On The Duck Pond - An Anaheim Ducks blog
The Ducks had already met up with the New York Rangers when they began the season in Europe. Anaheim earned a 2-1 shootout victory in Stockholm, Sweden, which was the start of a four game winning streak.
Meeting up with the Rangers in New York was deja vu for the Ducks, right down to the score of 2-1 in a shootout. The only problem was that this time the Rangers were the victorious ones, not the Ducks.
Stop me if you have heard this one before, but the Ducks got off to a slow start. Their top line looked out of synch.
New York, who did not insert a recently called up Sean Avery into their line up, scored first. Jeff Woywitka got a rare goal to put the Rangers on the board at 17:32 of the first period.
Things did not look good for the Ducks until the second period. Finally they woke up and figured out how to get a few shots on goal.
By the end of the second period, one of those shots finally went in the net behind Henrik Lundqvist. Bobby Ryan scored at 18:18, with assists to his linemates, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Maybe things would not end so poorly after all.
The Ducks controlled most of the third period, holding the Rangers to no shots on goal in the final 10 minutes of the game. However, nothing else found its way behind Lundqvist.
For the second game in a row, the Ducks headed to overtime. Unlike the loss to the Washington Capitals, which ended in the extra period, this one went on to the shootout.
Eric Christensen, who seems to merely be in the NHL for his shootout talents, got his shot past Jonas Hiller, the puck floating in under Hiller's left leg pad. Teemu Selanne tied it up in the second round by roofing the puck beautifully up and in the net. Marian Gaborik put his shot past Hiller, forcing Ryan to make his shot. He did not.
Game over.
"We found a way," said Rangers coach, John Tortorella. "We found a way to win it in the shootout and get two points.”
The Ducks continue to find ways to lose and have now lost seven of their past eight games and are 5-5-3 on the season. 13 points in 13 games. Translate that through the end of the year, and you won't see the playoffs with 82 points.
With only one more game left on this road trip, the chances of earning more points are not good. Playing Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings, at Joe Louis Arena, just increased the odds of the Ducks losing eight out of nine.
Why so negative? The last time the Ducks won in Detroit was....February 2008. Historically, the Ducks are 3-24-7 at Joe Louis. That is in nearly 20 years of doing business. It is not negative, merely pragmatic and realistic.
Then again, it had been a few years since the Ducks had won in Minnesota, and that did happen on this road trip. Stranger things have happened. But the odds are exceedingly grim.
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Meeting up with the Rangers in New York was deja vu for the Ducks, right down to the score of 2-1 in a shootout. The only problem was that this time the Rangers were the victorious ones, not the Ducks.
Stop me if you have heard this one before, but the Ducks got off to a slow start. Their top line looked out of synch.
New York, who did not insert a recently called up Sean Avery into their line up, scored first. Jeff Woywitka got a rare goal to put the Rangers on the board at 17:32 of the first period.
Things did not look good for the Ducks until the second period. Finally they woke up and figured out how to get a few shots on goal.
By the end of the second period, one of those shots finally went in the net behind Henrik Lundqvist. Bobby Ryan scored at 18:18, with assists to his linemates, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Maybe things would not end so poorly after all.
The Ducks controlled most of the third period, holding the Rangers to no shots on goal in the final 10 minutes of the game. However, nothing else found its way behind Lundqvist.
For the second game in a row, the Ducks headed to overtime. Unlike the loss to the Washington Capitals, which ended in the extra period, this one went on to the shootout.
Eric Christensen, who seems to merely be in the NHL for his shootout talents, got his shot past Jonas Hiller, the puck floating in under Hiller's left leg pad. Teemu Selanne tied it up in the second round by roofing the puck beautifully up and in the net. Marian Gaborik put his shot past Hiller, forcing Ryan to make his shot. He did not.
Game over.
"We found a way," said Rangers coach, John Tortorella. "We found a way to win it in the shootout and get two points.”
The Ducks continue to find ways to lose and have now lost seven of their past eight games and are 5-5-3 on the season. 13 points in 13 games. Translate that through the end of the year, and you won't see the playoffs with 82 points.
With only one more game left on this road trip, the chances of earning more points are not good. Playing Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings, at Joe Louis Arena, just increased the odds of the Ducks losing eight out of nine.
Why so negative? The last time the Ducks won in Detroit was....February 2008. Historically, the Ducks are 3-24-7 at Joe Louis. That is in nearly 20 years of doing business. It is not negative, merely pragmatic and realistic.
Then again, it had been a few years since the Ducks had won in Minnesota, and that did happen on this road trip. Stranger things have happened. But the odds are exceedingly grim.
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Things started off well for the Ducks, but boy did they take a wrong turn by the end of the game! Instead of two points and a win on the road, the Ducks had to settle for one point in the 5-4 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals.
Rather than their usual sluggish behavior on the ice, Anaheim came out with energy and a spring to their step. After losing two in a row, they needed to turn things around and for the first half of the game, things looked promising.
Saku Koivu got the ball rolling with his first goal of the year at 9:05 of the opening frame. Teemu Selanne, who assisted on Koivu's goal, made it 2-0 at 13:39 with a beautiful little tap in from Koivu. He nearly made it 3-0 before the end of the period, but Tomas Vokoun was able to get a small piece of it and deflect it away from the net.
Selanne did capitalize on his next chance at 8:59 of the middle period. Goals number 641 and 642 for a guy who plays like someone half his age. That puts him in 13th place overall. Next guy in sight? Jaromir Jagr, who currently has 651 goals. Jagr, who is two years younger than Selanne at 39, seems motivated to remain the all-time scoring European. Won't this be a fun season to watch Selanne and Jagr duke it out?
The problem was that after going up 3-0, the Ducks started to sit back a little. You cannot do that against any team, but especially not the Washington Capitals.
The Capitals took advantage and quickly scored two goals. Joel Ward got them on the board at 13:23 and Dennis Wideman brought them within one at 16:33.
