The Ducks knew they needed to bounce back from an ugly 6-2 loss to Phoenix on Saturday night.  (It was so ugly, it did not even mention a game recap.)  Fortunately there was a quick turnaround for redemption with a game against Edmonton on Sunday.

Curtis McElhinney, who had to come in relief of Jonas Hiller on Saturday, got the start on Sunday.  While an infrequent visitor in Anaheim's crease, McElhinney performed admirably, stopping 23 shots and taking a 2:53 break for stitches in his neck. 

Midway through the second period, McElhinney was cut on the neck by Maxim Lapierre's skate.  Referees determined that although it was not a bad cut, it did require stitches and not just a butterfly bandage.  McElhinney reluctantly went to the locker room where the doctor immediately took care of the wound and Hiller took care of the netminding in the meantime.  Hiller stopped three shots in 2:53 of ice time before McElhinney strode back on the ice and resumed his position in net.

"It was one of those things where I knew I would go back out there as soon as I got stitched up, so it wasn’t that bad," said McElhinney. "I went to cover the puck and I just kind of fell on the heel of somebody’s skate, I believe. I knew I was cut open but it didn’t feel that bad. As soon as I saw the blood I thought I would just go get it checked out on the bench."

The Ducks helped out McElhinney by scoring three goals, a cushion they needed to win the game.

Luca Sbisa got his second of the year at 9:23 of the first period on a power play that continues to be blistering hot. 

"We're keeping it simple," Sbisa commented about why the power play is 9 for 18 in the past five games.

Teemu Selanne, the ageless wonder, got his 1300th career point (and 1301) with two goals.  The first, at 17:00 of the first period, was his 13th goal of the year and his 1300th point.  Nikolai Khabibulin stopped Lubomir Visnovsky's shot, but then placed the puck directly on Selanne's stick.  That was easy.  The second, at 17:32 of the second, was yet another power play goal to add to his tally and a beautifully placed tip in of Visnovsky's shot.

It was a good thing that the Ducks scored three goals.  Late in the second period, after McElhinney had returned to net, the Oilers decided to take advantage of Ducks mistakes. 

McElhinney was unable to control a big fat juicy rebound from Sam Gagner and like Khabibulin, directed the puck inadvertantly to the wrong team.  Magnus Paajarvi said thank you very much and put the puck in the net at 18:18.  :26 seconds later Gagner took advantage of a turnover, making the score 3-2.  

The third period was nothing less than nerve-wracking.  Giving the Oilers a 5 on 3 opportunity with less than two minutes to play was not the wisest thing for the Ducks to do.  With Khabibulin out of the net, it was a 6 on 3 that became a 6 on 2 when Saku Koivu broke his stick on the face off and had to go to the bench for a new one. 

Somehow the Ducks squeaked by and McElhinney stood strong stopping the Oilers from tying up the game.

"We thought this was going to be easy, but there are no easy games in this league," said Selanne. "Third period they were much better.  We had a goalie that stopped everything. Without him this would be ugly."

The Ducks now take the show on the road for four games before the All Star break.  One thing they will have to do to be successful is play a full 60 minutes. 

"If you can’t play 60 minutes of solid hockey, you are going to be having some problems," Selanne wisely counseled. 
"And it showed again tonight."

In other notes:  TV play by play announcer, Brian Hayward, worked his 1,000th regular season game this evening.  Hayward has been with the Ducks since their inception in 1993, including some time as goaltending consultant.  Hayward was recognized by the team in a pre-game ceremony before rushing back up to the TV booth to work.

The Ducks continued rolling along on their homestand and added two more points in the standings with a 7-4 victory against the St. Louis Blues.  A bit of a roller coaster for the Ducks, it started strong, dipped in the middle, finished well, and then came to an end just when things seemed to be getting really interesting. 

Bobby Ryan got his third career hat trick (the first at the Honda Center) and finally looks like he is settling in at center.  It took a while, and included a bit of a scoring slump in December, but Ryan is back on track.  He now has a three game goal scoring streak and has reached the 20 goal mark for the third year in a row.

"The month of December was a little bit ugly," Ryan said. "We've gone on streaks all year long. We need to come out at home, establish the forecheck, and establish our identity."

Jonas Hiller's shut out ended at 178:34.  David Backes, who had back to back goals (would that be Backes to Backes goals?) at 3:44 and 6:15 of the second period, made sure that Hiller would not continue without a puck in his net.   Even giving up four goals in the game did not spoil his stats by much.  Over the last seven games, Hiller has a .956 save percentage and 1.43 goals against average.

