You could describe the game between the St. Louis Blues and the Anaheim Ducks with a lot of phrases and words.  Wild.  Unpredictable.  Back and forth.  High scoring.  Error filled.  Wacky.    The ones the coaches would use would be more colorful.  

The most important description?  Ducks win 6-5 in a shootout.   

From the way it began, you would not have guessed that was how it would end up.

St. Louis continued to dominate with their deadly power play.  They have a 36.6% success rate thus far - scoring more than one in three attempts.  Against the Ducks, they were two for two.

Their first opportunity with the extra man got them on the board with Alexander Steen slipping his shot through Viktor Fasth's five-hole at 6:21. 

Anaheim, who spent the first half of the period playing in their own end, finally leveled a shot on goal at Brian Elliot at 11:09.  The puck went in the net and Bobby Ryan had tied up the game.

David Backes helped St. Louis take back the lead at 15:30 and David Perron gave them a two goal lead at 19:26.   It was the first time Fasth had relinquished more than one goal in a game.

In the second period, the Blues continued to come out swinging and then things tilted for the Ducks.    Knowing that Elliott has been less than stellar in net, Anaheim took aim and fired.

Teemu Selanne scored at 12:40, Andrew Cogliano at 13:25 and Ryan got his second of the game at 14:21 to not only tie the game up, but take the lead for the first time.    There is a reason that Elliott has a .853 save percentage and 3.51 goals against average.   No wonder the power play has had to be spectacular for the Blues!

With a final period to go, don't think the scoring would be over.  T.J. Oshie batted in a weird goal at 3:21 to tie up the game again.

It looked like the game would be headed to overtime before Saku Koivu helped Anaheim take the lead once more at 13:41.  Would the Ducks get two points in regulation?

Of course not!  Although the referees were pretty quiet with their whistles for most of the game, they did call Ryan Getzlaf for a cross checking penalty.   Two for two when Chris Stewart was successful at 15:26. 

The game did go to overtime, and with less than a minute left, the Blues thought they had won the game and the extra point when Ian Cole put another piece of rubber behind Fasth.  However, Patrik Berglund was in the crease and could not avoid hobbling Fasth from stopping the puck.  Berglund was bumped in by Francois Beauchemin, but Blues fans were livid with the "no goal" call. 

"I was pretty excited. I blacked out for a second ... I don't know what happened," Cole said. "I usually just score one goal a year, so that's it. I'm done now. You go from a pretty high to I guess shock almost. You're like, 'Wait, what just happened?'"

So a shootout it was meant to be.   The second one of Fasth's young  NHL career.  And considering Elliott's play of late, the Ducks had a good chance.

Fasth stopped the first two St. Louis shots and could have won the game then and there by stopping the third, but Perron put one in, forcing more rounds.  At that point, nothing was being stopped by either goaltender.   In the sixth round, after Berglund missed his shot, Nick Bonino got his first shootout chance and nailed it behind Elliott.

Ducks win and the points count, not matter how strange the game was.  They now get a couple of days rest before tackling the still undefeated in regulation Chicago Blackhawks. 

"Huge," said Ryan after the game. "To drop two and then go into Chicago and Detroit and Nashville, three ugly buildings to go play hockey in. We needed these two points. They were essential for us to start building to this road trip."

Three down, three to go.  It doesn't get any easier.

In other notes:  Jeff Deslauriers was called up from Norfolk to back up Fasth, an indication that Jonas Hiller is not doing particularly well.   Sami Vatanen and Jordan Hendry were sent back down to Norfolk.   Selanne had three assists in addition to his goal and that gave him 1,420 career points, tying him with another former Duck, Adam Oates.

You cannot win them all.  But you should at least give every game your best effort.  The Ducks failed to give their best effort against the Dallas Stars and it cost them in the 3-1 defeat.

They did not play their best in Colorado, either, but Viktor Fasth was able to shut out the Avalanche and Anaheim was still able to pull off a win.   Against Dallas, the second game of a six game road trip, the Ducks dug a hole early and never could get out.