Coach Randy Carlyle wisely took a time out to settle his team down and perhaps get out a cattle prod to put a little life back into them. It worked.
The Ducks dominated the rest of the second period but could not sustain it for the remainder of the game.
Corey Perry gave the Ducks breathing room with a power play goal at 9:13 of the third period. Selanne assisted. Naturally. Selanne's four point night was historical in that he was the first 41 year old player to have a 4 point game since 1972. That is the year that Jagr was born.
Andrew Cogliano, who was inserted on the second line with Koivu and Selanne, could do nothing but marvel at Selanne.
"I can't really explain," Cogliano said. "He's just impressive. I think that's the word. It seems like now you know why he's a future Hall of Famer. He scores so many goals, I think the puck just finds him. He thinks the game better than anyone out there."
If Selanne is "slowing down" with age, you certainly cannot tell.
However, instead of a feel good Selanne focus, the Capitals stole the spotlight back.
The Capitals rallied back and came within a goal thanks to Troy Brouwer at 11:42. The Ducks were trying to hold on, but Nicklas Backstrom became the hero by tying up the game at 19:18 with Vokoun pulled for the extra attacker.
It would not have been as bad if the Ducks had held on to win in overtime or a shootout, but the Capitals added insult to injury with an overtime goal from Backstrom 2:18 into the extra period.
Game over.
"How we could give up the opportunity to [get] the extra point," Carlyle wondered after the game. "We had played so well earlier in the game and then we started to self-destruct. They're an offensive team that pounced on their chances, put pressure on us and we didn't react very well."
Perry summed it up best.
"It was tough to swallow."
The Ducks have to swallow their pride and take the bitter pill of yet another road loss as they now head to New York to meet up with the Rangers for the second time this season. The first instance was in Sweden, where the Ducks won in a shootout. This time, they will be in New York and Sean Avery will be in the line-up to annoy, vex and harass the Ducks and try to get them off their game. It is what he excels at.
Anaheim will need to remain focused for a full 60 minutes and do the things right that they did in the first half of the game against the Capitals. If they can maintain that for the entire game (not just most of it), they have a much better chance of getting another notch in the win column.
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Rather than their usual sluggish behavior on the ice, Anaheim came out with energy and a spring to their step. After losing two in a row, they needed to turn things around and for the first half of the game, things looked promising.
Saku Koivu got the ball rolling with his first goal of the year at 9:05 of the opening frame. Teemu Selanne, who assisted on Koivu's goal, made it 2-0 at 13:39 with a beautiful little tap in from Koivu. He nearly made it 3-0 before the end of the period, but Tomas Vokoun was able to get a small piece of it and deflect it away from the net.
Selanne did capitalize on his next chance at 8:59 of the middle period. Goals number 641 and 642 for a guy who plays like someone half his age. That puts him in 13th place overall. Next guy in sight? Jaromir Jagr, who currently has 651 goals. Jagr, who is two years younger than Selanne at 39, seems motivated to remain the all-time scoring European. Won't this be a fun season to watch Selanne and Jagr duke it out?
The problem was that after going up 3-0, the Ducks started to sit back a little. You cannot do that against any team, but especially not the Washington Capitals.
The Capitals took advantage and quickly scored two goals. Joel Ward got them on the board at 13:23 and Dennis Wideman brought them within one at 16:33.
Coach Randy Carlyle wisely took a time out to settle his team down and perhaps get out a cattle prod to put a little life back into them. It worked.
The Ducks dominated the rest of the second period but could not sustain it for the remainder of the game.
Corey Perry gave the Ducks breathing room with a power play goal at 9:13 of the third period. Selanne assisted. Naturally. Selanne's four point night was historical in that he was the first 41 year old player to have a 4 point game since 1972. That is the year that Jagr was born.
Andrew Cogliano, who was inserted on the second line with Koivu and Selanne, could do nothing but marvel at Selanne.
"I can't really explain," Cogliano said. "He's just impressive. I think that's the word. It seems like now you know why he's a future Hall of Famer. He scores so many goals, I think the puck just finds him. He thinks the game better than anyone out there."
If Selanne is "slowing down" with age, you certainly cannot tell.
However, instead of a feel good Selanne focus, the Capitals stole the spotlight back.
The Capitals rallied back and came within a goal thanks to Troy Brouwer at 11:42. The Ducks were trying to hold on, but Nicklas Backstrom became the hero by tying up the game at 19:18 with Vokoun pulled for the extra attacker.
It would not have been as bad if the Ducks had held on to win in overtime or a shootout, but the Capitals added insult to injury with an overtime goal from Backstrom 2:18 into the extra period.
Game over.
"How we could give up the opportunity to [get] the extra point," Carlyle wondered after the game. "We had played so well earlier in the game and then we started to self-destruct. They're an offensive team that pounced on their chances, put pressure on us and we didn't react very well."
Perry summed it up best.
"It was tough to swallow."
The Ducks have to swallow their pride and take the bitter pill of yet another road loss as they now head to New York to meet up with the Rangers for the second time this season. The first instance was in Sweden, where the Ducks won in a shootout. This time, they will be in New York and Sean Avery will be in the line-up to annoy, vex and harass the Ducks and try to get them off their game. It is what he excels at.
Anaheim will need to remain focused for a full 60 minutes and do the things right that they did in the first half of the game against the Capitals. If they can maintain that for the entire game (not just most of it), they have a much better chance of getting another notch in the win column.
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J.F. Jacques has finally served all five games of his suspension that was handed down in the pre-season. Of course most of the time was spent in airports between Syracuse and whereever the Ducks were playing on the road. Having completed the required games, Jacques was then sent on yet another airplane back to Syracuse. Again.
Next summer he should be able to fly anywhere in the world for free on a vacation. But will he want to?
Passing each other in the airwaves, Nick Bonino has gotten the call up to Anaheim (or more specifically, Washington, D.C., where they play on Tuesday night).