While Ryan got the party started at 3:31 of the first with a power play goal, Jason Blake continued it at 7:21.  Blake was fortunate to pick up his own rebound off Ty Conklin and then putting it in the net off Alex Pietrangelo's skate. 

Ryan made it 3-0 at the end of the first period on a play that was nothing short of miraculous.  Corey Perry was on the ice behind the net and still was able to bang the puck off the net to where Ryan was perched in front.  Ryan had the presence of mind to be there and finished it in behind Conklin.   Ryan then went over to Perry, who was still on his tush on the ice, and thanked his linemate.

Feeling cocky going into the second period with a 3-0 lead the Ducks got a little complacent and it bit them.  After Backes' second goal, coach Randy Carlyle wisely took his timeout and settled things down.

After having a good talk with his team between periods, Carlyle got the strong start to the third period that he was looking for.

"We just needed to calm down out there," Ryan said. "There was a little complacency. We tried to do a little bit too much in the neutral zone, and that led to turnovers and it led to their transition. To come out in the third period and regroup, get a good quick one and then go from there was huge."

 It only took :30 seconds for Ryan to get his third goal of the game by tipping in Andreas Lilja's shot.  Ryan now has two hat tricks on the season.  His other one came on November 27 in Phoenix.  Maybe he can aim for back to back hat tricks when the Ducks visit Phoenix on Saturday?

"It's special, because you're never going to get the hats (thrown on the ice) on the road," said Ryan.

Au contraire!  You may not get as many, but there were a few thrown down in Phoenix.

Perry added a wraparound goal at 6:17 to make sure fans got their free chicken wings from Hooters (like that's what customers are really there for!).  Lubomir Visnovsky added a power play goal to his two assists at 13:20 and made it 6-2.

That's when things got a little dicey and the Blues finally let their frustrations boil over.  Fights between Barrett Jackman and George Parros were followed by a tilt between BJ Crombeen and Maxim Lapierre off the next face off.  Not to be outdone, :15 seconds later there were brawls between Eric Brewer and Luca Sbisa after generally wrestling and roughing by everyone else not wearing goalie pads on the ice.  Sbisa soundly put Brewer down on the ice then skated away with nary a thank you for the dance.

When all was said and done, the Ducks had another power play because at the start of the fracas was a kneeing penalty on Brad Winchester.  The Ducks figured, why not add another one?  This time Brandon McMillan put one in at 15:16, his fourth of the year. 

The Blues decided enough was enough and the Ducks got a little sloppy again.  Ryan Reaves got his first NHL goal at 16:20 and was not wearing the usual smile that would accompany such a feat. 

An unnecessary hooking penalty by Matt Beleskey was followed up with Todd Marchant clearing the puck over the glass.  The Blues had a 5 on 3 and it did not matter that there were less than three minutes in the game. 

Brad Boyes nudged the score to 7-4 at 17:58 and the Blues made it interesting the rest of the way.  Hiller stayed strong and the Ducks got the win and remain in fifth place in the Western Conference. 

The Ducks now head off to Phoenix before returning home for a final home game before the All Star break.  After that one, the Ducks will be taking the show on the road for a while.  For now, the wins are coming, and every point counts.  

 

When you are on a roll, you are on a roll.  When you the NHL acknowledges it, its even nicer. 

On Monday, Jonas Hiller was named the second star of the week for the NHL.  With back-to-back shutouts to his credit and a 154:50 shut out streak going, Hiller has been phenomenal of late.  Hiller posted a 2-1-0 record, 0.67 goals-against average and .977 save percentage in three starts.

Hiller's 2.39 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and four shutouts in a League-leading 39 appearances have not gone unnoticed.  And not just as star of the week. 

Hiller, who is the first Ducks goaltender to post back-to-back shutouts since J.S. Giguere had three straight from Dec. 8-15, 2002, was also handed another bonus from the NHL on Tuesday.  He was named to the All Star Game that will take place on January 30. 

The 28 year old Swiss netminder will make his first career All-Star appearance.  This is his fourth NHL season and his first as the clear number one goaltender for the Anaheim Ducks.  He is the only Western Conference goalie to be included on the roster.

