All the Olympic men's hockey teams have played their first game in the tournament.  There haven't been any big surprises or upsets (it's still early), but eight Olympians from the Anaheim Ducks have already made their mark.

Team USA met up with Switzerland in the first game and Bobby Ryan got the first goal of the tournament by knowing exactly where to beat Jonas Hiller, now wearing the colors of the opposing team.

"I don't think Jonas had a chance," said Ryan after earning his first Olympic point.  "But I certainly knew where I was shooting, based on playing with him for so long."

The US went on to win the game 3-1 and Hiller ended up with 21 saves in the loss.  Neither Ryan Whitney (USA) nor Luca Sbisa (Switzerland) earned a point for their teams, but both saw plenty of ice time for their teams.

Later in the day, Team Canada saw their first action against Norway.  In the 8-0 shutout against the Norwegians, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry both contributed goals.  Ducks and Team Canada captain, Scott Niedermayer, also put up an assist on Getzlaf's goal, giving him his first point of the tournament as well.

Getzlaf was questionable just a week ago after spraining his ankle on February 8.  The ankle recovered quickly and Getzlaf scored 2 goals and 2 assists against Edmonton in his first game back from injury last Sunday.   It was his last opportunity to prove to Canada that he was ok and he proved it and then some.

Ryan, Getzlaf and Perry will all have a long way to go to catch up to Teemu Selanne.  Selanne earned an assist on Finland's first goal over Belarus, giving him 20 goals and 36 points in Olympic competition.  While currently tied for first place, you can be sure that more points will come as the tournament progresses and he will hold the sole first place position.

Saku Koivu, Selanne's linemate on the Ducks and in international competition, also earned an assist and the Finns got their first win with a 5-1 victory over their opponent.

There is much more hockey to come, but certainly the Ducks players are making a difference for their respective countries.

Ryan Getzlaf, returning to the line-up after missing two games with a sprained ankle, helped give the Ducks the boost they needed to defeat the Edmonton Oilers 7-3.  The weekend road trip started off with a bland loss to the Calgary Flames, but Anaheim finished on a high note in Edmonton, winning a rare second game of a back-to-back series.

The Ducks needed those points to remain competitive in the standings and go into the Olympic break just two points out of a playoff spot.  The majority of games remaining for the Ducks are at home, a place they currently have an 11 game winning streak going.  That bodes well for the team, who needs every point they can get to have a chance this spring.

The game against Edmonton was also the final tune-up for eight Olympians on the Ducks roster.  In an unexpected gesture, the Oilers recognized not only their own Olympic players, but also the Ducks players as well.  Three of those Ducks will be representing Team Canada.  Scott Niedermayer, Corey Perry and Getzlaf might have been the enemy on Sunday night, but come Tuesday, the Canadian faithful in the crowd will be rooting for those very same players to bring a gold medal home.

The Ducks Olympians made the most of their final game with Saku Koivu putting Teemu Selanne's rebound into the net just 3:47 into the game to start the scoring.  Selanne added another assist later giving Team Finland a goal and two assists.

Ryan Potulny, who had one of Edmonton's two short-handed goals last Wednesday at the Honda Center, had a power play goal to tie up the game at 6:04.

Perry took back the lead with the next goal at 10:23, assisted by Getzlaf (and all of Canada breathed a sigh of relief).   Niedermayer extended the lead on the power play to 3-1 at 5:31 of the second period, another assist by Getzlaf.   It was one of four power play goals, but considering that Edmonton gave up 11 power play chances, some of those had to go in.

At the end of the second period, the Oilers gave the Ducks a wake-up call by scoring their third short-handed goal against the Ducks this season.  Ethan Moreau got his second short-hander at 19:04 and suddenly the game was back within one goal.

The Ducks did not sit back in the third period.  Getzlaf got the first of two power play goals at 5:27 and George Parros, the only non-Olympian to score for the Ducks, got his second goal of the season :39 seconds later.  Parros' goal went in the net off of Lubomir Visnovsky's skate.

Visnovsky redeemed himself :43 seconds later by bringing the Oilers back within two goals, but that was all they could muster against the Ducks.  Staying out of the penalty box might have helped.