Considering how horribly the Ducks have been playing of late, they could use a little infusion of youthful enthusiasm. Bonino, 23, has scored a team-leading 2 goals and 11 points in nine games with Syracuse this season. At the time of his recall, Bonino was tied for fourth among AHL leaders in assists and second on the Crunch in points-per-game (1.22).
The Ducks have three more road games before returning home on Sunday. They must play the Washington Capitals (who are having an awesome season), the New York Rangers (whom they defeated in Stockholm in a shootout), and the Detroit Red Wings (when is the last time the Ducks won at Joe Louis in a non-playoff game?).
It does not get any easier for the Ducks and they need to figure things out now. Not in a month. Not in March. Now.
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Next summer he should be able to fly anywhere in the world for free on a vacation. But will he want to?
Passing each other in the airwaves, Nick Bonino has gotten the call up to Anaheim (or more specifically, Washington, D.C., where they play on Tuesday night).
Considering how horribly the Ducks have been playing of late, they could use a little infusion of youthful enthusiasm. Bonino, 23, has scored a team-leading 2 goals and 11 points in nine games with Syracuse this season. At the time of his recall, Bonino was tied for fourth among AHL leaders in assists and second on the Crunch in points-per-game (1.22).
The Ducks have three more road games before returning home on Sunday. They must play the Washington Capitals (who are having an awesome season), the New York Rangers (whom they defeated in Stockholm in a shootout), and the Detroit Red Wings (when is the last time the Ducks won at Joe Louis in a non-playoff game?).
It does not get any easier for the Ducks and they need to figure things out now. Not in a month. Not in March. Now.
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Tomorrow is Halloween, but the Ducks got an early trick from the Columbus Blue Jackets, who handed Anaheim their second loss in a row on the road.
The Blue Jackets, on the other hand, got a real treat in what was their second win of the season, a 3-1 victory.
You just knew that a team that was 1-9-1 on the season was going to be trouble for Anaheim. After all, Anaheim once handed the Toronto Maple Leafs their first victory a month into their season. Why not be generous to the Blue Jackets as well, giving them victory #2 on their season?
Ugh.
At least the Ducks played better than they did the night before against Nashville. And they were not shut out.
After that, there is not much to praise.
The Ducks did not give up a goal within the first minute of the game. That was progress. They did give up a 5 on 3 power play at 1:36, however. Both Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne found themselves in the penalty box and the Blue Jackets took advantage. Rick Nash scored at 2:23 and the Ducks found themselves behind once again.
Bobby Ryan tied up the game at 8:24 of the first period. He was the only player successful in getting the puck behind Steve Mason, who has struggled this year. Of course he did not struggle against the Ducks. In fact, Mason made a couple of spectacular saves during one power play in the second period that likely made the difference between a win or a loss for the Blue Jackets.
Columbus took the lead once more with a goal from youngster Ryan Johansen at 1:57 of the second. Johansen is at the nine game look-see mark for the Blue Jackets, who have to decide whether to keep him or send him back to juniors. Having the game winner seems a good case for him staying.
Fedor Tyutin got the insurance marker at 12:52 of the second period and Anaheim never got any closer.
It was not for lack of trying, but Mason refused to let anything past.
Dan Ellis, who got a rare start for the Ducks, did not get enough support from his teammates to be able to do an effective job. Allowing point blank shots in front of the net usually is leaving your goaltender hanging high and dry.
Is it November yet?
Or should I say Movember?
The Ducks will be shaving their faces clean tomorrow evening in Washington, D.C., in anticipation of playing the Capitals on Tuesday evening. Chances are good that the Capitals, who are off to a strong start, are going to have fun trying to dominate the clean-shaven Duckies.
While it is certain that by the end of the road trip George Parros will have hair residing on his upper lip once again, and Corey Perry will have nothing but peach fuzz, it is not nearly as certain if the Ducks will have more points in their standings.
Maybe when the calendar turns, so will the Ducks fortunes on the road.
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The Blue Jackets, on the other hand, got a real treat in what was their second win of the season, a 3-1 victory.
You just knew that a team that was 1-9-1 on the season was going to be trouble for Anaheim. After all, Anaheim once handed the Toronto Maple Leafs their first victory a month into their season. Why not be generous to the Blue Jackets as well, giving them victory #2 on their season?
Ugh.
At least the Ducks played better than they did the night before against Nashville. And they were not shut out.
After that, there is not much to praise.
The Ducks did not give up a goal within the first minute of the game. That was progress. They did give up a 5 on 3 power play at 1:36, however. Both Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne found themselves in the penalty box and the Blue Jackets took advantage. Rick Nash scored at 2:23 and the Ducks found themselves behind once again.
Bobby Ryan tied up the game at 8:24 of the first period. He was the only player successful in getting the puck behind Steve Mason, who has struggled this year. Of course he did not struggle against the Ducks. In fact, Mason made a couple of spectacular saves during one power play in the second period that likely made the difference between a win or a loss for the Blue Jackets.
Columbus took the lead once more with a goal from youngster Ryan Johansen at 1:57 of the second. Johansen is at the nine game look-see mark for the Blue Jackets, who have to decide whether to keep him or send him back to juniors. Having the game winner seems a good case for him staying.
Fedor Tyutin got the insurance marker at 12:52 of the second period and Anaheim never got any closer.
It was not for lack of trying, but Mason refused to let anything past.
Dan Ellis, who got a rare start for the Ducks, did not get enough support from his teammates to be able to do an effective job. Allowing point blank shots in front of the net usually is leaving your goaltender hanging high and dry.
Is it November yet?
Or should I say Movember?
The Ducks will be shaving their faces clean tomorrow evening in Washington, D.C., in anticipation of playing the Capitals on Tuesday evening. Chances are good that the Capitals, who are off to a strong start, are going to have fun trying to dominate the clean-shaven Duckies.