“I was actually dreaming about this thing,” said an elated Hiller after practice on Tuesday.  "There are not too many players or too many goalies who can go. If you’ve been there 10 times, you’d probably say, ‘I’ve seen it. I’d rather do something else.’ But for me, it’s a first. It’s a great thing and I’m really excited.”

Joining Hiller on the trip to Carolina will be Corey Perry and rookie Cam Fowler. 

This will be Perry's second All Star game.  His first was in 2008. 

Perry is one of only two players on the Ducks to play in all 45 games this season.  He has 21 goals and 45 points, ranking sixth in the NHL in goals.  This is his fourth season with 20 or more goals. 

The only thing not in Perry's favor is the new format of captains choosing teams, a la elementary school, in a fantasy draft.  Perry has made it his goal in life to piss off opposing players, especially goaltenders, whose crease he tends to inhabit.  That might not make him a favorite for being chosen early.  Then again, the captains might decide they'd rather have him on their team instead of against them. 

Fowler, the Ducks first round draft pick this past June, has been nothing short of amazing this season, making the team out of training camp.  The 19 year old has scored 3 goals and 21 points in 39 games.  He leads all NHL rookie defensemen in scoring and assists in 2010-11.  He also won the Ducks skills competition as fastest skater on the team with a time of 13.945 seconds.

Fowler is the only defenseman from the 2010 Draft currently playing with an NHL club and one of only five from the draft playing for an NHL club.  He will be playing with other rookies in the super skills competition on January 29, the day before the all-star game. 

“Congratulations to Jonas, Corey and Cam for their worthy recognition,” said GM Bob Murray after the announcement was made. “All three are deserving of appearing at All-Star Weekend for their performance and hard work this season.”

Congratulations indeed!  For once, Ducks fans will feel well-represented at the All Star Game!

For the second game in a row, the Ducks managed to keep their opponent off the scoreboard.  While they routed the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-0 on Friday, it was a simpler 1-0 affair against the San Jose Sharks.

Jonas Hiller now has his fourth shut out of the year and he has never had consecutive shutouts.  The last time the Ducks held opponents scoreless for two games in a row or more was December 8 - 15, 2002.  Jean-Sebastien Giguere was in goal for that sequence of three shut outs in a row.  Will Hiller match that by shutting out the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday?

Certainly things are rolling for the Ducks right now.  Having won four out of five at home during this homestand, the Ducks are earning points and staying in the thick of things in the playoff race.  With 50 points, the Ducks are in fifth place and are three points ahead of the Sharks, Coyotes and Kings in the standings.  They trail only Dallas in the Pacific Division by five points.

It took until the second period, but the Ducks finally made it on the scoreboard at 14:29.  Bobby Ryan got the puck through traffic and behind Antti Niemi during a nice push by the Ducks.  That was sufficient for the win, but not the cushion that they had in the last
game.

"Their defenseman made a good play and followed me," Ryan said. "I kept trying to wait for him to stop and he never did. So finally I hit the brakes. There was so much traffic in front, Lupul and McMillan were creating a stir, so I just tried to put it through.  They haven’t found holes in the past month.  I’m glad they are finding them right now and I’ll try to continue to do it."

The Sharks outshot the Ducks 37 - 28, so Hiller had the bulk of the work.  Hiller continued to be in the zone and has not let in a goal since 3:56 of the second period in the game against Nashville last Wednesday. 

"We didn’t score as many goals as the last one and I absolutely did not want to get scored on," commented Hiller. "It worked out well again. I think everybody feels good out there and so do I. We had a great team effort. It was just a 1-0 game, but we created lots of chances and played a lot in their zone, especially in the third."

Hiller's performance continues to garner him notice and he could very easily be named as an All Star for later this month.  Hiller acknowledged that if he gets the nod it would be a "big honor." 

Coach Randy Carlyle acknowledged his team's work of late. 

"The games have been emotional," said Carlyle. "These are hard-fought games. There is not a lot of space on the ice. You have to compete for your space. Situations we’ve been presented with, we’ve shown a lot of battle."

Next battle is St. Louis on Wednesday, with two days off to rest, recover and gear up for another tough opponent. 

Right from the start you knew the Ducks were not going to end up with the same result as their loss on Wednesday to the Nashville Predators.

After the 4-1 loss, goaltender Jonas Hiller aptly summed up the situation by stating that the players expected good things to happen rather than work for it to happen.  That was not the case against Columbus. 