The Ducks finished off with two more power play goals to add the icing on the cake with Getzlaf's second at 16:58 and Bobby Ryan's goal at 18:03.  7-3 Ducks, game over, two points in the standings.

Special note of praise to Oilers goaltender, Jeff Deslauriers.  Normally allowing 7 goals is nothing to write home about, but Deslauriers still stopped 39.  He had a lot of hard work to do, and did it well, despite what the final score said.

Now eight Ducks head to Vancouver, including Jonas Hiller, who had had 26 saves for the win, while the rest of the team headed home to enjoy two weeks off and prepare for the final stretch before the end of the regular season.  They go into the break on a positive note, which is exactly what the Ducks needed.

Every game is the biggest one.  Every game is "the most important one."  Saturday's game between the Ducks and the Flames really was.  Only two points separated Anaheim from Calgary, who held the 8th and final playoff spot going into the game.

Huge did not even begin to cover it.  This was a must win for the Ducks, especially as the first of two back-to-back road games.  Somehow the Ducks did not get the memo in the 3-1 loss to the Flames.

With Detroit and Dallas both winning their games and leaping over Calgary, the Ducks had not two but three points to chase for the 8th spot.  At the end of the evening, Calgary bounced back over again and the Ducks found themselves four points out of 8th place.  It does not take long for things to change.

The Ducks were fortunate to get the first goal of the game, apparently a stealth goal that no one saw but the guys in Toronto.  Troy Bodie had deflected Scott Niedermayer's shot into the net behind Miikka Kiprusoff at 12:25, but it took a couple more minutes until a stoppage in play when the play was reviewed.  Usually on the ice, there is protest that a puck went in or did not.  There was none of that.  At least someone caught it.

It was the only thing they got behind Kiprusoff all night, who stopped 26 shots.

The Flames, on the other hand, understood the necessity of winning the game.  Eric Nystrom tied up the game at 16:42 of the first period.  In the second period, Ryan Carter, who had five shots on goal, missed finishing off a Teemu Selanne rebound.  Instead of 2-1 Ducks, it ended up 2-1 Flames with Calgary racing down the other end and Jarome Iginla putting the puck in the net at 2:42.

Later in the period, in a case of deja vu, Iginla got goal #2 at 13:58.  Chance for the Ducks at one end, Iginla racing down the other and converting.  3-1 Flames.  Game essentially over.

"Nobody on our team played to their best level -- me included," said Jonas Hiller, who stopped 35 of 38 shots. "I could have stopped at least one of the goals that they scored."

Not only did Hiller not stop the goals, his teammates in front of him could not get anything going at the other end of the ice to score any themselves.  Even in the third period, there was a lack of desperation and desire.

Less than 24 hours later, the Ducks will have to face Edmonton again, a team they have struggled against in that building.  Somehow, some way, the Ducks have to dig deep and find it in them to defeat the Oilers for the second time in a week.  If they play as poorly against them as they did last Wednesday at home, the Oilers will walk out with two points and the Ducks will slip further in the standings and their race to get in the playoffs.

The next one is even bigger and more important for the Ducks.

In other notes:  Ryan Getzlaf still sat out with a sprained ankle, even though he is skating more.  There is still a chance that he plays against Edmonton on Sunday night.  If not, Steve Yzerman will have no choice but to replace Getzlaf on Team Canada's hockey roster.

After an emotion-filled, high-intensity game against the Kings on Monday, the Ducks had a tough time matching that passion two days later against the Oilers.  The effort was not Anaheim's best, but in the end, they got it done and extended their home winning streak to a franchise record 11 games.

From the way the team played, you would not have known that the Oilers were the last place team in the NHL.  The Ducks made them look stellar.

"They are a good skating team.  Their record doesn't dictate the type of team that they are," said former Oiler Todd Marchant, who ended up with the game winning goal in the third period. "There is a lot of pride in that room.  They go out and work hard every night.  That's why they're professionals."

Missing Ryan Getzlaf from the line-up with a sprained ankle, the Ducks had to shuffle their lines.  The top line still produced, with Corey Perry doing his usual dirty work behind the net, digging out a puck and getting it to Bobby Ryan.  Ryan quickly put the puck behind Jeff Deslauriers at 13:58.