While it is certain that by the end of the road trip George Parros will have hair residing on his upper lip once again, and Corey Perry will have nothing but peach fuzz, it is not nearly as certain if the Ducks will have more points in their standings.
Maybe when the calendar turns, so will the Ducks fortunes on the road.
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It was supposed to be a chance for redemption. Instead, a rematch of the first round playoff series between the Anaheim Ducks and the Nashville Predators ended up the same way it did last spring. The Predators came out on top.
Right from the first puck drop, the Predators came at the Ducks with a vengeance. When they scored on the very first shift, just :14 seconds in, you knew it was going to be a long night.
Patric Hornqvist got the first goal, building on his reputation as a Ducks killer. Hornqvist, who has struggled this season, had no struggles this evening and probably wishes that they could play Anaheim every night.
Anaheim is probably grateful they only meet three more times this year.
Nashville made it 2-0 to make a nice neat bookend to the first period with a goal from Martin Erat at 18:59, his first of the year.
In between, the Ducks did not do much of anything exciting, with the exception being Francois Beauchemin's mid ice hit on Mike Fisher. Fisher, also known as Mr. Underwood, was left dazed and confused and not nearly as healthy as when he started the game. When he finally left the ice, he did not come back and it was announced that he had the clear and concise "upper body injury" ailment that plagues so many players.
Kevin Klein took exception to the hit and got a double major for roughing. Beauchemin got a penalty for roughing, as well as an "illegal check to the head."
Sheriff Brendan Shanahan will definitely be reviewing the play. Given his proclivities towards justice, the chances are pretty decent that Beauchemin might get to take a seat beyond the penalty box to pay for his sins. If so, he will have some company with J.F. Jacques, who was recalled once again to take care of game four of his five-game suspension, handed down by the same said sheriff during the pre-season.
The Ducks played much better in the second period, but nothing was getting past Pekke Rinne. The power play that served Anaheim so well in their last game against the Wild was apparently left behind in Minnesota.
Nashville was happy to convert on an early power play in the third period, though. Shea Weber made it 3-0 at 2:14, pretty much sealing the win for the Predators, who were consistent all night long.
The Ducks were consistently impotent against Nashville, yielding the shut out to Rinne and tucking their tails between their legs on the way to Columbus, where they get to see if they can get a different result in the second of back to back games.
Fortunately, the Ducks will be able to quickly put this game behind them and move on. Columbus has one win thus far out of 11 games. The Ducks need to make sure they do not take them for granted and bring their "A" game. The one they should have brought against Nashville.
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Right from the first puck drop, the Predators came at the Ducks with a vengeance. When they scored on the very first shift, just :14 seconds in, you knew it was going to be a long night.
Patric Hornqvist got the first goal, building on his reputation as a Ducks killer. Hornqvist, who has struggled this season, had no struggles this evening and probably wishes that they could play Anaheim every night.
Anaheim is probably grateful they only meet three more times this year.
Nashville made it 2-0 to make a nice neat bookend to the first period with a goal from Martin Erat at 18:59, his first of the year.
In between, the Ducks did not do much of anything exciting, with the exception being Francois Beauchemin's mid ice hit on Mike Fisher. Fisher, also known as Mr. Underwood, was left dazed and confused and not nearly as healthy as when he started the game. When he finally left the ice, he did not come back and it was announced that he had the clear and concise "upper body injury" ailment that plagues so many players.
Kevin Klein took exception to the hit and got a double major for roughing. Beauchemin got a penalty for roughing, as well as an "illegal check to the head."
Sheriff Brendan Shanahan will definitely be reviewing the play. Given his proclivities towards justice, the chances are pretty decent that Beauchemin might get to take a seat beyond the penalty box to pay for his sins. If so, he will have some company with J.F. Jacques, who was recalled once again to take care of game four of his five-game suspension, handed down by the same said sheriff during the pre-season.
The Ducks played much better in the second period, but nothing was getting past Pekke Rinne. The power play that served Anaheim so well in their last game against the Wild was apparently left behind in Minnesota.
Nashville was happy to convert on an early power play in the third period, though. Shea Weber made it 3-0 at 2:14, pretty much sealing the win for the Predators, who were consistent all night long.
The Ducks were consistently impotent against Nashville, yielding the shut out to Rinne and tucking their tails between their legs on the way to Columbus, where they get to see if they can get a different result in the second of back to back games.
Fortunately, the Ducks will be able to quickly put this game behind them and move on. Columbus has one win thus far out of 11 games. The Ducks need to make sure they do not take them for granted and bring their "A" game. The one they should have brought against Nashville.
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While you need depth to make it through a long season, you also need your top guys to perform like your top guys. The Ducks got their money's worth from their top forwards in a 3-2 win against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.
The win, which gave the Ducks three out of four points on their road trip thus far, came in a building they have had difficulties in. While not quite as bad as the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, it had still been nearly two years since they had a win in Minnesota.
Figuring out their power play certainly helped.
Their first goal came at 8:47 of the first period, with Corey Perry putting the puck behind Niklas Backstrom on their very first power play opportunity.
"We scored," said Perry. "It is improving, but we still have some work to do. We were moving it crisply. We were snapping it around. We worked on that in practice -- everybody touching the puck, everybody moving around and playing different positions. Anybody can play anywhere, and it is that complete level to create the second chances. I thought we did a good job of that tonight."
Minnesota nearly tied up the game, just seconds before the period ended, but Jonas Hiller was able to deflect the shot off his shoulder and it narrowly veered away from the net.
Early in the second period, Minnesota nearly helped the Ducks go ahead by two. Jared Spurgeon almost put the puck in his own net, but Backstrom was alert and made a nice stop.
The Ducks were able to get their second goal on their own thanks to Bobby Ryan at 7:01. Teemu Selanne got the assist, as he did with all three Ducks goals.
By the end of the second period, Spurgeon figured out which net was his and he brought the Wild back within one goal at 13:07. As in the first period, they nearly tied up the game in the waning seconds of the period, but close only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes.
