonetheless and showed up because you were a diehard fan.
The problem is that Anaheim has won something known as the Stanley Cup. And when you win the Cup, and visit the playoffs on a regular basis, the expectations are different. It is no longer ok to be a so-so team. Fans want to keep the level of superiority up.
Fans have been sorely disappointed of late.
The Minnesota game did not help matters, as once again the Ducks dug themselves a hole and could not find their way out of it.
Anaheim started off the game well, got an early power play and seemed to be sniffing for a goal right at the doorstep. Nothing went in, but they were getting good chances. Then the power play was over and it went downhill from there.
Kyle Brodziak tipped in Darryl Powe's shot at 6:09 and any momentum the Ducks had early on just vanished. Matt Cullen made it 2-0 at 16:11 and the Wild struck again with Jared Spurgeon making it 3-0 at 19:31.
Always one to enjoy a good train wreck (I was one of those diehards in the 90's), I continued to watch the game, rather than turn off what seemed inevitable.
Cam Fowler gave the Ducks a wee little bit of life by getting his first of the year at 2:15 of the second period. The post was Niklas Backstrom's best friend, though, as the Ducks seemed to be aiming at the pipes and not between the pipes.
Unable to get anything IN the net, the Ducks pulled Dan Ellis, who got to take over for Jonas Hiller from the second period forward. Fowler got goal number two of the game with :49 seconds left, but were unable to tie up the game.
Bobby Ryan, who is always honest and forthright in his assessments, was accurate as always in his assessment of how the Ducks are playing.
"You try to put your finger on it and you do different things to prepare. We've taken different approaches and nothing has worked. 25 guys in the room got to say enough is enough and that hasn't happened yet. It's been embarrassing."
It's been embarrassing to the team, but equally embarrassing to fans. Forget Occupy Honda Center. How about paper bags over the head?
Wednesday and Thursday the Ducks get to take on the Kings in the beginning rounds of the Freeway Faceoff.
"We should be going into those two games like a Stanley Cup Game 7," was Fowler's opinion.
How about going into those games like your very livelihood depends on it? How about going into those games with the attitude that a poor start won't cut it? How about going into those games with everyone on the same page, with the same goal and the same attitude? How about going into those games ready from the time the first puck drops and staying ready for an entire 60 minutes?
The season cannot possibly continue like this, but then again, maybe it could. Those brown paper bags are looking better and better.
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Minnesota was not happy about losing to the Kings and took it out on the lowly and uninspired Ducks, who have now lost seven of their past eight games. They nearly lost eight of eight to Vancouver, but held on, barely, in the 4-3 victory on Friday.
Victory? What is that? It is beginning to feel a lot like the team that played in the 90's. You were just happy when they got a win every few games or so. No expectations, because you knew the team was bad, but you loved them nonetheless and showed up because you were a diehard fan.
The problem is that Anaheim has won something known as the Stanley Cup. And when you win the Cup, and visit the playoffs on a regular basis, the expectations are different. It is no longer ok to be a so-so team. Fans want to keep the level of superiority up.
Fans have been sorely disappointed of late.
The Minnesota game did not help matters, as once again the Ducks dug themselves a hole and could not find their way out of it.
Anaheim started off the game well, got an early power play and seemed to be sniffing for a goal right at the doorstep. Nothing went in, but they were getting good chances. Then the power play was over and it went downhill from there.
Kyle Brodziak tipped in Darryl Powe's shot at 6:09 and any momentum the Ducks had early on just vanished. Matt Cullen made it 2-0 at 16:11 and the Wild struck again with Jared Spurgeon making it 3-0 at 19:31.
Always one to enjoy a good train wreck (I was one of those diehards in the 90's), I continued to watch the game, rather than turn off what seemed inevitable.
Cam Fowler gave the Ducks a wee little bit of life by getting his first of the year at 2:15 of the second period. The post was Niklas Backstrom's best friend, though, as the Ducks seemed to be aiming at the pipes and not between the pipes.
Unable to get anything IN the net, the Ducks pulled Dan Ellis, who got to take over for Jonas Hiller from the second period forward. Fowler got goal number two of the game with :49 seconds left, but were unable to tie up the game.
Bobby Ryan, who is always honest and forthright in his assessments, was accurate as always in his assessment of how the Ducks are playing.
"You try to put your finger on it and you do different things to prepare. We've taken different approaches and nothing has worked. 25 guys in the room got to say enough is enough and that hasn't happened yet. It's been embarrassing."
