It might have been the last remnants of my jet lag, but the game between the Ducks and Stars was so uninspiring, I nearly fell asleep during the third period.   I would not have missed much. 

The whole game was a snoozefest from start to finish.  Unless you are a Dallas fan.  In that case, things looked pretty good indeed.

Right from the get go you knew it was not going to go well for the Ducks, who were trying to extend a four game winning streak.  Just :13 seconds into the game error number one gave the Stars a 1-0 lead.  A simple dump in ended up banking itself off of Francois Beauchemin and in behind Jonas Hiller.  

It did not get any better.

"We've got to be ready to play," said Ducks captain, Ryan Getzlaf.  "We didn't do a very good job in our locker room to get ready and that's on us.  We came out pretty flat.  It just wasn't the (first) one.  You can't do that against a good hockey club.  That obviously cost us tonight."

Dallas is a good hockey club and they were more than happy to capitalize on any and all opportunities afforded to them by Anaheim.

"Turnover fest," was coach Randy Carlyle's description of the game. 

Mike Ribiero said "thank you very much" to one of those turnovers and made it 2-0 at 7:40 of the first period.  Ribiero is a Duck killer, with 10 goals and 39 points in 38 games against Anaheim.  Ouch.

The Ducks nearly got on the board in the second period with a power play goal.  Cam Fowler's shot went in the net.  Ducks started celebrating.  Refs said no way and waved off the goal, instead charging Corey Perry with goaltender interference.  Seeing as Perry did make contact with Kari Lehtonen's head, it was a good call. 

But it also sucked the life out of the Ducks.  Instead of being behind a goal, they were down a man and just could not recover from there.  Not that they were stellar at any point, but at least there was something positive to build on. 

Perry redeemed himself a bit with another power play goal that nearly was not a goal.  The clock read 0.1 seconds left in the second period.  One tenth of a second was all that separated a goal from not being a goal. 

In the third period, Loui Eriksson got goal number two of the game at 1:42, restoring the two goal lead, and Dallas never looked back. 

The Ducks should not look back at this stinker of a game either.  

They face another division foe, Phoenix, on Sunday, before heading out on the road on their first official road trip.  (Europe does not count).  In between, the Ducks get to meet their season ticket holders in the annual fan fest and hopefully apologize for what one can only hope will be an anomaly in an otherwise good season.

Dallas?  They get to see if they can make it six in a row against the Kings on Saturday evening.  Which team does one root for as a Ducks fan in this scenario?

In other notes:  George Parros made contact to the head of Krys Barch early in the second period.  Barch was clearly rattled and Parros seemed surprise at the severity of the collision.   No penalty was called, but that does not negate the possibility for further review by the NHL.
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October is Hockey Fights Cancer Month in the NHL.   Every team around the league has taken one game during the month to focus on fighting cancer.  The Ducks will have their night on Friday evening against the Dallas Stars. 

The Ducks have partnered with the Orange County/Inland Empire chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) to help raise awareness for LLS.   Both Saku Koivu and Jason Blake are leukemia and lymphoma survivors, so this really hits home for Anaheim. 

Lots of activities and opportunities for giving are planned by the organization.

The first 3,000 fans in attendance will receive lavender HFC awareness ribbons to show their support of the cause.

Coaches, management, broadcasters and staff will wear lavender HFC ties and ribbons. Lavender is the designated color for the HFC initiative.

Ducks player's hockey sticks will be wrapped in lavender tape during the pre-game warmup and in-game. These player used sticks will be available for purchase through the team's online auction following the game.  

 

Ducks players will wear lavender decals on their helmets.

Throughout the game (and the entire month of October), fans can text “HFC” to 90999 for a one-time $5 donation to LLS.

The silent auction, held every game, will have all proceeds donated to LLS.

Blake's wife, Sara, will sell “Wrap and Remember” bracelets for $45 (plus tax) at Section 212. A portion of each purchase will be donated to LLS.  The bracelet will come with a photo autographed by both Blake and Koivu. 

LLS representatives will be part in the in-game activities, such as the Zamboni rider, Honorary Duck, Honorary Power Player, Honorary Stick Boy and Honorary Broadcaster.