The Ducks quickly took back a two goal lead in the third period, wasting no time on the power play. The player was in the penalty box and :18 seconds later, the puck was in the Minnesota net. Ryan Getzlaf made an easy tap in of Selanne's shot at 3:58. It would turn out to be the game winner.
"Teemu's been doing the same things for a lot of years, and luckily we've been together for a long time," Getzlaf stated. "We kind of have that awareness with each other about where we're going to be and those things help a lot when you're out there on the power play."
Selanne looks like he could be doing it for a lot more years, too, despite his birth certificate claiming that he is 41.
Matt Cullen, a former Duck and Minnesota native, tipped in Mikko Koivu's shot on the power play at 13:54 to make things nervewracking for the final minutes of the game. Two successive Minnesota penalties slowed down their efforts and ability to tie up the game.
The Ducks and Hiller hung on for the regulation win and now head off to Nashville for a rematch of the playoffs this past spring and hopefully two more points.
IN OTHER NOTES: Devante Smith-Pelly spent the second game in a row as a scratch due to the stomach flu. Both Patrick Maroon and J.F. Jacques were sent back to Syracuse to play in Friday evening's game there. It is highly likely that Saturday morning they will get on yet another plane and return to the Ducks for the back to back games against Nashville and Columbus. Those two games will be the final games of Jacques NHL suspension.
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The win, which gave the Ducks three out of four points on their road trip thus far, came in a building they have had difficulties in. While not quite as bad as the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, it had still been nearly two years since they had a win in Minnesota.
Figuring out their power play certainly helped.
Their first goal came at 8:47 of the first period, with Corey Perry putting the puck behind Niklas Backstrom on their very first power play opportunity.
"We scored," said Perry. "It is improving, but we still have some work to do. We were moving it crisply. We were snapping it around. We worked on that in practice -- everybody touching the puck, everybody moving around and playing different positions. Anybody can play anywhere, and it is that complete level to create the second chances. I thought we did a good job of that tonight."
Minnesota nearly tied up the game, just seconds before the period ended, but Jonas Hiller was able to deflect the shot off his shoulder and it narrowly veered away from the net.
Early in the second period, Minnesota nearly helped the Ducks go ahead by two. Jared Spurgeon almost put the puck in his own net, but Backstrom was alert and made a nice stop.
The Ducks were able to get their second goal on their own thanks to Bobby Ryan at 7:01. Teemu Selanne got the assist, as he did with all three Ducks goals.
By the end of the second period, Spurgeon figured out which net was his and he brought the Wild back within one goal at 13:07. As in the first period, they nearly tied up the game in the waning seconds of the period, but close only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes.
The Ducks quickly took back a two goal lead in the third period, wasting no time on the power play. The player was in the penalty box and :18 seconds later, the puck was in the Minnesota net. Ryan Getzlaf made an easy tap in of Selanne's shot at 3:58. It would turn out to be the game winner.
"Teemu's been doing the same things for a lot of years, and luckily we've been together for a long time," Getzlaf stated. "We kind of have that awareness with each other about where we're going to be and those things help a lot when you're out there on the power play."
Selanne looks like he could be doing it for a lot more years, too, despite his birth certificate claiming that he is 41.
Matt Cullen, a former Duck and Minnesota native, tipped in Mikko Koivu's shot on the power play at 13:54 to make things nervewracking for the final minutes of the game. Two successive Minnesota penalties slowed down their efforts and ability to tie up the game.
The Ducks and Hiller hung on for the regulation win and now head off to Nashville for a rematch of the playoffs this past spring and hopefully two more points.
IN OTHER NOTES: Devante Smith-Pelly spent the second game in a row as a scratch due to the stomach flu. Both Patrick Maroon and J.F. Jacques were sent back to Syracuse to play in Friday evening's game there. It is highly likely that Saturday morning they will get on yet another plane and return to the Ducks for the back to back games against Nashville and Columbus. Those two games will be the final games of Jacques NHL suspension.
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He's up. He's down. He's up again. No, wait, he's down.
Such is the life of J. F. Jacques these days.
After being handed a five game suspension in the pre-season, the Ducks handed Jacques his first plane ticket to Syracuse, where he has spent the past month.
However, the Ducks are now playing yo-yo with Jacques in a clever way of burning off the NHL suspension while giving him playing time in the AHL.
Jacques was recalled to Anaheim early Sunday morning, which meant that game one of the suspension was served that evening. Game two was served when the Ducks played Chicago on Tuesday.
Did you check the Crunch schedule?
Jacques was then sent back to Syracuse, where he played on Wednesday night. He scored twice in the 7-0 victory.
Did you check the Ducks schedule? Guess who has been recalled, again?
Jacques will serve game three of his suspension with the Ducks while they play Minnesota this evening.
He better not unpack his carry-on bag, because the chances are real good he will be back in Syracuse playing again before rejoining the Ducks on their seven game road trip to finish off the suspension. At least the mileage is less between Syracuse and the midwest, but if he does not know the airport personnel and flight attendants by now, he sure will when he is finished!
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Such is the life of J. F. Jacques these days.
After being handed a five game suspension in the pre-season, the Ducks handed Jacques his first plane ticket to Syracuse, where he has spent the past month.
However, the Ducks are now playing yo-yo with Jacques in a clever way of burning off the NHL suspension while giving him playing time in the AHL.
Jacques was recalled to Anaheim early Sunday morning, which meant that game one of the suspension was served that evening. Game two was served when the Ducks played Chicago on Tuesday.
Did you check the Crunch schedule?
Jacques was then sent back to Syracuse, where he played on Wednesday night. He scored twice in the 7-0 victory.
Did you check the Ducks schedule? Guess who has been recalled, again?
Jacques will serve game three of his suspension with the Ducks while they play Minnesota this evening.