It's been embarrassing to the team, but equally embarrassing to fans. Forget Occupy Honda Center. How about paper bags over the head?
Wednesday and Thursday the Ducks get to take on the Kings in the beginning rounds of the Freeway Faceoff.
"We should be going into those two games like a Stanley Cup Game 7," was Fowler's opinion.
How about going into those games like your very livelihood depends on it? How about going into those games with the attitude that a poor start won't cut it? How about going into those games with everyone on the same page, with the same goal and the same attitude? How about going into those games ready from the time the first puck drops and staying ready for an entire 60 minutes?
The season cannot possibly continue like this, but then again, maybe it could. Those brown paper bags are looking better and better.
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I had to wait for a writing visa before I could mention that the Ducks had claimed center Ben Maxwell off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets.
Maxwell was claimed on Thursday, but has been unable to join to Ducks because he is still waiting for his visa. Seeing as most government offices in the US had a holiday on Friday and never work weekends, it might be a few days before Maxwell can bring his services to Anaheim.
Maxwell, 23, has appeared in 36 career NHL games with Montreal, Atlanta and Winnipeg. He reportedly can play 3rd line center or wing, is good in face-off circle, and is very responsible in the defensive zone.
So while the Ducks are waiting for the services of Maxwell, they will also be without the services of Lubomir Visnovsky. Visnovsky broke his finger late in the third period against Vancouver.
Visnovsky will not require surgery but he will be out for four weeks while it heals. Visnovsky had already been battling with another injured (albeit not broken) finger on his other hand.
Visnovsky will sit in the healing box alongside Jason Blake (cut tendon in forearm), George Parros (detached retina) and Nick Bonino (hyperextended knee). At least he will have company.
One man's injury is another man's opportunity. In this case, Kurtis Foster, who has been a healthy scratch for the Ducks, will get his chance in the line up.
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Maxwell was claimed on Thursday, but has been unable to join to Ducks because he is still waiting for his visa. Seeing as most government offices in the US had a holiday on Friday and never work weekends, it might be a few days before Maxwell can bring his services to Anaheim.
Maxwell, 23, has appeared in 36 career NHL games with Montreal, Atlanta and Winnipeg. He reportedly can play 3rd line center or wing, is good in face-off circle, and is very responsible in the defensive zone.
So while the Ducks are waiting for the services of Maxwell, they will also be without the services of Lubomir Visnovsky. Visnovsky broke his finger late in the third period against Vancouver.
Visnovsky will not require surgery but he will be out for four weeks while it heals. Visnovsky had already been battling with another injured (albeit not broken) finger on his other hand.
Visnovsky will sit in the healing box alongside Jason Blake (cut tendon in forearm), George Parros (detached retina) and Nick Bonino (hyperextended knee). At least he will have company.
One man's injury is another man's opportunity. In this case, Kurtis Foster, who has been a healthy scratch for the Ducks, will get his chance in the line up.
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Losing six games in a row sure makes you hunger for win. Any kind of a win. As Corey Perry stated after the Ducks 4-3 victory (barely) over the Vancouver Canucks, it was ugly, but they'll take it.
The Canucks had played the Kings the night before. Theoretically they should have been the tired team. Yeah. Like that was the case when the Ducks played a "tired" Nashville team on Wednesday.
Roberto Luongo got the nod in goal for the second night in a row. Perhaps it was to appease all the Canadian fans who seem to enjoy any excuse to come to California during hockey season.
On this Veteran's Day, the Ducks saluted the military in a number of ways. They handed out flags, gave discounted tickets to military personnel, gave free Wild Winger Kid's Club Kits to children of military personnel, had real army guys rappel from the roof of the Honda Center, and gave three houses (yes, brand new homes) to three veterans who had been wounded while serving their country.
The Ducks mission was merely to play well and not embarrass themselves.
The first period was definitely better than other periods of late and rather than giving up a goal early, the Ducks and Canucks were tied at 0-0 by the end of the first 20 minutes. The Ducks had their chances, but could not convert on them.
Anaheim took the positives of the first period into the second period and opened with a bang. Saku Koivu got the scoring started just :25 seconds in. Seven minutes later, he nearly had his second goal of the game, but Luongo made another great stop.