The team will recognize Daniel Wu , this year’s winner of the Community Hero Award. Wu began his involvement with LLS last year after his wife, Anita, lost her battle with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. He has raised more than $78,000 for the LLS “Man & Woman of the Year” campaign and was named “Man of the Year” for the Orange County/Inland Empire chapter.

Hockey Fights Cancer is a joint charitable initiative founded in December 1998 by the NHL and the National Hockey League Players’ Association. To date, the program has raised more than $12 million.

Mind you, there is also a game to be played, and it should be a good one.  The Ducks and Stars have a nice division rivalry and both teams have started off the season well. 

The Ducks are 4-1-0, having only lost the first game of the season.  It is their second best ever start and they want to keep the momentum going in the right direction.

The Stars are also on a four game winning streak and are 5-1-0 to start the season.  Like the Ducks, they are finding ways to win games.

“It will be a true test for us,” coach Randy Carlyle said. “Their hockey club is playing very well. The important thing for us is to play our style of hockey. Any time we play Dallas we know the games are intense. That physical aspect will be there. There have been some real tough games played in both rinks.   It’s a divisional game. These are four-point hockey games and big games within your conference. These are difference makers at the end of the year.”

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Even though Patrick Maroon was called up to Anaheim after Jason Blake had his forearm lacerated, he did not stay long.  Or even play a game.

Maroon was reassigned back to the Syracuse Crunch after the Ducks seemed apparently satisfied with Matt Beleskey's recovery from shoulder surgery.  Beleskey has been inserted into the line up for the past two games in Blake's absence. 

Defenseman Nate Guenin, who was a long shot to make the team but stuck around due to injuries to other d-men, was put on waivers, cleared and also sent to Syracuse. 

With Toni Lydman fully recovered from his shoulder surgery (much more intensive than Beleskey's), Guenin was odd man out.  Kurtis Foster also has recovered from surgery to remove a wire from his thigh.  The wire had been inserted after he broke his leg a couple years ago, but gave him trouble that prevented him from participating in training camp with Anaheim.

Foster is recovered and actually requested a conditioning assignment in Syracuse.  Now that Foster is near the end of that assignment, he appears ready to return to Anaheim and be inserted into the line-up for the first time since playing the pre-season game in Finland against Jokerit. 

And while we are on the subject of Syracuse, the Ducks minor league affiliate, we would be remiss without mentioning Kyle Palmieri.  Palmieri was named the AHL Player of the Week for Oct. 10-16 after collecting 4 goals and 2 assists with a +5 rating in two games.  Palmieri won the same award twice as a rookie last season before making his debut in an Anaheim Ducks sweater. 

Palmieri has been playing with linemates Maroon and Nick Bonino, forming a formidable line.  They have scored seven of Syracuse's 11 goals. 

What this means for the Ducks is that there is plenty of depth and talent to call upon, if necessary.  That is a good thing indeed.
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The Sharks wanted revenge for the 1-0 shutout suffered in Anaheim on Friday night, but the Ducks would not indulge them.   Playing in their third game in four nights, Anaheim continued to stick to their game plan and held on for a 3-2 victory over division rival San Jose. 

The win was their fourth in a row, their only loss coming in the first game of the season in Helsinki against Buffalo.  Since that game, the Ducks have tightened up, figured things out and are finding ways to win every single evening.  A positive sign for a good season.

After all the slow and horrible starts to seasons past, maybe the Ducks have finally figured it out.  The points do matter and you can't always expect to come from behind at the end to make it into the playoffs.  It's about time they learned that lesson.

Teemu Selanne got his first two goals of the year in the first period against the Sharks.  The first came on the power play at 9:42.  For Selanne, power play goals are like bread and butter.  With 237 career power play goals, tied for 5th all time in the NHL, more than a third of his goals have come on the power play. 

The second goal came at 14:33 of the period at even strength.  Both goals were assisted by fellow Finn, Saku Koivu.  This was what all the Finns in Helsinki were hoping would happen there, but did not.  

Selanne seems to have a magical touch against San Jose, with 49 career goals against them.  No wonder Sharks fans were happier when Selanne was on their side, playing two seasons in 2001 and 2002. 