He better not unpack his carry-on bag, because the chances are real good he will be back in Syracuse playing again before rejoining the Ducks on their seven game road trip to finish off the suspension. At least the mileage is less between Syracuse and the midwest, but if he does not know the airport personnel and flight attendants by now, he sure will when he is finished!
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Two bad losses and the Ducks needed a road trip to turn things around. OK, the ship is still not straight, but it is veering closer to the right direction after a 3-2 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Gaining a point in the loss was certainly a vast improvement over zero points and pulling Jonas Hiller from net because he looked, to be quite honest, awful.
Some morning discussions with coach Randy Carlyle with both the defense and the forwards, maybe helped shed some light on the situation for everyone involved. The efforts on Tuesday night while not stellar, were clearly a positive step for Anaheim.
Hiller rebounded in net, even though there was a question if Dan Ellis would start the road trip in goal. His calm, steadying efforts in the 5-4 loss to Phoenix on Sunday certainly boosted his stock with the team. Instead, Carlyle went with Hiller, giving him a chance to redeem himself.
He did, with a 33 save performance, at least two of which made the difference in the Ducks gaining a point or going goose egg for three in a row.
The Ducks got a rare power play goal from Ryan Getzlaf at :58 seconds of the second period. Getzlaf, who seems to prefer to pass rather than shoot, has taken a new approach lately. Shoot it. It seems to be working, as he has three goals in the past two games.
The Blackhawks, who were one of the least penalized teams in the NHL, gave the Ducks plenty of power play opportunities, but that was the only one that Anaheim could convert on. Perhaps Chicago saw their power play statistics (11.4%, 25th in the league) and figured if they were going to take penalties, this was the game to do it.
While the Blackhawks did not have to worry too much about being down a man, neither did the Ducks, whose penalty killing has been very good at 90.6%, 6th overall.
Although the Ducks took the lead, Marian Hossa continued his hot streak and got his fifth of the year at 10:16 to even things up. Patrick Kane made an amazing spinning move to pass the puck, while being draped with a Ducks defenseman. Kane still got the puck to Hossa, who merely had to tip it in the net.
Ageless wonder, Teemu Selanne, gave the Ducks the lead once more with a classic move at 16:22. You knew it was going in the net behind Corey Crawford. Crawford probably knew it was going in the net. #640 of Selanne's career and it was a beauty.
Patrick Sharp tied up the game at 5:57 of the third period and the Blackhawks did their best to win things in regulation. Point blank spectacular saves on Michael Frolik and Hossa kept the Ducks in the game. Hossa once more gave Ducks fans a heart attack as his shot hit the post behind Hiller with just :01 second left in regulation.
The Ducks have fared well in shootouts, but Crawford bested Hiller in this one, stopping Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Only Selanne got his shot through. Hiller could not stop Jonathan Toews, and Kane's shot went right through the five hole to give Chicago the extra point and bragging rights.
Carlyle was unable to win game #500 of his coaching career with Anaheim, which also began in Chicago.
Next stop for the Ducks - Minnesota on Thursday.
In other notes: Patrick Maroon played in his first NHL game alongside Perry and Getzlaf on the top line. Devante Smith-Pelly was scratched with the flu.
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Some morning discussions with coach Randy Carlyle with both the defense and the forwards, maybe helped shed some light on the situation for everyone involved. The efforts on Tuesday night while not stellar, were clearly a positive step for Anaheim.
Hiller rebounded in net, even though there was a question if Dan Ellis would start the road trip in goal. His calm, steadying efforts in the 5-4 loss to Phoenix on Sunday certainly boosted his stock with the team. Instead, Carlyle went with Hiller, giving him a chance to redeem himself.
He did, with a 33 save performance, at least two of which made the difference in the Ducks gaining a point or going goose egg for three in a row.
The Ducks got a rare power play goal from Ryan Getzlaf at :58 seconds of the second period. Getzlaf, who seems to prefer to pass rather than shoot, has taken a new approach lately. Shoot it. It seems to be working, as he has three goals in the past two games.
The Blackhawks, who were one of the least penalized teams in the NHL, gave the Ducks plenty of power play opportunities, but that was the only one that Anaheim could convert on. Perhaps Chicago saw their power play statistics (11.4%, 25th in the league) and figured if they were going to take penalties, this was the game to do it.
While the Blackhawks did not have to worry too much about being down a man, neither did the Ducks, whose penalty killing has been very good at 90.6%, 6th overall.
Although the Ducks took the lead, Marian Hossa continued his hot streak and got his fifth of the year at 10:16 to even things up. Patrick Kane made an amazing spinning move to pass the puck, while being draped with a Ducks defenseman. Kane still got the puck to Hossa, who merely had to tip it in the net.
Ageless wonder, Teemu Selanne, gave the Ducks the lead once more with a classic move at 16:22. You knew it was going in the net behind Corey Crawford. Crawford probably knew it was going in the net. #640 of Selanne's career and it was a beauty.
Patrick Sharp tied up the game at 5:57 of the third period and the Blackhawks did their best to win things in regulation. Point blank spectacular saves on Michael Frolik and Hossa kept the Ducks in the game. Hossa once more gave Ducks fans a heart attack as his shot hit the post behind Hiller with just :01 second left in regulation.
The Ducks have fared well in shootouts, but Crawford bested Hiller in this one, stopping Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Only Selanne got his shot through. Hiller could not stop Jonathan Toews, and Kane's shot went right through the five hole to give Chicago the extra point and bragging rights.
Carlyle was unable to win game #500 of his coaching career with Anaheim, which also began in Chicago.
Next stop for the Ducks - Minnesota on Thursday.
In other notes: Patrick Maroon played in his first NHL game alongside Perry and Getzlaf on the top line. Devante Smith-Pelly was scratched with the flu.
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The last time Patrick Maroon was recalled to Anaheim, he did not see any playing time. This time, he is likely to be on the ice and in the line up while the Ducks are on a seven game road trip.