The momentum really shifted in the Ducks direction when Aaron Rome took an ill-advised major penalty midway through the period. Elbowing Devante Smith-Pelly in the head, Rome was handed a game misconduct as well. Smith-Pelly got an ice pack, but was no worse for the wear.
The Ducks took advantage of the extended power play time, with Andrew Cogliano scoring at 12:45. Corey Perry added another power play goal at 15:23. Standing in front of the net (something the Ducks did not do enough of) Perry got the puck up and over Luongo.
A couple minutes later, Peter Holland got his first NHL goal at 17:22, that ended up being the game winner. Holland has had an interesting time since being called up to Anaheim. He had his NHL debut in a horrid game against the Red Wings on Saturday and then had his first NHL point taken away due to a scoring change on Wednesday. Tonight, there was no question he'll remember this moment, and it was worth remembering.
"I don’t think I could feel my legs when it went in the net," Holland said after the game. "It was pretty cool. I kind of decided that I want to do that again. It was pretty special and something I will never forget. To score it on Luongo, one of the best goalies in the league, that adds to it as well."
Ducks fans, a little starved for goals and good games, also got a little greedy. Chanting "we want wings," they yearned for goal number five so they could go to Hooters.
Forget wings, the Ducks needed a WIN.
Going into the third period, ahead 4-0, and tied in shots on goal at 19 apiece, you would have thought it would be smooth sailing in the final 20 minutes. Right? Wrong!
Apparently Luongo had enough and Corey Schneider was put in net. Schneider got about as much work as when he had been sitting on the bench for the first two periods. Maybe less.
In period three it was all Vancouver. All in the Ducks zone for the majority of the period.
First Kevin Bieksa ended Jonas Hiller's hopes for a shutout at 4:32 with a power play goal. Then Jannik Hansen tapped in Daniel Sedin's shot at 9:12.
Time out Anaheim to settle down. It did not help. Vancouver continued circling the Ducks net like sharks that smelled blood. Canadian fans were sensing that the tide was turning as well. They were right.
Hansen got his second goal of the game at 13:04, taking a puck that was lying loose in the crease and finishing it off behind Hiller.
Can you say nail biter?
Schneider exited the net with a minute left in the game and then Perry took a late slashing penalty to give the Canucks a 6 on 4 power play. Really? Did Ducks fans need a heart attack?
A huge clear with ten seconds left provided some relief and the Ducks hung on despite being outshot 22 to 2 in the period. Forget playing with fire. The Ducks were lighting the matches themselves and nearly got burned.
But a win is a win, and Anaheim will take it.
"It was pretty tense in some situations there and everything was going against us," said coach Randy Carlyle. "You could see the ice was tilted and they were winning all the battles. Jonas Hiller stood tall and was a wall in the net. We got the two points and we’ll move forward."
Forward march to Sunday, when the Ducks take on the Minnesota Wild.
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The Canucks had played the Kings the night before. Theoretically they should have been the tired team. Yeah. Like that was the case when the Ducks played a "tired" Nashville team on Wednesday.
Roberto Luongo got the nod in goal for the second night in a row. Perhaps it was to appease all the Canadian fans who seem to enjoy any excuse to come to California during hockey season.
On this Veteran's Day, the Ducks saluted the military in a number of ways. They handed out flags, gave discounted tickets to military personnel, gave free Wild Winger Kid's Club Kits to children of military personnel, had real army guys rappel from the roof of the Honda Center, and gave three houses (yes, brand new homes) to three veterans who had been wounded while serving their country.
The Ducks mission was merely to play well and not embarrass themselves.
The first period was definitely better than other periods of late and rather than giving up a goal early, the Ducks and Canucks were tied at 0-0 by the end of the first 20 minutes. The Ducks had their chances, but could not convert on them.
Anaheim took the positives of the first period into the second period and opened with a bang. Saku Koivu got the scoring started just :25 seconds in. Seven minutes later, he nearly had his second goal of the game, but Luongo made another great stop.
The momentum really shifted in the Ducks direction when Aaron Rome took an ill-advised major penalty midway through the period. Elbowing Devante Smith-Pelly in the head, Rome was handed a game misconduct as well. Smith-Pelly got an ice pack, but was no worse for the wear.
The Ducks took advantage of the extended power play time, with Andrew Cogliano scoring at 12:45. Corey Perry added another power play goal at 15:23. Standing in front of the net (something the Ducks did not do enough of) Perry got the puck up and over Luongo.