"I think I got more points early on when the Sharks, they were not that good yet," said Selanne, ever humble. "Lately it has been tougher and tougher. They have a great team out there. I'm always playing with great players. They have helped me a lot. I've tried to do my job and enjoy this. It was a team effort tonight again. They had a lot of good chances. Ellis was standing on his head in the third. That's what we need."

Ellis was Dan Ellis, who got the nod in net for the first time this season.  Filling in for Hiller, who had his share of work this weekend in the previous two games, Ellis certainly did his job as back up.  Stopping 41 shots, Ellis was fantastic and a major reason why the Ducks got another victory.

“You don't want to be the guy that loses a little bit of a streak,” Ellis commented. “In the same way, when you are on a little bit of a losing streak, you want to be the guy to snap it a little bit. You take pride in those opportunities.”

The only shots Ellis let in was Brent Burns' power play goal at 11:01 of the third period.  The goal from Marc-Edouard Vlasic at 6:39 of the second period was technically a goal by the Ducks.  Lubomir Visnovsky, attempting to clear the puck, ended up pinballing it off of Bobby Ryan and into the net behind Ellis.  Whoops!

Corey Perry's goal at 4:13 of the third period was the insurance marker the Ducks needed.  Scoring his second goal in as many nights, the goal turned out to be the game winner.

The Ducks now come back home for a three day break before taking on another division foe, the Dallas Stars, on Friday night.  Hopefully they will continue to do what is working right and build on their winning streak. 

In other notes:  Francois Beauchemin was a poster boy of why you wear a visor.  Hit in the side of his head with a blistering shot from Dan Boyle, Beauchemin left the ice bleeding from the compression injury.  He got stitches and returned to the game with four minutes left to play.  Were it not for the visor, it would have been a far more serious and threatening injury. 

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It might have been Corey Perry night at the Honda Center, but Bobby Ryan ended up with the number one star of the game.  I don't think Perry minded.

Perry was honored before the game for winning the Hart Memorial Trophy for league MVP as well as the Rocket Richard Trophy.  Fans got posters and commemorative pucks to help them remember the evening.   Perry finally scored his first goal of the season.

After scoring only one goal per game, the Ducks finally figured out that they could put the puck in the net more than once every 60 minute period.   And they also learned that it was ok for the top line to get on the scoreboard.  Good lessons to learn early in the season.

Bobby Ryan got his first of two goals early in the first period on a rebound that he roofed behind Jaroslav Halak.   The Blues had given the Ducks a very early power play, but the goal came right as the penalty expired. 

After a blistering start, outshooting St. Louis 8-0, the Ducks then went a little dormant and the Blues spent some time in the Ducks end.   They continued to press, with Patrik Berglund scoring at 5:43 of the second period to tie up the game.

While uncertain what coach Randy Carlyle told the team between the second and third period, it probably had something to do with "score."  Wisely, Anaheim listened.

Within a five minute time frame, Francois Beauchemin, Perry and Ryan scored to make it 4-1.    Beauchemin's rocket from the blue line came at 1:31 after another power play expired, but Perry made certain the Ducks would register their first official power play goal at 3:40.  Two St. Louis players were without their sticks, effectively making it 5 on 2.  If the Ducks did not score then, that would have been pitiful.

Ryan sealed the goal scoring glut at 6:24 with his second of the evening.  He had a breakaway opportunity and the puck trickled behind Halak, just over the line.  Nikita Nikitin tried to clear the puck from his goaltender, but it was just a fraction of an inch too late.  A review of the play confirmed that the puck did indeed cross the line. 

"We knew that we would score eventually," said Carlyle. "But the longer you go, the more pressure mounts and guys start squeezing the sticks. Even tonight, some pucks bounced away from us."

Having a three goal lead made the goal from Alexander Steen at 9:38 sting less.  There was still room for error, just in case.  Fortunately, the Ducks did not need the insurance, but it was nice to have it anyway.

The Ducks now have won three in a row and get no rest before they meet up with the San Jose Sharks again tomorrow night.  Can they make it four in a row?  Regardless, this is still the best start they have had since 2006-2007, the year they won the Stanley Cup.    And truthfully, 2006-2007 was the best start to the Ducks season in all of franchise history, so to say there has been vast improvement would be an understatement.