Maroon joined the Ducks in Chicago and practiced with the team on Monday. Will he be on the ice for Tuesday night's game against the Blackhawks? Coach Randy Carlyle would neither confirm nor deny that possibility.
”We usually don’t bring a player up and not play him," said Carlyle. "Now is it tomorrow night? Well, maybe. He will see some action on the road trip.”
In other words, you will see him when you see him.
Will the same be said of Devante Smith-Pelly? Smith-Pelly, 19, has done very well with the Ducks this year and been a good fit on the third line with the Andrews - Cogliano and Gordon.
However, the Ducks have to make a decision about whether to keep him or send him back to his junior club in Missassauga of the OHL. Smith-Pelly is not old enough to be sent to Syracuse, as you have to be 20 years old by the end of the calendar year in order to play in the AHL. Smith-Pelly will not be 20 until next June.
If they send him back to juniors, he will be unavailable to the Ducks for the remainder of the season. If they keep him beyond the ten game look, Smith-Pelly's contract starts ticking for free agency.
"I don't know how close I am to being here full-time," said Smith-Pelly. "I'm just trying to make it hard on management to make a decision on me."
Thus far he has been successful.
Smith-Pelly, who was selected #42 in the second round of the 2010 Entry Draft, has merely built on what he started at last year's training camp with the Ducks, where he stayed much longer than expected. This year, he has not only stayed, but played during the regular season.
How much longer will he play remains to be seen, but Carlyle is not afraid of keeping younger players, free agency issues be damned. That was certainly seen last season when Cam Fowler made the club as an 18 year old rookie.
"I think there's a misconception that he has to go back," said Carlyle. "So there's always this barrier that's put on the 10-game mark to save the organization a year before free agency. Let's wipe that out. We try to do an analysis. Is he making a contribution to our group? He's been a steady player. He's had some up and downs. He's been in some situations where he does excel at if he stays on the body and plays that neat and tidy game."
Having players in the wings, like Maroon, waiting for a spot, will only serve to further motivate. For now, Smith-Pelly is here and game eight is tonight against the Blackhawks. Smith-Pelly's fate is in his own hands.
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Maroon joined the Ducks in Chicago and practiced with the team on Monday. Will he be on the ice for Tuesday night's game against the Blackhawks? Coach Randy Carlyle would neither confirm nor deny that possibility.
”We usually don’t bring a player up and not play him," said Carlyle. "Now is it tomorrow night? Well, maybe. He will see some action on the road trip.”
In other words, you will see him when you see him.
Will the same be said of Devante Smith-Pelly? Smith-Pelly, 19, has done very well with the Ducks this year and been a good fit on the third line with the Andrews - Cogliano and Gordon.
However, the Ducks have to make a decision about whether to keep him or send him back to his junior club in Missassauga of the OHL. Smith-Pelly is not old enough to be sent to Syracuse, as you have to be 20 years old by the end of the calendar year in order to play in the AHL. Smith-Pelly will not be 20 until next June.
If they send him back to juniors, he will be unavailable to the Ducks for the remainder of the season. If they keep him beyond the ten game look, Smith-Pelly's contract starts ticking for free agency.
"I don't know how close I am to being here full-time," said Smith-Pelly. "I'm just trying to make it hard on management to make a decision on me."
Thus far he has been successful.
Smith-Pelly, who was selected #42 in the second round of the 2010 Entry Draft, has merely built on what he started at last year's training camp with the Ducks, where he stayed much longer than expected. This year, he has not only stayed, but played during the regular season.
How much longer will he play remains to be seen, but Carlyle is not afraid of keeping younger players, free agency issues be damned. That was certainly seen last season when Cam Fowler made the club as an 18 year old rookie.
"I think there's a misconception that he has to go back," said Carlyle. "So there's always this barrier that's put on the 10-game mark to save the organization a year before free agency. Let's wipe that out. We try to do an analysis. Is he making a contribution to our group? He's been a steady player. He's had some up and downs. He's been in some situations where he does excel at if he stays on the body and plays that neat and tidy game."
Having players in the wings, like Maroon, waiting for a spot, will only serve to further motivate. For now, Smith-Pelly is here and game eight is tonight against the Blackhawks. Smith-Pelly's fate is in his own hands.
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Anaheim was looking to redeem themselves for a pretty pathetic effort on Friday night against the Stars. An opportunity against the Phoenix Coyotes seemed just what the doctor ordered. Right? Wrong. The team swallowing the bitter pills was Anaheim in a 5-4 defeat giving them two losses in a row.
The Ducks were not horrible. But the Ducks were not good when they needed to be and certainly were not good enough in too many situations.
As was the case on Friday evening, the opponents scored first. Martin Hanzal got his first of two goals at 4:41 of the first period. The Ducks nearly tied up the game on the next shift, a good sign of response, but Mike Smith was solid in net for the Coyotes.
Lubomir Visnovsky did tie up the game at 8:21 with a great shot from the blue line. Even better, the Ducks took their first lead with a goal from Ryan Getzlaf at 14:02, his first of the year. Getzlaf tipped in Teemu Selanne's shot, giving Ducks fans something to cheer about.
It did not last long.
Hanzal got goal #2 just :42 seconds later, a shot that hit Jonas Hiller in the blocker and kept on going through to the back of the net.
Going into the second period tied 2-2 did not seem a bad thing. Then things went to hell in a handbasket real fast.
In a span of 3:09, the Coyotes got goals from Boyd Gordon, Lauri Korpikoski and Keith Yandle. Bim, bam, boom. Bye bye Hiller. Hello Dan Ellis.
"It’s easy to sit and criticize the goalie because he is the last line of defense, but there were a lot of things happening in front of him," said coach Randy Carlyle. "They were shooting the pucks from some areas where they should not have been unchecked. Jonas has been a stalwart for this hockey club and probably our MVP in a lot of games. It’s hard to point the finger, but I’m sure he’d like to have some of them back."
Even one of them back would have helped.