A couple minutes later, Peter Holland got his first NHL goal at 17:22, that ended up being the game winner. Holland has had an interesting time since being called up to Anaheim. He had his NHL debut in a horrid game against the Red Wings on Saturday and then had his first NHL point taken away due to a scoring change on Wednesday. Tonight, there was no question he'll remember this moment, and it was worth remembering.
"I don’t think I could feel my legs when it went in the net," Holland said after the game. "It was pretty cool. I kind of decided that I want to do that again. It was pretty special and something I will never forget. To score it on Luongo, one of the best goalies in the league, that adds to it as well."
Ducks fans, a little starved for goals and good games, also got a little greedy. Chanting "we want wings," they yearned for goal number five so they could go to Hooters.
Forget wings, the Ducks needed a WIN.
Going into the third period, ahead 4-0, and tied in shots on goal at 19 apiece, you would have thought it would be smooth sailing in the final 20 minutes. Right? Wrong!
Apparently Luongo had enough and Corey Schneider was put in net. Schneider got about as much work as when he had been sitting on the bench for the first two periods. Maybe less.
In period three it was all Vancouver. All in the Ducks zone for the majority of the period.
First Kevin Bieksa ended Jonas Hiller's hopes for a shutout at 4:32 with a power play goal. Then Jannik Hansen tapped in Daniel Sedin's shot at 9:12.
Time out Anaheim to settle down. It did not help. Vancouver continued circling the Ducks net like sharks that smelled blood. Canadian fans were sensing that the tide was turning as well. They were right.
Hansen got his second goal of the game at 13:04, taking a puck that was lying loose in the crease and finishing it off behind Hiller.
Can you say nail biter?
Schneider exited the net with a minute left in the game and then Perry took a late slashing penalty to give the Canucks a 6 on 4 power play. Really? Did Ducks fans need a heart attack?
A huge clear with ten seconds left provided some relief and the Ducks hung on despite being outshot 22 to 2 in the period. Forget playing with fire. The Ducks were lighting the matches themselves and nearly got burned.
But a win is a win, and Anaheim will take it.
"It was pretty tense in some situations there and everything was going against us," said coach Randy Carlyle. "You could see the ice was tilted and they were winning all the battles. Jonas Hiller stood tall and was a wall in the net. We got the two points and we’ll move forward."
Forward march to Sunday, when the Ducks take on the Minnesota Wild.
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Have the Ducks hit bottom yet? If that were the case, there would be nowhere to go but up. The Columbus Blue Jackets are the only team beneath Anaheim in the Western Conference, as well as the NHL. And even the Blue Jackets, who have a whopping two wins, were able to defeat the Ducks. Ouch.
It gets a little old to have the same excuses and discussions rehashed over and over again. The media and the team could save themselves a lot of time and effort if they could just agree to use the same quotes.
This is beginning to feel a lot like Groundhog's Day, the movie. How many times will we have to see the same errors and the same result?
Nashville scored early, getting on the board at 1:20 of the first period on the first of two goals from Craig Smith. Smith, who played on a line with Patric Hornqvist and Colin Wilson, was hot against the Ducks all evening long. So was Martin Erat, who was a one man wrecking crew.
Wilson made it 2-0 at 4:54 and Anaheim found themselves behind the eight ball again. Stop me if you've heard this before.
"We definitely dug ourselves a hole," coach Randy Carlyle stated. "They had two shots on net and it was 2-0. That is a mountain you have to climb."
Devante Smith-Pelly got his first goal of the year at 19:21 by virtue of standing in front of the net. Cam Fowler was initially given the goal, but after the game it was handed over to Smith-Pelly, as the puck deflected off his knee and into the net behind Pekke Rinne.
The Ducks certainly played better in the second period and would have had a good chance to get back in the game except for one little detail.
The Predators scored on a penalty shot while short handed at 12:48. Thank you Martin Erat.
As in games past, the Ducks could not recover. Francois Beauchemin's goal at 14:12 brought the Ducks back within one. Smith's second goal at 1:36 of the third period, however, sealed the deal for the Predators.
Were it not for a lot of things, the Ducks might have had a chance in the game. Instead, they were fighting an uphill and losing battle once more.
"It’s hard. We’re letting each other down out there," said Ryan Getzlaf, who must have drawn the short straw as captain to address the media after the game. "These little mistakes that we are making, it’s costing us. The margin for error is so small in this game."
Thank you Captain Obvious.