In the second period, the Ducks forgot the basic concept that a power play is supposed to be an advantage for the team with the extra player on the ice.  Out of three power plays (and a partial at the end of the period), the Ducks allowed not one but two short-handed goals.  That actually doubled Edmonton's short-handed tallies for the season.

The first was from Ryan Potulny as Edmonton did nice work in the Ducks end and finished off their chance with a roofed shot behind Jonas Hiller at 6:22.  The second, at 14:13, was just plain inexcusable and sloppy work from the Ducks.  James Wisniewski flubbed the puck at the blue line trying to get it to Scott Niedermayer.  Ethan Moreau happily intercepted the puck and took off down the ice. Hiller did not exactly do his part to stop the breakaway shot and that gave the Oilers a very unacceptable (and embarassing for the Ducks) lead.  When was the last time Moreau scored?  30 games ago.

Then again, the entire effort against Edmonton was inexcusable and sloppy.  While coach Randy Carlyle says he "never critiques a win," this was one that should have been the exception to the rule.

Ryan saved the Ducks butts by finally getting the power play goal at 15:22, his second of the game.  Were it not for that redemption, the Ducks looked like they needed to waive off any future power plays for fear that Edmonton would further their lead.  Or worse, Edmonton would just take penalties as a new goal-scoring strategy.

The Ducks made it much harder on themselves than was necessary.  Finally in the third period, the Ducks regained the lead with a goal from Todd Marchant at 8:21.  Wisniewski, trying to redeem his screw-up earlier, took a signature rocket of a shot from the blue line and Marchant tipped in the shot.  No chance for Deslauriers with the speed of the shot and the traffic in front.

"We work on a drill in practice where we do the high tip," said Marchant. "I just happened to be the guy that went up there.  Wiz made a great play and I just kept my stick on the ice and redirected it.  It found its way through."

Hiller came up huge, again, giving the Ducks a chance to win and stopping 37 shots. 

"You don't win in the NHL without solid goaltending," praised Carlyle.  "Jonas has done his fair share for our hockey club, for sure.  He has been giving us a chance pretty consistently."

How consistent?  Hiller has won five of his last six starts, stopping 206 of 218 shots for a .945 save percentage.  Goals against during that time?  1.97. 

The Ducks now have a tough back-to-back this weekend against Calgary and Edmonton.  Calgary is currently in the 8th and final playoff spot, just two points ahead of the Ducks.  The points could not be bigger.

"It's all about getting points and it doesn't matter how you get them," said Carlyle.  "You have to find a way to win in the NHL and that is not easy in this league."

Marchant had a pretty good game plan for the weekend. 

"We've got to play like we did against LA," Marchant shrewdly observed.  "More so than we did tonight."

Amen to that.

Three days had passed since the Ducks and Kings played last Thursday.  The Ducks took the time off to rest.  The Kings extended their winning streak to nine games in a row by coming back from a 3-0 deficit to the Red Wings on Saturday. 

"The last couple of times we played the hockey club across the hall here, we were on the second half of a back-to-back," said coach Randy Carlyle.  "We didn't have necessary energy and they did.  Tonight we had a lot of energy and we felt good about the ability to skate with them.  They are a good hockey team.  They ahve earned everything they have achieved.  But we can be more competitive than we were in the last two games we played against them, that is for sure."

For a team that had won nine games in a row at home (now 10) and had been 3-12-2 (now 4-12-2) against Pacific Division teams, a win for the Ducks could not have been more critical.  A 4-2 victory against their rival tasted very, very sweet, and not because the Ducks ended the Kings winning streak.  It was because they extended their own and made it even tougher for opposing teams to get a win at the Honda Center.

"Home ice advantage is huge," said Corey Perry.  "When you're at home, you need those two points.  You need to go out and make the place a war zone out there.  It should be a hard place for the other team to come in and play." 

The Ducks came out strong, but then Oscar Moller put the Kings on the board at 12:31.  Moller was spinning around when he put in a rebound behind Jonas Hiller.  It's always fun when Kings fans bring their thunder sticks and beat them with a passion, although by the end of the game there wasn't much to beat about.  No surprise when there is a minor clash between diehard opposing factions in the stands later in the game. 