Being down 5-2, not even eight minutes into the middle frame, certainly sucked the life out the announced crowd of 13,240 (likely 9,000 - 10,000 in actual attendance).
Luca Sbisa, not known for dropping the gloves, decided to get a little energy going for his team and the fans and took on Raffi Torres in a bout that saw a lot of punches connecting on both sides of the battle. Sbisa got the take down and the Ducks took the energy infusion.
Kurtis Foster, playing in his first game for the Ducks, since the pre-season Jokerit game, got his first goal as a Duck at 13:31. After a power play had just expired, Foster was alone at the blue line and seemed to be looking where to pass the puck. Rather than pass, he made the right decision to shoot and it went up and over the traffic in front of the net.
The Ducks continued to get chances in the third period and Ellis held fast and calm in net, continuing to give Anaheim a chance to climb back into it.
With an empty net and a renewed determination, the Ducks gave it their all in the final minutes of the game. Getzlaf got his second of the game at 19:52 to bring the Ducks within a goal of sending things to overtime.
Eight seconds was not enough to strike again.
"When you look back on it, the flurry of goals in the second period sunk our hockey club," Carlyle observed. "I thought our team had its fair share of chances. We just didn’t execute to a level that was required and then we got frustrated."
So now the Ducks head out for a seven game road trip. More importantly, it is back to work and back to basics.
"(Monday's) going to be a work day for us," stated Getzlaf said. "We're going to skate when we get in there. Maybe that's what we need. Get out on the road again and get together as a group and fine-tune some of those things."
OK, how about a lot of those things? But even taking care of some of the Ducks' problems will certainly give them a better chance to win their next game. Baby steps.
They know they can do it. They've already put together a four game winning streak. Now to get back to the things that made them successful, rather than looking like the Keystone Cops play ice hockey, will help increase the number in the wins column.
Next chance - Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.
In other notes: Maxime Macenauer caught a puck in the face late in the second period. 12 stitches later (and again, thank goodness for a visor) Macenauer was back on the ice.
Also, J.F. Jacques was recalled early on Sunday morning from Syracuse. Jacques was sent to the AHL after being handed a five game suspension for stupidity on ice in a pre-season game against Vancouver. The game against Phoenix counted as game one of the suspension. He still has four more to go before he can play.
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The Ducks were not horrible. But the Ducks were not good when they needed to be and certainly were not good enough in too many situations.
As was the case on Friday evening, the opponents scored first. Martin Hanzal got his first of two goals at 4:41 of the first period. The Ducks nearly tied up the game on the next shift, a good sign of response, but Mike Smith was solid in net for the Coyotes.
Lubomir Visnovsky did tie up the game at 8:21 with a great shot from the blue line. Even better, the Ducks took their first lead with a goal from Ryan Getzlaf at 14:02, his first of the year. Getzlaf tipped in Teemu Selanne's shot, giving Ducks fans something to cheer about.
It did not last long.
Hanzal got goal #2 just :42 seconds later, a shot that hit Jonas Hiller in the blocker and kept on going through to the back of the net.
Going into the second period tied 2-2 did not seem a bad thing. Then things went to hell in a handbasket real fast.
In a span of 3:09, the Coyotes got goals from Boyd Gordon, Lauri Korpikoski and Keith Yandle. Bim, bam, boom. Bye bye Hiller. Hello Dan Ellis.
"It’s easy to sit and criticize the goalie because he is the last line of defense, but there were a lot of things happening in front of him," said coach Randy Carlyle. "They were shooting the pucks from some areas where they should not have been unchecked. Jonas has been a stalwart for this hockey club and probably our MVP in a lot of games. It’s hard to point the finger, but I’m sure he’d like to have some of them back."
Even one of them back would have helped.
Being down 5-2, not even eight minutes into the middle frame, certainly sucked the life out the announced crowd of 13,240 (likely 9,000 - 10,000 in actual attendance).
Luca Sbisa, not known for dropping the gloves, decided to get a little energy going for his team and the fans and took on Raffi Torres in a bout that saw a lot of punches connecting on both sides of the battle. Sbisa got the take down and the Ducks took the energy infusion.
Kurtis Foster, playing in his first game for the Ducks, since the pre-season Jokerit game, got his first goal as a Duck at 13:31. After a power play had just expired, Foster was alone at the blue line and seemed to be looking where to pass the puck. Rather than pass, he made the right decision to shoot and it went up and over the traffic in front of the net.
The Ducks continued to get chances in the third period and Ellis held fast and calm in net, continuing to give Anaheim a chance to climb back into it.
With an empty net and a renewed determination, the Ducks gave it their all in the final minutes of the game. Getzlaf got his second of the game at 19:52 to bring the Ducks within a goal of sending things to overtime.
Eight seconds was not enough to strike again.
"When you look back on it, the flurry of goals in the second period sunk our hockey club," Carlyle observed. "I thought our team had its fair share of chances. We just didn’t execute to a level that was required and then we got frustrated."
So now the Ducks head out for a seven game road trip. More importantly, it is back to work and back to basics.
"(Monday's) going to be a work day for us," stated Getzlaf said. "We're going to skate when we get in there. Maybe that's what we need. Get out on the road again and get together as a group and fine-tune some of those things."
OK, how about a lot of those things? But even taking care of some of the Ducks' problems will certainly give them a better chance to win their next game. Baby steps.
They know they can do it. They've already put together a four game winning streak. Now to get back to the things that made them successful, rather than looking like the Keystone Cops play ice hockey, will help increase the number in the wins column.
Next chance - Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.
In other notes: Maxime Macenauer caught a puck in the face late in the second period. 12 stitches later (and again, thank goodness for a visor) Macenauer was back on the ice.
Also, J.F. Jacques was recalled early on Sunday morning from Syracuse. Jacques was sent to the AHL after being handed a five game suspension for stupidity on ice in a pre-season game against Vancouver. The game against Phoenix counted as game one of the suspension. He still has four more to go before he can play.
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