Six losses in a row? Really? In January 2008 they had six losses, one of them in overtime, and came back to regroup for the rest of the season. Before that you have to go back to the 2002-2003 season with the annual post Christmas slump.
This season? Started off pretty well at 4-1-0 and it has tanked ever since.
"It’s really tough," said Fowler. "There is not much to be said. We’re in a funk right now. It’s up to us to battle and try to get out of it."
New battle begins on Friday against the Vancouver Canucks. Battle is the operative word as the Ducks have their annual salute to the military that evening.
If the Ducks lose a seventh game straight.....well, one shudders to think about how low can they go. Teemu Selanne decided to play one more year for this?!
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It gets a little old to have the same excuses and discussions rehashed over and over again. The media and the team could save themselves a lot of time and effort if they could just agree to use the same quotes.
This is beginning to feel a lot like Groundhog's Day, the movie. How many times will we have to see the same errors and the same result?
Nashville scored early, getting on the board at 1:20 of the first period on the first of two goals from Craig Smith. Smith, who played on a line with Patric Hornqvist and Colin Wilson, was hot against the Ducks all evening long. So was Martin Erat, who was a one man wrecking crew.
Wilson made it 2-0 at 4:54 and Anaheim found themselves behind the eight ball again. Stop me if you've heard this before.
"We definitely dug ourselves a hole," coach Randy Carlyle stated. "They had two shots on net and it was 2-0. That is a mountain you have to climb."
Devante Smith-Pelly got his first goal of the year at 19:21 by virtue of standing in front of the net. Cam Fowler was initially given the goal, but after the game it was handed over to Smith-Pelly, as the puck deflected off his knee and into the net behind Pekke Rinne.
The Ducks certainly played better in the second period and would have had a good chance to get back in the game except for one little detail.
The Predators scored on a penalty shot while short handed at 12:48. Thank you Martin Erat.
As in games past, the Ducks could not recover. Francois Beauchemin's goal at 14:12 brought the Ducks back within one. Smith's second goal at 1:36 of the third period, however, sealed the deal for the Predators.
Were it not for a lot of things, the Ducks might have had a chance in the game. Instead, they were fighting an uphill and losing battle once more.
"It’s hard. We’re letting each other down out there," said Ryan Getzlaf, who must have drawn the short straw as captain to address the media after the game. "These little mistakes that we are making, it’s costing us. The margin for error is so small in this game."
Thank you Captain Obvious.
Six losses in a row? Really? In January 2008 they had six losses, one of them in overtime, and came back to regroup for the rest of the season. Before that you have to go back to the 2002-2003 season with the annual post Christmas slump.
This season? Started off pretty well at 4-1-0 and it has tanked ever since.
"It’s really tough," said Fowler. "There is not much to be said. We’re in a funk right now. It’s up to us to battle and try to get out of it."
New battle begins on Friday against the Vancouver Canucks. Battle is the operative word as the Ducks have their annual salute to the military that evening.
If the Ducks lose a seventh game straight.....well, one shudders to think about how low can they go. Teemu Selanne decided to play one more year for this?!
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While George Parros is out of the Anaheim Ducks line up for the next four weeks recovering from a retinal tear, he better start thinking "visor." His latest eye injuries can be added to the growing list of reasons why they should be mandatory.
In hockey, pucks happen. As do sticks. And other flukes of nature.
Do visors protect in all cases? No. But do they protect more than not wearing a visor at all? Absolutely.
Parros got his warning from God on October 27, when he was struck in the face with an errant puck at practice. His right eye took the hit (thank you Andrew Gordon.) A few stitches here and there, and things seemed good to go.
Then last Friday, eight days after the first incident, another errant puck at practice hit Parros. This time it hit the left eye. Or as Parros tweeted, his left eye was jealous of all the attention that his right eye was getting.
No need for the eye to jealous any more. That left eye is getting more attention than it wanted thanks to having a retinal tear.
The tear was repaired on Monday morning by laser surgery and Parros will be gone for the next four weeks for recovery.
This is not the first time that an eye injury has sidelined Parros. In November 2008 he was struck in the eye with an errant stick during a game against the Vancouver Canucks. Parros wore a visor while the eye was healing, a first for the enforcer since his junior days.
The likelihood is good that he will be told he'll need to wear a visor again.