Later in the period, the Kings took not one, but two brainless penalties.  First Matt Greene sent the puck over the glass for delay of game.  :30 seconds later Los Angeles forgot they were on the power play and had too many men on the ice.  That gave the Ducks a 5 on 3 for 1:30 and a golden opportunity to tie up the game. 

Jonathan Quick did his darnedest to keep the puck out, but despite moves that looked like a combination Dominik Hasek impression and semaphore demonstration, Teemu Selanne put in a rebound at 18:30.  That made goal #597 for the Finnish Flash, just three more to 600.  You cannot underestimate the value that Selanne brings to the power play.  Priceless.

The Ducks poured it on early in the second period to get the lead for the first time.  Ryan Getzlaf scored at 3:27 thanks to great work from Perry, who stole the puck from Drew Drewiske, just back from the IR with an upper body injury and looking a bit rusty. 

Perry looked to make it 3-1 a few minutes later on the power play, but the referee deemed that he was in the crease and it was no goal.  Never mind that Jack Johnson had pushed Perry into Quick after the shot had already gone off through Quick's legs.  No matter.  The Ducks did get that power play goal after all just :30 seconds later, this time from Saku Koivu at 6:24.

Somewhere in the middle of the period, Getzlaf sprained his left ankle (x-rays were negative and he will be reevaluated tomorrow).  The injury was serious enough for him to be wearing a boot and use crutches and obviously he did not return to the game, but it did not stop the determined Duckies.

Anze Kopitar made it 3-2 at 18:06, just as a power play expired, but the Ducks responded right back.  Perry finally got the goal he should have had earlier at 18:30 giving the Ducks the two goal lead once more to go into the third period.  Perry's shot went through a five-hole so big it looked like a six-hole.  Couldn't miss on that one.

"We fell a little short," said Kopitar.  "It's one of those things where we scored and they came right back.  It's unfortunate.  It was a huge goal for them going up just before the break with a two-goal lead."

Knowing that the Kings have every ability to come back from a deficit, the Ducks and Hiller did an outstanding job preventing the Kings from narrowing the lead any more.  Hiller had to stop 18 shots on goal just in the third period, many of them extremely juicy rebounds, and he made 35 saves overall for the win.

"We knew we had to play better than the last game," said Hiller.  "It was really important to win tonight.  We have three more important games coming up.  We know we have to win as many games as possible until the end of the year for us to have a chance to make the playoffs."

The Ducks now face the Edmonton Oilers for the first time this season on Wednesday and will see them twice this week.  The Oilers are struggling and lost 6-1 to Phoenix this evening.  The Ducks cannot let down one iota.  They are still three points out of a playoff spot, and whether they are one point away or one hundred, a miss is as good as a mile. 

If they can keep up this effort for the rest of the season, they should be in good shape.

Two weeks on the road, then two more games back-to-back and the Ducks needed a rest.  They had two days off before resuming practice on Sunday morning at the Honda Center.

Technically Friday was not a day off, as the players participated in the third annual Lady Ducks Fashion Show and luncheon.  Put on by the players' wives, girlfriends, and significant others, the event raised over $20,000 for  CHOC. However, it was a day away from the ice.

Add that to Saturday's canceled practice and the Ducks players were able to get some recuperation time and a mental break from the game.

"If you are going to expect them and you are going to push them to give you 110%," said coach Randy Carlyle, "they can’t give it if they don’t have proper rest. This is an opportunity for them to have a couple of days away from the rink. Come refreshed. They were much more energetic this morning. A lot more enthusiasm, so hopefully that translates into a solid effort tomorrow night."

The Ducks practiced for just over an hour, working on the usual drills, specialty teams, and conditioning.  All with the focus of playing the Los Angeles Kings tomorrow night.

"They’re a good hockey club that is rolling along," said Carlyle.

Rolling along is right.  The Kings have won nine in a row, their best ever as a franchise.  That includes coming back from a 3-0 deficit against the Red Wings on Saturday.