IN OTHER NOTES:

Matt Beleskey was inserted into the line-up in light of Jason Blake's absence.  Blake is out three months with a lacerated forearm and will have surgery to repair the tendon on Monday.  Patrick Maroon was called up from Syracuse, but was a healthy scratch.

Visors are cool:  Only two Ducks did not sport a visor in tonight's game.  George Parros, who has only worn one while recovering from a broken eye socket, and Sheldon Brookbank, who scored his first point in nearly a year.  Every other player has the safety feature, including Ryan Getzlaf, who learned the hard way last season by breaking his skull with a puck, an accident that could have been avoided.   This is a trend that is nice to see on the upswing.



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While the official opener to the season was in Europe, most Ducks fans counted the home opener against the San Jose Sharks as the real beginning to the season.

Playing in front of a sellout plus crowd of 17,243, the Ducks showed that their jet lag is gone.  A 1-0 shut out of the Sharks, who had a large contingent of fans in the building, was especially satisfying.  Seeing Jonas Hiller make all 31 saves and looking like his old self again?  Priceless.

"You don’t have a chance in the NHL without solid goaltending," coach Randy Carlyle aptly observed. "Jonas tonight provided a little bit more than solid. His ailments are something of the past. Now, we just have to maintain keeping him fresh and give him an opportunity to be able to play night in and night out."

The Sharks spent more time in the Ducks end in the first period, and prevented Anaheim from getting a shot on goal until midway through.  Hiller's lightning fast swipe of Joe Pavelski's puck out of the air at 10:25 seemed to give a boost to both the fans and the team on the ice.

A few minutes later, Maxime Macenauer netted his first NHL goal at 13:59 to give the Ducks their only goal.  Macenauer, who also had an assist in Europe, leads the Ducks with two points.  More than the top line of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan combined.  

The Ducks will certainly need contributions from their fourth line and third line if they want to do well this season.  However, the first two lines will also need to chip in as well, something that has yet to happen in the first three games.   On a positive note, at least the third and fourth lines seem to have some legitimate chemistry and scoring ability, something that was lacking the past few years.

In the second period, the Ducks had much more momentum and spent a good portion of time in the Sharks zone.  Nothing more went past Thomas Greiss, however.

Regrouping a bit in the third period, San Jose did their best to tie up the game, but to no avail.  The scariest moment came midway through the period when Jason Blake, prone on the ice, had has left forearm cut by the skate blade of Sharks defenseman, Brent Burns.  In a scramble for the puck, Burns skate caught Blake's arm above the glove and Blake immediately knew there was a problem. 

Leaving a significant amount of blood on the ice, Blake managed to get up, holding his hand gingerly and headed straight into the locker room.  After the game, Blake was transported by ambulance to UCI Medical Center to receive a large amount of stitches to repair the wound.  Fortunately for Blake, surgery was not required, but the damage is still bad enough.  There is no word yet as to how long he will be missing from action, but it will be safe to say he will be out of the line up for more than a couple games.

After being named the first star of the game, and deservedly so, Hiller gave credit to his teammates, who helped make his job easier.

"I felt comfortable out there," Hiller stated. "It was a really good game the whole team played. It’s definitely fun, with the crowd and everybody.  I want to make a statement every night, no matter what happened last year.  It’s always nice to get these kinds of games and feel good out there. Goaltending is a lot about confidence and it’s easier to play well if you start the season with these kinds of games. I’m definitely happy with the way it went. I also worked really hard to be where I’m at right now."

Although there are no promises that Hiller's vertigo will stay dormant, there is a collective sigh of relief that, for now, Hiller is back to his usual self.  That can only bode well for the Ducks.

What will not bode well is if they expect to win every game this season 1-0.  There needs to be more scoring, period.

But for now, a win is good enough, and a 2-1 start to the season is already a lot better than most previous years. 
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Call this the boomerang affect.  Today, the Ducks announced that they had signed right wing Troy Bodie to a one-year contract.  The contract is for one year and is a two way contract that pays $550,000 in the NHL and $105,000 in the AHL.