If so, he will be in good company. Former Duck, Chris Pronger, caught a stick in his eye in October, taking him out of the Philadelphia Flyers line up. He is expected to return to the line up wearing a visor for the first time in his career. Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf took a puck to his forehead, breaking bones in his face in January and he was out of commission for six weeks. He wore a visor when he returned to the line up and the visor has not come off since.
Although Parros is not critical to the Ducks success on ice, players like Getzlaf and Pronger are important members of their team. What they all have in common was preventable injuries.
Just ask Francois Beauchemin how grateful he was for a visor when he was hit in the face with a puck during a recent game. He had a compression cut to his eyebrow, but he was back on the ice after he was stitched up. Inconvenient, but nothing to lose an eye over.
Jordan Smith was not so fortunate. The one time Ducks prospect was struck by a puck in the eye while playing in the AHL on February 24, 2006. The damage was so complete, there was nothing doctors could do to save the eye. Visors were made mandatory at the AHL level beginning that fall of 2006.
Eyesight is precious and life is too short to spend it being stupidly visorless.
It is not a difficult thing to remove your helmet when fighting an opponent on the ice. It does not make you less manly. Not wearing a visor does make you look pretty dumb, though, especially in this day and age.
It is a risk that should not be taken. This latest preventable injury certainly proves that.
That being said, get well soon, George! I guess he focus all his energy on growing his Movember mustache.
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In hockey, pucks happen. As do sticks. And other flukes of nature.
Do visors protect in all cases? No. But do they protect more than not wearing a visor at all? Absolutely.
Parros got his warning from God on October 27, when he was struck in the face with an errant puck at practice. His right eye took the hit (thank you Andrew Gordon.) A few stitches here and there, and things seemed good to go.
Then last Friday, eight days after the first incident, another errant puck at practice hit Parros. This time it hit the left eye. Or as Parros tweeted, his left eye was jealous of all the attention that his right eye was getting.
No need for the eye to jealous any more. That left eye is getting more attention than it wanted thanks to having a retinal tear.
The tear was repaired on Monday morning by laser surgery and Parros will be gone for the next four weeks for recovery.
This is not the first time that an eye injury has sidelined Parros. In November 2008 he was struck in the eye with an errant stick during a game against the Vancouver Canucks. Parros wore a visor while the eye was healing, a first for the enforcer since his junior days.
The likelihood is good that he will be told he'll need to wear a visor again.
If so, he will be in good company. Former Duck, Chris Pronger, caught a stick in his eye in October, taking him out of the Philadelphia Flyers line up. He is expected to return to the line up wearing a visor for the first time in his career. Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf took a puck to his forehead, breaking bones in his face in January and he was out of commission for six weeks. He wore a visor when he returned to the line up and the visor has not come off since.
Although Parros is not critical to the Ducks success on ice, players like Getzlaf and Pronger are important members of their team. What they all have in common was preventable injuries.
Just ask Francois Beauchemin how grateful he was for a visor when he was hit in the face with a puck during a recent game. He had a compression cut to his eyebrow, but he was back on the ice after he was stitched up. Inconvenient, but nothing to lose an eye over.
Jordan Smith was not so fortunate. The one time Ducks prospect was struck by a puck in the eye while playing in the AHL on February 24, 2006. The damage was so complete, there was nothing doctors could do to save the eye. Visors were made mandatory at the AHL level beginning that fall of 2006.
Eyesight is precious and life is too short to spend it being stupidly visorless.
It is not a difficult thing to remove your helmet when fighting an opponent on the ice. It does not make you less manly. Not wearing a visor does make you look pretty dumb, though, especially in this day and age.
It is a risk that should not be taken. This latest preventable injury certainly proves that.
That being said, get well soon, George! I guess he focus all his energy on growing his Movember mustache.
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Some things are predictable. The sun will rise in east. You will pay taxes. You will die. Kim Kardashian's marriage will not last. The Ducks will lose when they play in Detroit in the regular season.
The last time hell froze over (in other words, the Ducks won a game at the Joe Louis Arena) was February 10, 2008.
In Saturday's match up between the Red Wings and Anaheim, there was no worries of Satan doing a little ice skating any time soon.
Does it matter that Detroit was on a six game losing streak? Not when the Ducks come to town.
Suddenly the Detroit Red Wings looked like....well, the Detroit Red Wings, not the Dead Things. The only dead things were the Ducks.
It was a Swedish revival on ice at the Joe Louis Arena.
Niklas Kronwall scored. Nicklas Lidstrom scored. Twice. Henrik Zetterberg scored. Johan Franzen scored. Tre kronor, five goals.