Jonas Hiller got the start in net, despite Fasth's shutout.  He did not last beyond the first period.  Fasth took over at the start of the second period and later in the game it was reported that Hiller had a "lower body injury."  When your goaltender has a lower body injury, you can pretty much interpret that as "strained groin."

"He wasn't feeling very well so we made the change," was coach Bruce Boudreau's explanation.

Hiller played well enough, even though the score was 2-0 after the first period.  It was the team in front of him that let him down.

Brad Staubitz took a roughing penalty and Dallas converted quickly.  Trevor Daley slipped a puck between Hiller's left arm and body at 8:48 on the power play.  Things went from bad to worse from there.

Corey Perry took exception to a spear from Stephane Robidas and Perry decided to take matters into his own hands.   You never want your top guy to be fighting, but he did leave Robidas bloodied and looking the worse for wear.

Staubitz, figuring spearing is "ok," exacted some vengeance on Brenden Dillon.  Unlike Robidas, Staubitz was called on it and promptly ejected from the game. 

Whether or not Boudreau agreed with the call, and he did not, it happened.

So did the five minute power play.   Jamie Benn made it 2-0 at 12:59 and were it not for the ref blowing the whistle on a play, it could have been 3-0 as well.  A puck rolling over Hiller's shoulder just outside the net also prevented further scoring on the extended man advantage. 

At that point, the Ducks were outshot 15-3, but they spent nearly half the period down a man.  Not the way to start the game.

"We wanted to get on them early," said Benn. "They're obviously a good team and on a bit of a hot streak, so we wanted to go right after them and not give them any confidence and use our home building as an advantage."

Anaheim looked much better in the second period. and Nick Bonino tapped in Luca Sbisa's shot at 15:23.   However, that was all Kari Lehtonen would let in.

In the third period Dallas clamped down hard on the Ducks and only allowed one shot on goal.  If you are going to come back in a game, you have to have more than one shot on goal to do it.

When you are down two goals, which the Ducks were after Loui Eriksson made it 3-1 at 12:36, it is downright impossible. 

Eriksson's goal was the first that Fasth had allowed in the net in 134 minutes and 40 seconds.   

The Ducks get to turn things around quickly, playing against a very tough St. Louis team on Saturday night.

"We've got to be ready right from the start," said Perry.  "When we get the lead in the first period, we're a tough team to beat. That's how we have to play."

They have a great opportunity to do just that tonight.

In other notes:  Newly acquired defenseman, Ben Lovejoy, made his debut against the Stars.  He played 16:20 and had a team high four shots on goal.

Even though the Ducks did not play their best game against the Colorado Avalanche, Viktor Fasth did, and earned the team a 3-0 shutout win.   It was their fourth win a row and gives Anaheim a 7-1-1 record, which puts them at the top of the Pacific Division (for now).

Fasth, who now has four wins in his first four starts in the NHL, continues to credit the guys in front of him.  

"They make it much easier for me to play back there," said Fasth. "I'm really enjoying playing for these guys. They're incredible in front of me."

Ducks fans certainly are enjoying it.

The Ducks were outshot by Colorado, 31-20.  There were outnumbered attacks and great chances by the Avs,  but Fasth came up big every single time.

Sheldon Souray got his second game winning goal in a row by putting the Ducks on the board at 6:20 of the first period.  Souray's shot came from the blue line and did not seem to have any problems getting past Semyon Varlamov.  He now has scored in three consecutive games for the Ducks.

"We are finding good chemistry and settling into our roles," observed Souray.

Saku Koivu got his second goal in as many games, tapping in the puck on a 5 on 3 power play late in the first period. 

Despite Colorado being bereft of key players out with injuries, they poured everything on in the second period.   Fasth was consistent and steady in his end and continued to hold on for the Ducks. 

Francois Beauchemin was able to extend the lead to 3-0 at 10:45 of the middle frame.  They were unable to get any more goals, but the more important thing was not to let the Avs get on the board. 

Fasth now has a .98 goals against average and a mind-boggling .962 save percentage.  He is the first goaltender over 30 years old to win his first four games.

"The most important thing is a win and a good start to the trip," Fasth humbly said.  "It's special to get a shutout, a nice little bonus.  I'm just trying to do my best."