The Ducks came out ready to go to work and do the things that make them successful, as coach Randy Carlyle is fond of saying.  It paid off in a 6-0 shut out, the largest margin of victory for the Ducks at home since 1996.

The power play, which had been primarily dormant for the Ducks, finally found itself again.  Once the door opened up, the power play goals kept coming. 

Teemu Selanne got the games first two goals on the power play at 5:48 of the first period and 7:02 of the second period.  Selanne had not scored since December 8, struggling with groin issues for most of the month of December.  He could have had a third one, and at 40, he would have joined an elite group of hat tricks for 40 year olds.  Knowing Selanne, he'll have one before the end of the season.

"My timing has been better lately," Selanne said. "My own game, I haven’t really gotten the bounces that I have wanted lately. That is why is was a good feeling to get a couple in."

The Ducks were 75% on the power play, scoring on three out of four chances.  They gave up only three chances and scored short handed on one of those, adding insult to injury to the Blue Jackets squad.

Matt Beleskey made it 3-0 at 13:02 of the second period.  When Bobby Ryan scored the first of his two goals at 1:26 of the third it was time to say goodbye to Steve Mason.  Mason, who stopped 47 of 50 shots the last time the two teams met, could not stop the onslaught faced this time.

Mathieu Garon fared no better, giving up two more goals, including Ryan's second at 7:55 on the power play.   Brandon McMillan's shorthanded goal at 15:22 was his third goal of the year.    It was also his fourth point in the past five games, making him one of the pleasanter surprises this season for Anaheim.

Hiller, who has had to work mightily in the past few games, could actually breathe a sigh of relief as his team made sure that the victory was theirs without relying on their netminder.  Of course stopping all 27 shots for his third shut out this season certainly helped, too.

"The feeling was great in the third period," said Ryan. "Guys were loose. You need that sometimes, games like that to boost some confidence. Hopefully it will get the train flowing offensively. "

The Ducks now get to look forward to a practice in front of season ticket holders and then a skills competition in front of season ticket holders and general public.  That should keep the mood light and loose before Sunday's game against the San Jose Sharks. 

In the meantime, the Blue Jackets get to lick their wounds and see if they can rebound with a strong effort against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday evening.   

In other notes:  Jason Blake was back in the line up after missing a couple games with a shoulder injury.

After winning three in a row, the Ducks hit a small bump in the road with a 4-1 loss to the Nashville Predators.  Outshooting the Predators 41-24, the Ducks came up against goaltender Pekke Rinne doing his best Jonas Hiller impression.  On Sunday, Hiller was the one who had to make save after save while being pelted with shots.  Tonight it was Rinne.

The first blow to the Ducks was an oddly reviewed goal early in the first period.   Jerred Smithson was poking at a puck that Hiller appeared to stop at 5:10.   After a long and lengthy review, much longer than usual, it was ruled a goal by the war room in Toronto. 

While there was no seemingly clear proof that the puck crossed the line, the puck did indeed go over.  Later in the game a camera angle was found and blown up to show the dark puck through the netting and over the line behind Hiller.  Small comfort for Ducks fans, who have been used to their guys scoring first of late. 

The Ducks continued to pressure Nashville.  Bobby Ryan had a puck that looked like it could have been the same scenario as the Smithson goal, with it tucked underneath Rinne on the goal line.  No review was made in this instance and it remained 1-0 Nashville. 

Patric Hornqvist extended the lead at 3:56 of the second period by deflecting a puck off his skate.  Hornqvist continues to lead his team in goals.

The Predators continued to be stingy with goals against.   Nothing was happening for the Ducks until midway through the third period.

Saku Koivu finally put one past Rinne at 11:46 and that provided enough fire and motivation for Anaheim to pour it on.  Instead of a tying goal, the Ducks gave up not one, but two empty net goals in the final minute.   4-1 Nashville and a sour taste in fans mouths who felt they should have had better. 

Again, reference Sunday night against Chicago, when it was Chicago fans who felt the same way.

"We fired a lot of blanks," said coach Randy Carlye, clearly unimpressed with the shot total, a marked improvement over the past three games. "It just seemed like the puck was doing funny things for us. In some of the situations they beat us in one-on-one battles with the puck. That was really the tell-tale story of the game.  When we had an opportunity to execute we put pucks in people’s feet or we slapped it around a little too much. Our frustration level got up in the end specifically, not so much during the end. I thought we were pretty good as far as holding our composure. At the end, we got frustrated."