Bodie had played with the Ducks off and on for more than three seasons before he was put on waivers last November.  Before he could be sent down to Syracuse, the Carolina Hurricanes claimed him.  He spent the remainder of the season with the Canes. 

Bodie, now 26, was on a professional tryout with the Winnipeg Jets, but did not receive an offer with the team after playing four pre-season games.  The Ducks took the opportunity to sign him instead and put him on waivers (again), with the intention to send him to Syracuse. 

If Bodie clears, he will be another depth player for Anaheim who will likely replace Brian McGrattan, who was claimed from waivers by Nashviller earlier this week.

In addition to Bodie's signing, the Ducks have also announced more details about Corey Perry Night at the Honda Center on Sunday, October 16.

Perry will be honored for winning both the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's MVP last season, as well as the Rocket Richard Trophy for scoring the most goals.  Both trophies will be on display before the game in the Hockey Spot, where fans can take pictures with them from 3:00pm to 4:30pm. 

All fans in attendance will receive a commemorative Corey Perry MVP poster upon entrance to the arena.  A commemorative puck will be handed out after the game against the St. Louis Blues concludes.

For those who want to spend more of their hard earned cash, exclusive Corey Perry MVP merchandise will be available at the Anaheim Ducks Team Store throughout the evening.  Tickets are still available, with a current offer of $15 off lower Terrace seats and $10 off Terrace main tickets.  Offer code is MVP10 at checkout from Ticketmaster.  

 

 

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The Ducks are back to business after their Scandinavian road trip.  No more saunas and reindeer filets.  Time to get over the jet lag and prepare for the home opener against the San Jose Sharks on Friday evening. 

Anaheim wasted no time in Sweden after spending six days in Finland.  They left for home after defeating the New York Rangers, the second of two NHL Premiere games in Europe. 

The Ducks were allowed to take three goaltenders with them to Europe, a special exemption from the NHL for all teams traveling there.  It was no surprise that Jeff Deslauriers was the odd man out.  He was put on waivers and sent to the AHL in Syracuse.

Anaheim also put Brian McGrattan on waivers, but he was picked up by the Nashville Predators.

In other moves, Jake Newton was traded to Chicago in exchange for Kyle Cumiskey.  Cumiskey joined Deslauriers in heading to Syracuse.

The Ducks will continue to practice and prepare for the home opener on Friday, a day that is filled with a little more pomp and circumstance than normal.  Instead of having the players arrive on a red carpet, this year it will be the Miller Lite blue carpet event.    The event starts at 3:00pm in the afternoon with pre-game interviews on the carpet by Kent French.  Music will be provided by the local Orange County band, "d." 

On Friday, there will be three new concessions at the Honda Center - Outlaws Smokehouse, Burger Bistro and Sliced Gourmet Deli.  Every year they add new places with varying menus to make sure there is something for everyone.

There will be a magnet schedule giveaway and fans can also purchase the first of four Surprise Pucks.  Pucks will cost $30 and 23 lucky pucks will come with NHL premiere jerseys worn in Finland and Sweden.   Pucks will also be sold on November 11, February 1, and April 1. 

The home opener will also mark the first of 17 games in which the Ducks will wear a "24" patch on their jerseys to honor former Duck, Ruslan Salei.  Salei passed away, along with the rest of his Lokomotiv teammates, in a fiery plane crash in Russia on September 7. 

The Ducks certainly wants to play like they did against the Rangers and not like they did against the Buffalo Sabres.  A win, at home, against the Sharks would be a very nice way to start things off in Anaheim. 


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It was a day late, but the Anaheim Ducks finally got the win they wanted.  In a dream world, Teemu Selanne would have had the game winning goal against the Buffalo Sabres in Helsinki.  They got a 4-1 defeat by a well prepared Sabres team instead.

After coming 5600 miles to support your team, a loss was not the way to end the evening and our time in Finland.  

Getting to Sweden was more than a change of pace.  The Ducks regrouped, refocused and played the way they should have in Helsinki.  A 2-1 shootout victory felt good for the Ducks and just as good for the fans.