Controversy?  What goalie controversy?  With the shortened season and all the back-to-back games, the Ducks will need two capable goaltenders in net. 

"(Jonas) Hiller will be playing soon and doing the same thing, I hope," said coach Bruce Boudreau, who will have to use both netminders this weekend and next with back-to-back games on the road.

So who will play in the first one against Dallas on Friday night?

"He's not making it easier," Boudreau said about Fasth. "He's giving me confidence that I never knew I would have in him."

That confidence is already overflowing to the Ducks in front of him as well.  Who knew this shortened season would look like this?

In other notes:  Cam Fowler did not come with the Ducks on their road trip and was placed on IR.  Toni Lydman came down with the flu, so Jordan Hendry was called up from Norfolk.  Hendry arrived at the Pepsi Center in the middle of warm ups and played 16:45.  Devante Smith-Pelly was sent to Norfolk so he could get more playing time.

The Ducks also acquired defenseman Ben Lovejoy from the Penguins in exchange for a 5th round draft pick in 2014.

A week ago the Ducks nearly handed San Jose their first regulation loss before finally losing to them in a shootout.  The Ducks succeeded on their second attempt, a 2-1 regulation win at the Honda Center that gave them three wins in a row at home and a nice sendoff for a six game road trip.

"It just shows we can compete with every team in the league," said Sheldon Souray, who had the game winning goal. "San Jose is a great team and we played them hard last game and didn’t get the results. We wanted to play hard tonight and try to get a different result, and we did that."

Viktor Fasth got his third nod in net for Anaheim and he continues to impress.  While he looks like he is still a teenager, he plays like the experienced 30 year old that he is.   He stopped 25 of 26 shots while his teammates blocked 24 more. 

"You just go in there and try to play," Fasth said. "Try to help the team as best as you can. The team helps me out a lot out there. I'm just trying to do my best every day."

With his third win in as many starts, he now sports a 1.30 goals against average and .946 save percentage.  When stacked up against Jonas Hiller (3.54 goals against and .871 save percent), Fasth might be seeing even more time in net for the Ducks.

Logan Couture got the Sharks only goal at 18:08 of the first period.  The Ducks could not buy a goal from Sharks' back up, Thomas Greiss, who stopped shot after shot after shot for the first 2 1/2 periods, including some astounding point blank chances.

It took a weird and lucky bounce of the puck for the Ducks to get on the board at 3:55 of the third period. 

Tommy Wingels tried to get the puck off the wall behind the net.  Instead of getting out of harms way, the puck bounced right back into the crease where Saku Koivu had no problem putting it in behind Greiss.  Greiss was unsure of where the puck was and had turned to the back of the net, completely unaware that the puck was now in the net.

Koivu looked as amazed as everyone else.  

The Ducks power play, which had been rolling along nicely in the previous two games, was largely ineffective against San Jose.  Even a 5 on 3 chance, the Ducks first of the season, yielded no results and a couple shots on goal by San Jose. 

Finally at 13:21, Souray, he of the 100 mph plus shot, slammed a puck home behind Greiss to put the Ducks ahead for the first time. 

"You've got to credit (Francois) Beauchemin for having the patience with the puck to find me,"  said Souray.  "Ninety-nine percent of the time, the goaltender makes that save if it's just me and him. I saw him move over a bit and it gave a side of the net to shoot at.  I really wanted to score that one because I'd had some chances before and hadn't done that. As long as guys aren't jumping in the way of my shot, I've got a chance. But credit the guys for standing there. I've hit a couple of guys already, and that's not fun."

Unlike the previous meeting between the two teams, the Ducks held on to the lead and got the regulation win. 

The Ducks are now 6-1-1 and at this rate, may very well be battling to the very end with the Sharks for the Pacific Division title.

Now the team heads out on the road for the next two weeks, where they want to continue their winning ways.  That is something the fans can easily get used to.

In other notes:  Cam Fowler remains out with an "upper body" injury that is likely a concussion that was sustained in the game against the Los Angeles Kings.  How long he remains out is unknown, but in his absence, Sami Vatanen has stepped into the line up.   Brad Staubitz made his Ducks debut on the fourth line while Devante Smith-Pelly sat out as a healthy scratch.