Ducks can take Thursday to recompose themselves and prepare for the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night. 

In other notes:  Jason Blake missed his first game since injuring his shoulder against Chicago on Sunday.  Blake has skated on his own and is not expected to be out for an extended period of time.   Ryan Getzlaf received news of an expected 4 - 6 week recovery time for his broken nasal sinus bones.  He will not be available until after the All Star break at the earliest. 
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Two days off between games for the Ducks does not mean that things in Anaheim are quiet.  The Ducks have made a few tweaks here and there since defeating Chicago on Sunday.

The Ducks have sent Nick Bonino down to Syracuse and decided to bring up Dan Sexton once again.  Coach Randy Carlyle felt that there were a few things that Bonino, who has been scoreless thus far, needed to work on.

"He has to develop that tenacious attitude towards the puck,” Carlyle commented. ”And competing to a higher level to get loose pucks and make his presence known on the ice.” 

Someone who should make his presence known on the ice will be Maxim Lapierre.  The Ducks acquired the center from Montreal on December 31 in exchange for Brett Festerling.  Lapierre is not known for his quiet and unassuming demeanor on the ice, much as Corey Perry is a nuisance to opposing teams.

Lapierre was in the US when the trade was made and he was able to join the Ducks for practice.  However, it took a few days to obtain his work visa, as he is a Canadian citizen.  Today, the work visa was cleared and Lapierre will be available to the Ducks for Wednesday night's game against the Nashville Predators.

Jason Blake may or may not be available for Wednesday night's game.  He did not practice on Tuesday and per Carlyle "might" skate on Wednesday.  Blake has a shoulder injury suffered during the first period of Sunday's game.  While not severe, it has hobbled him nonetheless. 

Another hobbled player is Ryan Getzlaf.  He was supposed to see another specialist to get a better idea of how long he will be out of the line up with broken nasal passages.  He has been on the IR since last Tuesday and missed the past two games.  The likelihood is good that he will miss more, especially as the Ducks felt it necessary to trade for another center.   Further updates should be available tomorrow.

Finally, the Ducks made another minor league trade, exchanging Trevor Smith for Nate Guenin from the Columbus Blue Jackets.   Guenin, a defenseman, has played a handful of games in the NHL this year and should help shore up the defense in Syracuse after the loss of Festerling. 

The Ducks earned their third win in a row with a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on a rainy Sunday night.  Or more accurately, Jonas Hiller earned the Ducks their third win a row with 39 saves, 19 of them coming in the third period alone.

"I feel pretty comfortable with the way I am playing," said Hiller.  "I knew I had to play a little better to give the team a chance to win. That is what I’m trying to do. But I also think everybody stepped it up."

To say that Hiller was exceptional would be an understatement.  The Blackhawks will go home wondering why they did not get two points in a blowout and several players will be seeing Hiller in their nightmares.  Jack Skille, for one, who swore he had the tying goal midway through the final period.  Skille raised his arms and was ready to shout for joy when he noticed that Hiller had the puck in his glove, not in the net, and Skille, in disbelief, was only able to shout "oh my God?!"

Fortunately for the Ducks, they were able to put a couple past Corey Crawford at the other end before Chicago decided to make it a one-sided game. 

Andreas Lilja got his first goal of the year and his first as a Duck at 10:32 of the first period.  His shot from the blue line seemed to melt through the traffic of at least half a dozen players as it found it's way behind Crawford.

Bryan Bickell tied up the game at 18:08, just after a Ducks penalty had expired.  Hiller made a great save on the first shot, but then the puck was behind his stick and he pushed it into the net himself.  Even if Hiller had not put the puck in, Bickell was ready to finish off the puck, so a goal was inevitable.  

In the second period, Corey Perry got goal #21 at 1:46.  Toni Lydman helped spring Perry free, who took advantage and netted what ended up being the game winning goal. 

It was a good thing, because the Ducks best opportunity after that came on a Teemu Selanne penalty shot, the sixth of his career.  Selanne missed the wide open net and hit it right into Crawford's glove at 4:03. 

From there on out, it was the Blackhawks and Hiller show.  The Ducks only garnered two shots on goal in the final 20 minutes and those came early on in the period.  When Crawford vacated the net for the extra attacker, there was no danger of a puck going in there.  The Blackhawks could have vacated it earlier without any worries.