The Ducks have struggled all season against all of their Pacific Division rivals, but two points tomorrow would be huge for Anaheim. 23 games are left on the schedule and the Ducks need every point they can get if they want to get into the playoffs.

Joining them at practice for the first time was goaltender Vesa Toskala, who was obtained from Toronto in the Jean-Sebastien Giguere trade.  Going through immigration was relatively smooth, once he got his appointment for his interview.  Some things you can't hurry.

Now that Toskala is here, he is slated to be Jonas Hiller's back-up, although Toskala does not feel that is his role at this point in his career.

"I don’t think I’m a back up goalie," said the enigmatic Finn.  "Obviously I want to play a lot. I know how good I can play but like I said earlier, lots of things you can’t control in this league. I just do whatever I asked to do here and help the team make the playoffs. Not going to complain or anything. If it’s my call, I would play every game because I love to play and when I play a lot I think I play my best."

Hiller, who has played 2408 minutes so far this season, just 78 minutes shy of last season's total, will need some help in goal.  Seeing as Hiller will be relied upon by the Swiss team during the Olympics as well, Toskala will have to prove himself trustworthy in net to give Hiller a break here and there.

Carlyle is happy to give Toskala some adjustment time before putting him in net.  Will Toskala, who will be wearing #36, despite requesting his usual #35 (sorry, Giguere has the long-term rights to that number in Anaheim), get a chance to play before the Olympic break?  That might depend more upon how the Ducks are doing.

They need to win at least 3 of the next 4 games to avoid falling in the standings.  As long as they are desperate for the points, it seems more likely that Hiller will be the logical choice for Carlyle.

It took a whole week, but Vesa Toskala finally cleared immigration paperwork and joined the Ducks.  Toskala was obtained from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Jean-Sebastien Giguere trade, but has been unable to join the Ducks until now.

In the interim, Justin Pogge was recalled from the AHL to serve as Jonas Hiller's back-up.  Now that Toskalas is in Anaheim, Pogge was sent back to the AHL without having seen any game time other than on the bench.

Toskala will have his first practice with the Ducks on Sunday morning.  The Ducks have taken the previous two days off, but will work with a vengeance tomorrow to prepare for another meeting with the Los Angeles Kings.  The Kings won their ninth game in a row today against the Detroit Red Wings, and will be attempting to make it 10 in a row on Monday night.  Obviously the Ducks will want those results to be different.

In the third meeting between the Kings and the Ducks, the game was a little bit closer, but the end result was the same.  This time, it was a 6-4 loss to their Pacific Division rivals.  The Kings won their eighth game in a row, a franchise best in decades, and the Ducks winning streak (three games) came to a halt.

Certainly the Ducks played much better than they have in previous efforts, but having played the night before against Detroit, the Ducks could not maintain strong play for a full 60 minutes.

With Vesa Toskala still dealing with immigration visa issues, Jonas Hiller got the nod again in net, rather than play Justin Pogge.  Perhaps Hiller could have used the rest, because he let in six goals.

The Ducks scored first, with Jason Blake getting his first goal in an Anaheim uniform at 5:40 of the first period.  They could not maintain that pressure, however, and the Kings scored the next three goals.

Anze Kopitar tied up the game at 18:54 of the first and Wayne Simmonds gave the Kings their first lead 1:04 into the middle frame.  Michal Handzus deflected Alexander Frolov's shot on the power play at 17:00 in the second.  Poor Frolov has now gone 17 games without scoring.

The Ducks came back in the third with a much better period, but not before Jack Johnson gave the Kings a three goal lead at 1:44.  Rather than be deflated, the Ducks tried to find a second wind and Troy Bodie, Matt Beleskey and Ryan Carter scored the next three goals in a 6:24 span to tie up the game.

Just over 10 minutes remaining and the Ducks appeared to have a good chance, despite the Kings having a perfect 21-0 record of winning when leading after two periods.  Make that 22-0 after Dustin Brown got the game winner at 14:28.

In the final minutes, the Ducks continued to press, and then Ryan Getzlaf committed a tripping penalty by tangling his stick in the King's legs.  Instead of pulling Hiller, the Ducks found themselves on the penalty kill in the final minute of the game and Kopitar netted his second goal at 19:33 to affirm the Kings win.