First Freeway Faceoff of the year between the Ducks and Kings.  Never a dull game, despite how each team is doing.  They always manage to bring their highest energy to the game, players and fans included.

Of 109 match ups between these two teams, #109 went to Anaheim, who soundly defeated their division rivals 7-4.

Offense was not lacking.  Defense was on the Kings side. 

After Nick Bonino scored the first two goals of the game in 5:49, Jonathan Quick was replaced in net with the other Jonathan, Mr. Bernier.   Quick only stopped one of three shots, so coach Darryl Sutter decided to make the change. 

Dustin Brown got a power play goal at 9:15.  Jarret Stoll tied up the game at 9:49.  Halfway through the first and the two teams had only just begun.

Ryan Getzlaf was left unimpeded in front of the net to put the Ducks ahead once more at 13:30.

Going into the second period, the Kings had a 5 on 3 opportunity.  They barely missed capitalizing on that, but Brown still got the 5 on 4 goal at 1:15 to tie the game up again.

A couple minutes later both Bryan Allen and Jordan Nolan were fighting, but in the corner was Cam Fowler, who had been smacked into the boards by Stoll and then dogpiled on by the Stoll, the referee and another player.  Fowler took a while to get up and then went straight to the locker room with much needed assistance.   Fowler did not return and was listed with an "upper body" injury.

"He obviously is not feeling very well right now,” said coach Bruce Boudreau after the game. “We haven’t determined exactly what it is. If you saw the replay, Stoll hit him pretty good from behind. And I can understand why the refs didn’t call it. One was getting taken out. There’s another fight going on.  But surely, you know, I saw the numbers when Stoll hit him. It was right from behind. They have to have to look at that. He might be OK tomorrow or he might be out for a while.”

The Ducks managed just fine with five defensemen, and if Fowler is out for a while, Sami Vatanen is able to step in.

The back and forth scoring continued in the second period.  Sheldon Souray got a power play goal at 9:35, powering his shot through Bernier's arm and body.  Justin Willias tied it up again at 14:13.

Naturally, it was the Ducks turn to score next and Kyle Palmieri gave the Ducks the final go-ahead goal at 16:14 that stuck as the game winner.  It was his second game winner in as many nights.  It also made the Ducks 3 for 3 on the power play.  They missed going 4 for 4, but barely.

Bonino got his first career hat trick at 8:39 of the third period to make it 6-4.  At that point, Bonino, on the fourth line, had logged in a mere 7:31 of ice time.  Very efficient.

"It's huge," said Bonino, who had been demoted from the second line. "I've kind of been a little dry all season. Trying to get on the board. The line's just being working hard, focusing on getting it in. That's where the goals came from.  It's always nice beating the Kings."

Yes.  Yes it is nice!

Teemu Selanne got his Satanic career goal (#666) with the empty net at 17:54.   Bonino added an assist to his night's production on the goal.

At that point, Kings fans, who had been vocal and spirited all night, threw in the towel and went home.

"We were not hard in the areas that we're known to be hard to play against," Brown said of the Kings, who are now 14th in the Western Conference to start their defense of the Stanley Cup. 

The Ducks were given a day off on Sunday, so they, too, could enjoy the Super Bowl, and they will be back at it on Monday night when the San Jose Sharks come to town.  The Sharks lost in overtime for the first time this season and are no longer undefeated.

In other notes:  Emerson Etem assisted on Bonino's first two goals, earning his first two NHL points.

Maybe shortened seasons aren't so bad after all.   After defeating the Minnesota Wild 3-1, the Ducks are now 4-1-1 to start the season.  Historically, Anaheim is a slow starter and picks up speed in the second half of the season.  This time, instead of having to play catch up, the Ducks are doing just fine holding their own and improving.

Coach Bruce Boudreau is unafraid to shake up his line combinations.   While the first and third lines have been productive, the second line was not doing as much.   So put Bobby Ryan at center (an experiment that had been attempted before with not much success) and settle Teemu Selanne and Kyle Palmieri on the wings. 