In the meantime Hiller made save, after save, after save, befuddling a Chicago team who got robbed.

"He made some highlight reel stops and really saved our butts," observed coach Randy Carlyle. "What else can you say?"

You can say that that Ducks get to try to make it four in a row on Wednesday night against the Nashville Predators as they continue their six game homestand. 

In other notes:  Jason Blake left the game early with an upper body injury after hitting the boards awkwardly in a collision with a Chicago player in the first period.  He did not return to the game.   Maxim Lapierre did not play as his US work visa has not arrived yet. 

The Ducks arrived at the halfway point of the season at a blistering pace and ahead of everyone else in the NHL except Atlanta.  Game 41 came on New Year's Eve and now is the perfect time to look back at what has gone right, gone wrong, and what needs to happen in the second half.

STANDINGS:

The Ducks are 20-17-4 with 44 points.  They are eighth in the Western Conference, but that is a position that is tenuous as teams below them have more games in hand.  They are also fourth in the Pacific Division, leading only the Phoenix Coyotes.  However, only seven points separate Dallas and Phoenix, and the Division is likely to continue to flip flop until April rolls around.

If the Ducks have an identical second half, that would give them 88 points, which will not be enough for the Ducks to get into the playoffs.  Historically, a minimum of points in the low 90's is required.  Therefore, the Ducks need to have a better second half than first, but they are not in a significant hole at the midpoint, which is a positive.  Points are extremely difficult to make up, and right now the Ducks are in the thick of things.

Things to improve - their road record.  While 12-6-1 at home, the Ducks are 8-11-3 on the road.   Home will always be stronger for the majority of teams, but if you can be at the .500 mark on the road, or better, it will go a long way to getting in the post season.

SPECIALTY TEAMS:

Old wisdom states that if your power play and penalty kill percentages add up to 100% or more, you are in good shape.  The Ducks meet that criteria.

The power play is 8th overall in the NHL at a 21% success rate.  Anaheim remains stronger at home than on the road and improving the power play on the road would go a long way to getting wins on the road.

Corey Perry leads with seven power play goals, but Teemu Selanne is right behind with six goals.  Selanne is ninth all-time with 226 power play goals in his career.  That is more than one out of three of his 616 career goals scored on the power play and this season's pace is no different, with six of his ten goals coming with the extra man. 

The penalty kill is 23rd overall at 79.9%, relatively the same at home and on the road.  If the Ducks can improve their penalty killing by even one percent, they could improve to to the top 15 teams.

OFFENSE:

The Ducks  They are still looking for depth scoring beyond the top two lines.  Perry, Bobby Ryan and Ryan Getzlaf have combined to score 48 of the Ducks 107 goals this season.    Selanne, Saku Koivu and Jason Blake are responsible for another 28.    17 goals have come from the defense.  

Perry's 20 goals and 43 points puts him in sixth place in points in the entire NHL.   This is the fourth season in a row that Perry has scored at least 20 goals and he recently got his first career hat trick.

When the Ducks get goals chipped in by their third and fourth lines, they have a much better chance of winning games.  The recent addition of Joffrey Lupul back to the line-up should help with offense.  After missing an entire year with back surgery and a pesky blood infection, Lupul has four goals in 13 games and should only improve as time goes by.    

DEFENSE:

The loss of Scott Niedermayer to retirement left a huge hole in the Ducks defense.  Toni Lydman, acquired as a free agent, missed training camp and the first four games of the year with double vision.  Lydman has added a calming presence to the blue line and his plus/minus is +21, second overall in the NHL.  

How significant is that plus/minus stat?   Only five other players on the Ducks have a positive plus/minus.  Everyone else is negative.  Somehow Lydman continues to get the job done and is adding unexpected points from a guy who was supposed to be a stay at home d-man.   If he continues on pace, (he has two goals and 15 points), he'll have a career year in points.

Cam Fowler, who was drafted in June, not only made the team, but was handed a low number just a few weeks into the season.   The 19-year-old has been a revelation and has three goals and 18 points.  He is second amongst rookie defensemen in points and leads rookie d-men in assists.  A broken nose kept him out of the line up for six games, but Fowler will only continue to improve.   Already there are plenty of teams who are kicking themselves for not drafting Fowler, who went 12th overall, when they had the opportunity.

Lubomir Visnovsky, acquired at the trade deadline last season, continues to be a good addition to Anaheim and has contributed offensively as well as defensively. 