Anaheim? Jonas Hiller stopped 40 shots. After goal number five went past midway through the third period, coach Randy Carlyle felt that Hiller had had enough. Dan Ellis got to take a turn in the shooting gallery and stopped five more shots.
For those of you who can't add quickly enough, that was 50 shots on goal for the Red Wings.
The Ducks? Jimmy Howard did not have nearly as much work at the other end of the ice and only faced 22 shots on goal. Not quite asterisk worthy, but certainly he did not have a heavy burden to bear.
Getting a goal from Luca Sbisa called off because Corey Perry was interfering with Howard certainly helped with the shut out.
Getting Teemu Selanne to the showers early helped. Selanne got an unsportsmanlike conduct, apparently fed up with what he perceived to be poor officiating. Because officials everywhere love to be verbally abused and harangued, (not) Selanne got a two minute minor. And a misconduct for not stopping. And how about that game misconduct as well for ignoring the previous two warnings? In NHL rule terms, Teemu reached his three strikes limit. Nakamiin Teemu!
Better for the Ducks to get out of town and take what is left of their dignity with them. Then again, what dignity? A road trip that went 1-3-3?
"We needed a win badly," said Red Wings coach Mike Babcock. "To tell you the truth, I would've taken playing poorly and winning – because we've played a lot of good games and not won. We just needed to win and it was nice to see some guys score some goals, so you can get the weight of the world off your back."
One can only hope that these will be the same words that Carlyle will echo on Wednesday night after Nashville comes to town. The weight is still on Anaheim's back and the sooner they shed it, the better. Assuming they remember how to score and how to win.
IN OTHER NOTES: Peter Holland, who was called up this morning from Syracuse, made his NHL debut. When one envisions one's NHL debut, the 5-0 debacle that he got to witness up close and personal from the bench was not what anyone ever has in mind.
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The last time hell froze over (in other words, the Ducks won a game at the Joe Louis Arena) was February 10, 2008.
In Saturday's match up between the Red Wings and Anaheim, there was no worries of Satan doing a little ice skating any time soon.
Does it matter that Detroit was on a six game losing streak? Not when the Ducks come to town.
Suddenly the Detroit Red Wings looked like....well, the Detroit Red Wings, not the Dead Things. The only dead things were the Ducks.
It was a Swedish revival on ice at the Joe Louis Arena.
Niklas Kronwall scored. Nicklas Lidstrom scored. Twice. Henrik Zetterberg scored. Johan Franzen scored. Tre kronor, five goals.
Anaheim? Jonas Hiller stopped 40 shots. After goal number five went past midway through the third period, coach Randy Carlyle felt that Hiller had had enough. Dan Ellis got to take a turn in the shooting gallery and stopped five more shots.
For those of you who can't add quickly enough, that was 50 shots on goal for the Red Wings.
The Ducks? Jimmy Howard did not have nearly as much work at the other end of the ice and only faced 22 shots on goal. Not quite asterisk worthy, but certainly he did not have a heavy burden to bear.
Getting a goal from Luca Sbisa called off because Corey Perry was interfering with Howard certainly helped with the shut out.
Getting Teemu Selanne to the showers early helped. Selanne got an unsportsmanlike conduct, apparently fed up with what he perceived to be poor officiating. Because officials everywhere love to be verbally abused and harangued, (not) Selanne got a two minute minor. And a misconduct for not stopping. And how about that game misconduct as well for ignoring the previous two warnings? In NHL rule terms, Teemu reached his three strikes limit. Nakamiin Teemu!
Better for the Ducks to get out of town and take what is left of their dignity with them. Then again, what dignity? A road trip that went 1-3-3?
"We needed a win badly," said Red Wings coach Mike Babcock. "To tell you the truth, I would've taken playing poorly and winning – because we've played a lot of good games and not won. We just needed to win and it was nice to see some guys score some goals, so you can get the weight of the world off your back."
One can only hope that these will be the same words that Carlyle will echo on Wednesday night after Nashville comes to town. The weight is still on Anaheim's back and the sooner they shed it, the better. Assuming they remember how to score and how to win.
IN OTHER NOTES: Peter Holland, who was called up this morning from Syracuse, made his NHL debut. When one envisions one's NHL debut, the 5-0 debacle that he got to witness up close and personal from the bench was not what anyone ever has in mind.
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