Results?  Success.

Palmieri had two of the Ducks goals (an appropriate way to celebrate your 22nd birthday).  Ryan had the insurance marker.  And that old Finnish Flash?  He has now been dubbed the Finnish Facilitator with three assists.

"Me and Bobby both had basically tap-ins and they were all because of Teemu's passing," said Palmieri after the game. "I think it gets a little overlooked because of how many goals he's scored. The crazy amount of ways he finds the back of the net.  That vision definitely doesn't stop at goal scoring. It helps in finding other guys and the open guys on the team."

The Wild got the scoring going in the first period with Marco Scandella  putting the puck behind Viktor Fasth at 9:44.  As it was in his NHL debut, Fasth recovered from the initial goal and stopped 26 shots for the victory. 

The hard work of the Ducks was finally rewarded in the second period when Palmieri got his first of the night to tie up the game at 6:49. 

Niklas Backstrom kept the Wild in the game, pretty much single-handedly, including an onslaught in the beginning of the third period.  Emerson Etem had several good chances and put pressure on the Wild and got the crowd going with some exciting play in Minnesota's end.

Palmieri followed that up with his second goal, the eventual game winner, at 4:21.

Part of Anaheim's success could be attributed to their discipline.  They took only one penalty the entire evening and never gave Minnesota a chance to get going on the power play. 

Late in the third, Ryan was tripped up and the Ducks were awarded a penalty, although Ryan did seem to embellish his fall just a little bit.  Instead of being 4 on 4, Ryan added insult to injury and got the insurance marker at 18:26 with the power play goal.   It was a gorgeous and perfectly placed pass from Selanne and Backstrom had no chance at all.

Selanne now has 1414 points, tied for 17th all time with Doug GIlmour.  Remember when he got 1000 points?  That was January 30, 2006, against the Kings.  Guess who is coming to the Honda Center this evening?   Chances are good Selanne will get point #1415 against Los Angeles as the Ducks play the second of back to back games. 

Whether scoring or facilitating, the Ducks will take it because they are making points where it counts - in the standings.

In other notes:  Sami Vatanen made his defensive debut. He played 13:52 and had a shot on goal and a +1 rating.   He was paired with Luca Sbisa.  Toni Lydman was given the night off for "wear and tear."  Lydman should be in the line up this evening against the Kings and Jonas Hiller is expected to take the net.

The Ducks have had a relatively relaxed start to their hockey season, getting a couple days off here, a couple days off there.  Welcome to February!    Time to buckle down and start knocking out some games.

The Ducks played against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night and had a couple days break in between, including the annual Fan Fest for their season ticket holders on Wednesday night.  Party is over. 

Anaheim has three games at home before heading on the road for three more.  All six will be played in nine days.

The Ducks start off with the Minnesota Wild, followed by their first against the Kings on Saturday.  San Jose comes down for a visit on Monday.  

There won't be time to breathe, because after the Sharks leave, the Ducks go on the road to play Colorado on Wednesday and another set of back to backs against Dallas and St. Louis next weekend.  Makes me tired just thinking about it!

Because of the compressed schedule, coach Bruce Boudreau is going to have to make use of both his goaltenders.   Viktor Fasth looks to get the nod against the Wild, which means Jonas Hiller will likely see the Kings tomorrow night.  If Fasth plays as well as he did in his debut, the Ducks will be in good shape.

It also appears that defenseman Sami Vatanen will get his first NHL look against the Wild.  Toni Lydman might get the scratch, unless Boudreau chooses to dress seven d-men and short himself a forward.   Vatanen has been paired in practices with Luca Sbisa.

Game time is 7:00pm and tickets are still available for this evening's tilt.

The Ducks wanted nothing more than to spoil San Jose's perfect record.  No sense letting their Pacific Division rival keep rolling along to start their season.  Anaheim came close, but in the end, the Sharks came back and got the 3-2 win in a shootout and the Ducks merely got a point for their efforts.

Going into the game, the Ducks knew they would have to be at their best and be disciplined, and they certainly gave it their all.  