However, the depth of the defense is still questionable.  Despite that, they still are getting the job done, for the most part.  Any improvement will only continue to help the Ducks down the line.

GOALTENDING:

Jonas Hiller began the season as the undisputed number one goalie for the Ducks.  Hiller has borne most of the goaltending load this year and leads the league in shots faced with 1,119.    He has a .923 save percentage, ninth in the NHL, and a 2.58 goals against average.    When he is good, he is very, very good and he has two shutouts for his efforts.  

Curtis McElhinney continues to do well as the back-up, and often has been left high and dry by the Ducks.  Nonetheless he has been relatively calm and steady in net when called upon and has a .911 save percentage on the year. 

WHAT'S AHEAD?

The Ducks have more home games remaining than road games and will finally have a schedule that is less compressed than the first half.  A little more rest between games and a little more home cooking should benefit the Ducks, who tend to finish stronger in the latter half of the season historically.  

If the Ducks can get a bit more offense from beyond their top line and improve the power play on the road, their chances of winning games will go up.   Continuing to play strongly against their division rivals will help as well.  

Last season the Ducks went 23-14-4 in the second half, earning 50 points.   If they can have a similar record or better this season, that would give them 94+ points and a good chance of playing in the post-season, something they missed out on last year. 

For the Ducks, the points matter in every single game from here on out.   

After a long stretch of games on the road, the Ducks are finally home.  They started off a six-game home stand with a decisive 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers to end 2010 on a positive note. 

Game 41, the halfway point of the season for the Ducks, and the having played more games than anyone else in the Western Conference, every win is critical. 

Jason Blake, who only had one goal in the month of December, got two for his efforts against the Flyers.   His first came at 5:10 of the first period, when he had a bit of a breakaway and took the time he needed to place his shot perfectly over Sergei Bobrovsky's glove hand. 

The Ducks continued to find the net in the second period with Lubomir Visnovsky putting in a pretty goal with some fancy stickhandling at 3:58.  Teemu Selanne had his shot blocked, but Visnovsky picked up the puck and showed the Finn how to do it. 

A power play opportunity, one of only two in the game, yielded another power play goal from Blake at 5:58.  Saku Koivu made a nice pass to Lupul and Blake picked up Lupul's rebound. 

The Flyers, sensing they were being outplayed, made excellent use of a time out at 8:01 of the second period.  As a result, they got on the board on the next shift with a goal from Andreas Nodl at 8:15. 

Philadelphia, who easily trounced Los Angeles the night before in a 7-4 victory, pulled within a goal at 3:30 of the third period on a goal from Jeff Carter.  Corey Perry turned over the puck and Carter capitalized.

"After that timeout, I knew - and I'm sure everybody did - that they were getting yelled at a little and we also knew they were going to come hard," Blake said. "With their lineup, you've got to be careful. Sometimes when you get the lead, you have a tendency to maybe sit back, but you've got to keep your foot on the gas."

The Ducks accelerated once more and put some space between them again with a goal from Bobby Ryan at 5:40, who had not scored since December 12.    With the 4-2 lead, many in the near sellout crowd were making New Year's Eve plans to celebrate at Hooters with free wings. 

Visnovsky's second of the night and 100th of his career at 16:51 ensured that free wings served by overly buxom women would be granted. 

"I’m very happy to have 100 goals in my 10th season," Visnovsky said with his usual boyish grin. "Everybody knows how many games and how many goals you have. I knew two more goals and I would have 100. I’m very happy I scored them before the start of the New Year."

Despite Philadelphia's efforts, Jonas Hiller stymied the Flyers and prevented them from getting any closer, including two crucial saves midway through the final period.   Hiller stopped 35 shots and his teammates stopped another 14 with their bodies, including four blocks by Andy Sutton.

The Ducks now have five more at home and need to capitalize on that.

"We've got to take advantage of it," said Blake.  "Give a little extra and come ready to play."

Ducks need to come ready to play on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks.  The season is halfway over and they will need finish stronger than the first half if they are to make the playoffs.  This effort was a good start towards that goal.

In other notes: Ryan Getzlaf remains out indefinitely with broken nasal passages, although he will not need surgery.  In the interim, the Ducks have picked up 25 year old center Maxim Lapierre from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Brett Festerling and a fifth round draft pick.   Without Getzlaf, the Ducks are a little thin up the middle.