The Ducks will get a chance to redeem themselves against the Kings on Monday at the Honda Center in a home and home series that is split up by three days off in between.  The Kings get to deal with the Red Wings on Saturday, in the meantime, and see if they can continue their winning ways or if Detroit will finally end that streak.

Add one more Ducks player to the Olympic roster.  Defenseman Ryan Whitney was added to the US Olympic team as a replacement for an injured Paul Martin.

"I feel bad for Paul that he can’t go," said Whitney on Wednesday evening, prior to getting the news.  "He’s a pretty good guy. He’s a great player. It’s unfortunate for him. You never want to see someone injured, but you’ll go any way you can get there."

Whitney will join fellow teammate Bobby Ryan on Team USA.  Scott Niedermayer, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry will play for Canada.  Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne will represent Finland.  Jonas Hiller and Luca Sbisa (who is playing for his junior team) will be on the Swiss team.  That makes nine Ducks players going to the Olympics, the most of any other team in the NHL.

“It’s a great honor for Ryan (Whitney) to be named to Team USA,” said GM Bob Murray. “We wish him best of luck at the upcoming Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.”

This will be Whitney's first Olympic appearance, but he has represented Team USA previously in international competitions.

"It will be amazing," Whitney commented after the announcement.  "I've played for my country before and it's quite a feeling.  It's really a feeling like no other."

Even though the Ducks were still recovering from a long road trip, the Red Wings were the more tired team.  Playing their sixth game in nine nights and their second of back-to-back games, there were points when the Red Wings looked like the dead tired things.  Anaheim happily took advantage of the situation in the 3-1 victory. 

Things started off well for the Ducks, who got a rare goal from defenseman Ryan Whitney at 1:11 of the first period.  His long shot from the blue line managed to find its way past Jimmy Howard and the Ducks got the good start that they needed.

"We gave ourselves a good start and built on that," said coach Randy Carlyle.  "We did a lot of things that we needed to.  It's all about getting points right now. We understand the situation we're in.  We're looking up at a few teams.  We'd like to climb into that other group to give ourselves a chance."

It was 2-0 after Kyle Chipchura deflected Steve Eminger's blue line shot off of his forearm at 16:13.  The goal was reviewed at length, but it was determined to be a good goal (despite Howard's protestations otherwise).

The Red Wings woke up a bit in the third period, and having two power plays early helped.  Despite peppering Jonas Hiller with shot after shot, there were no holes in the Swiss goalie's armor.  

After Hiller had been the victim of a shooting gallery, the Ducks finally got their second shot on goal in the period and it went in.  Bobby Ryan was perfectly positioned in front of the net to finish off a Ryan Getzlaf rebound at 8:55.  3-0 Ducks and a quiet Red Wings crowd.

Finally the Wings were able to take advantage of a third power play late in the period and Pavel Datsyuk had a pretty, pretty goal with just :09.9 seconds left to go in th second.  The goal ended Hiller's shutout streak at 155:03, the longest of Hiller's career and dating back to a goal from Martin St. Louis in Tampa Bay two games ago.

That was the only thing that Hiller let in and he ended up with 46 saves on the evening.

"It's fun to play if you get a lot of shots," Hiller grinned after the game.  "But it was also a little tiring, especially on a back-to-back, you don't want to have that many shots.  The whole team is playing really well defensively.  Even if I have rebounds, we're clearing them.  Everybody is fighting hard,  blocking shots and doing everything back there.  I hope we can keep it going." 

The two points could not have been bigger for the Ducks, who need to win 2/3 of their remaining games to have a shot at the playoffs.  A loss to the Red Wings would have put them further behind in the standings.  Instead, the victory brought Anaheim within three points of Detroit.

"You've got to try not to lose two in a row," said Whitney.  "You lose one, you've got to come back.  We had that stretch in Atlanta and Washington that was unfortunate, but it's three in a row now and we've got to get a win against LA finally." 

Los Angeles is tomorrow night, when the Ducks themselves will be on the second of back-to-back games and will be meeting a team that has won seven in a row, their best run in decades. It will be a challenge, but two more points, especially against their Pacific Division rivals would be nearly as sweet as the points earned tonight.