Anaheim dominated the first period, outshooting the Sharks 13-4.  Despite those numbers, the one that counted was the score - 1-0 San Jose.  Joe Pavelski got the puck behind Jonas Hiller at 9:46, keeping San Jose's top line hot.

In the middle period, San Jose took a couple of penalties, including too many men on the ice, and the Ducks took some momentum to even up the game.  Francois Beauchemin got his first of the year at 8:40 to tie up the game.  It was just after one of the penalties had expired.  Matt Beleskey followed it up less than a minute later at 9:39 to give Anaheim the lead. 

The Ducks held on to that lead until late in the third period when Logan Couture managed to get one behind Hiller at 17:15.

“I had no idea where it went,” said Hiller about the puck. “I thought it went over me or whatever. I just got a piece with my glove but, yeah, I was kind of surprised [the puck] went down. I don’t even know if it was touched or not.  I felt that it hit me and then I was looking for the rebound.  I guess those things happen.”

Those kinds of things are what take you into overtime and then to a shootout.  Antti Niemi did his job, stopping all three Ducks shots, although Teemu Selanne had a great chance that went off the crossbar. 

Michal Handzus was the only Shark to put one past Hiller.   It was enough for the Sharks to win the game and remain perfect in the standings (along with the Chicago Blackhawks.)

"There's games that you deserve to win and you won't win them," reflected Beauchemin.  "And then there's games that you will not play your best and win them. I think it all adds up at the end of the year and it all evens out.  I think we've got to be proud of the way we played tonight. We outplayed them."

The Ducks will need to take that kind of effort into the weekend when they face Minnesota on Friday night at home and the Kings on Saturday.  They won't have long to face the Sharks again, as San Jose will also be coming to town next Monday. 

In other notes:  Emerson Etem, the 20 year old Long Beach native who was drafted in the first round in 2010, made his debut with the Ducks on the fourth line.  He played with two other first round picks in Rickard Rakell (2011) and Kyle Palmieri (2009).  He saw 7:51 of playing time and registered a shot on goal.

After playing the night before and being shutout against Vancouver, the Ducks turned things around and got a 3-2 shootout win over Nashville on Saturday night. 

The difference between Friday and Saturday's games was night and day.  Jonas Hiller, who has let in 12 goals in the first three games, including five on Friday night, was given the evening off.  Time to see what Viktor Fasth could do in the net.

Fasth, making his NHL debut, had the benefit of a much more disciplined Ducks team and made 19 saves, including all three in the shootout to earn his first ever win in his first start.   But at 30 years old and two-time goaltender of the year in the Swedish Elite league, this guy is no rookie. 

Nonetheless, the NHL was always the goal.

"I've been waiting for this moment for 30 years," Fasth said in a post-game interview.  "I feel great."

Nashville, who is used to dominating the Ducks in recent history, probably does not feel as good.

The Predators got off to a good start, with Brandon Yip taking advantage of a mishandle by Bryan Allen at the blue line.  Make that 1-0 at just 1:52 in.  Not a very auspicious beginning, but the Ducks recovered.

Most importantly for Anaheim was the discipline.  They realized that staying out of the penalty box was a good idea.   Seeing as how nearly every penalty came back to bite them against Vancouver, they made the right choice.

"I just tried to do my job," said Fasth.  "The guys in front of me played incredibly good today. They helped me a lot out there, so they made it easy for me. They did a really good job today."

Bobby Ryan got his first of the year to tie up the game at 19:27 of the second period.  He tipped in Teemu Selanne's shot past Pekke Rinne and breathed a sigh of relief.  One down, at least 29 to go if he wants to score 30 or more goals for the fifth season in a row.

In the third period, David Legwand put Nashville back ahead at 10:09.  The Ducks did not waste much time in pulling even again. 

Daniel Winnik got his fifth of the season at 11:12.  He is the first Duck to have five goals in the first four games of the season.   Yes, that is better than even Selanne and his former linemates Paul Kariya and Steve Rucchin or more recently Joffrey Lupul.  They only managed four goals in the same time frame.  At this rate, the Ducks win when Winnik scores. 

After a lively four on four overtime, the Ducks faced their first shootout of the year.  Anaheim sent out the usual suspects in Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Selanne.  Only Perry got the puck past Rinne, but it was enough for the victory. 