The game was chippy in the beginning, but eventually settled down.  Unlike the previous evening, the Ducks were able to score first.  Andrew Cogliano got his first as a Duck at 9:26 of the first period, tipping in Andrew Gordon's shot.  Both Gordon and Devante Smith-Pelly looked like kids who had been handed the keys to the candy store at getting their first NHL points. 

That third line is going to be crucial to the Ducks success this season.  Without a third line, there is too much reliance on the top 6 forwards.  The third (and fourth) lines will have to chip in.  With Cogliano, Gordon and Smith-Pelly having developed some nice chemistry throughout training camp, it seems that there is the potential for a legitimate third line this season. 

Henrik Lundqvist, clearly the local darling in Sweden as Teemu is in Finland, was spectacular in net for the Rangers.  He made amazing save after amazing save, including using his forehead like a soccer player to bump the puck away.  His gymnastics in net kept his team in the game throughout. 

Finally Brad Richards was able to put a puck past Jonas Hiller, who appeared headed for a shut out.  Richards roofed the puck over Hiller's shoulder with a beautiful shot to tie the game up in the third period with just 2:15 left to go. 

Hiller, who was less than stellar against Buffalo, was much more solid this time around, stopping 14 of 15 shots by the Rangers.  From the start, he looked steady in net, which also helped his teammates stick to their game as well.  

Nothing else being decided in the overtime period, the game had to go to a shootout.  A lousy way to end a game, but certainly a fan favorite.

You could tell the media would love to have a great story of either a game winner from a Swede or finally Selanne.  That did not happen.  More important was the win than the story.  Bobby Ryan got the puck past Lundqvist in the fourth round of the shootout.  Hiller's final save on Anisamov sealed the game for the Ducks.  Even funnier was the fact that Bobby nearly fanned on his shot.  He barely got the heel of his stick on the puck, which surprised both Lundqvist and Ryan as the puck snuck its way in.

It does not matter how it goes in, but that it does.  The biggest grin on Ryan's face said it all.  

The Ducks now head home from Sweden, while the Road Crew enjoys one more day of sight seeing and Swedish culture.  Anaheim has to recover from jet lag and prepare for the home opener against San Jose on Friday.  

It has been a wonderful Scandinavian adventure, although not perfect, but pretty darn close.  Continuing positive momentum in Anaheim will go a long way to having a good start and a good season.

 

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With so much excitement and hullabaloo about Teemu Selanne playing in Finland to open the NHL season, you knew there was going to be a letdown.  Certainly the hope was that it would come after a win (or two). 

Instead, it was quick. 

Playing the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL Premiere games in Helsinki, the Ducks seemed to be the hometown favorites, despite 5600 miles between Helsinki and Anaheim.

The Sabres came ready to play.  The Ducks?  Did not do so well.

Anaheim came out with probably way too much energy and excitement and did not have their act together for quite a while.  Early penalties to both teams left the teams playing 4 on 4, but when the Sabres got their advantage, they wasted no time making it 1-0 with a goal from Tomas Vanek. 

The only Finn on the Buffalo team, Ville Leino, made it 2-0 at 8:30.  Jonas Hiller did not look solid in net as he had on Tuesday.  Too much moving around and scrambling.

The Ducks appeared to get back into the game when Nate Guenin got his first NHL goal, tipping in Maxime Macenauer’s shot from the blue line through traffic at 4:38.

It was short lived.  The Sabres came back on the next shift and restored their two goal lead with a goal from Jason Pominville.  Right through Hiller’s five hole.

Anaheim should have learned not to give Buffalo the power play, as Vanek made it 4-1 at 11:59.  Stay out of the box.  Simple.  Especially with the way the team was playing and the way the Ryan Miller was making sure nothing else would go in the Buffalo net.

The third period started much better and the Ducks were able to hold the Sabres off from any more shots on net.  It did not matter.  By then it was too little, too late and Miller refused to yield any more pucks in the net.

There is hope that the Ducks have figured things out in time for the game against the New York Rangers in Stockholm on Saturday evening.  Perhaps having less pressure and expectations on them will make it easier.  Then again, having to face the Rangers, who have local Swede, Henrik Lundqvist in net, will make it just as difficult. 

The points matter and the Ducks are already in the hole by two.  They cannot afford to make it four. no comments