Fasth stopped Martin Erat, who pinged his shot off the crossbar, and Mike Fisher.  If he could stop Legwand, the Ducks would win, and Fasth made a beauty of a glove save with a quick one-two snatch of the puck. 

When asked how he felt in the shootout, knowing that final stop would give Anaheim the win, Fasth very confidently said, "that's why I want to be a goalie." 

Clearly the man loves the pressure that comes with the position.   His coach, Bruce Boudreau, claims to never have wanted that job, but did have praise for Fasth.

"He’s just as calm as a cucumber. That’s the demeanor that they have to have to be successful.  Even in the shootout, he was pretty relaxed and made two really big saves. That’s good. It was a great debut for him and hopefully he’ll keep it up."

Will he get to continue in net on Tuesday against the undefeated San Jose Sharks?  To be determined, but if Fasth is able to keep up this good play, Hiller has some healthy competition and the Ducks will be doing well.

In other notes:  The Ducks sent defenseman Jordan Hendry and center Peter Holland down to Norfolk.  Hendry played in the first game of the year when Cam Fowler was out ill.  He has not played since.  Holland saw one game, the one against Vancouver, and apparently that was enough for Ducks management.   Flying west are defenseman Sami Vatanen and winger Emerson Etem.  It is unknown if either of them will be see on Tuesday against San Jose.

The party is over.  Now the real season begins.  After two goal-filled winning games by the Ducks to open their season on the road, offense ground to a squeaking halt once they got in front of the hometown fans.

The Vancouver Canucks, looking for redemption from last weekend's 7-3 blowout, made a clear statement in their 5-0 shutout of Anaheim.  So much for that home opener that fans waited nine months to see.

Instead of the Ducks that played on the road, there were hints of the Ducks who did not make it to the playoffs.

Undisciplined would be too kind to describe them.  Anaheim took 11 different penalties and handed over nine different power plays to Vancouver.  Vancouver was quite polite in saying, thank you, and may we score another?  Three of their five goals came on the power play and the Ducks might as well have put the puck in the net themselves.

Daniel Sedin started powering over the Ducks at 9:13 of the first period, followed by Mason Raymond at 18:40. 

They could have made it 3-0 on a penalty shot in the second period.  After Alexander Burrows got out of the penalty box (one of their rare ones), he had a great scoring opportunity and Luca Sbisa had no choice but to stop him.  Burrows was awarded a penalty shot, but fumbled the puck and Jonas Hiller was able to make the save. 

The Canucks continued to press on and Aaron Volpatti converted a loose puck at 16:37 to make it 3-0.  Not insurmountable by any stretch of the imagination, but a bit of a hole. 

Unfortunately that was where the Ducks unraveled.  Corey Perry got hit with two penalties (charging and roughing) towards the end of the period and at 1:18 of the third, Zack Kassian made it 4-0.

The Ducks, not learning from the error of their ways, refused to stay out of the box and the referees were more than happy to send them there.  (Repeat after me, thou shalt not abuse the refs early in the game or it will come back to bite thee....)

Teemu Selanne, who had his face plastered on the free t-shirts handed out earlier in the evening, hit the post next to Cory Schneider late in the game.  As karma would have it, the Canucks immediately headed to the Ducks end of the ice and Raymond got his second of the game at 15:01. 

Why the standing room only crowd of 17,529 stayed to the bitter end is beyond me.   Most of them will just be coming back Saturday night to see if the Ducks can redeem themselves against Nashville.

Schneider, who was pulled in the game last weekend, learned from his mistakes and stopped all 30 shots.  

Hiller was basically left high and dry by his team and even though he made 29 saves, the penalty kill (or lack thereof) was the deciding factor in the game.

There is speculation that Viktor Fasth will be in net for the game against the Predators.  One can only hope that he will have support of his new teammates.  Otherwise, Ducks fans will get a chance to see just how good this guy can be.

In other notes:  Peter Holland got his season debut on the fourth line while Rickard Rakell sat out.  Sami Vatanen was taken off the injured reserve list and sent to Norfolk.