Coming off a 4-3 victory over Vancouver, the Ducks wanted to continue a strong performance on the road.  Going into Calgary has always been a challenge for Anaheim, although not nearly as vexing as a visit to Joe Louis Arena.  Things looked questionable for a while, but the Ducks managed to eke out a 5-4 overtime victory over the Flames and bump up a couple spots in the Western Conference standings. 

Curtis McElhinney, who has been excellent while Jonas Hiller has been out, got the nod again for the third game in a row.  Hiller was activated off the IR and continues to improve, but is still not 100% and good enough to start a game.  He was sitting on the bench as back-up, however, which is definite progress. 

The Ducks got strong play from their second line all night long.  Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu and Jason Blake all stepped up and were prime contributors to the Ducks victory.

Koivu got his first of two goals on the evening at 13:04 of the first period, with the puck going quickly in and out of the net.  But in is in, no matter how brief.

Calgary regrouped in the first intermission and Rene Bourgue and Olli Jokinen scored :41 seconds apart to give the Flames their first lead in the game less than 4:00 minutes into the second.  Coach Randy Carlyle was livid on the bench and took his timeout, using it to express his displeasure at two extremely poor shifts and defensive breakdowns.  

Anaheim responded to the time out and Koivu tied up the game at 7:34.  The Ducks regained the lead at 10:12 with a short handed goal from Brandon McMillan.  Miikka Kiprusoff clearly felt McMillan was going to make a pass to Corey Perry and prepared for that scenario.  McMillan chose to shoot instead and easily put the puck behind Kiprusoff. 

McMillan continues to shine this season.  In 34 games he has scored 7 goals, two of which have been short-handed.   He has been a good fit for the Ducks and with 2 goals and an assist in the past three games, he shows no signs of returning to the AHL any time soon.

The Ducks took the 3-2 ead into the third period.  Thus far, the Ducks are undefeated when leading after two periods.  It looked like those stats might change when Jarome Iginla tied up the game once more at 5:33 and Curtis Glencross handed Calgary the lead with a beautiful shot at 8:18. 

It appeared that the Flames would gain two points and pass the Ducks in the standings, but Glencross took the only Flames penalty of the game late in the period.  It would end up costing Calgary an extra point.

The venerable 40 year old ageless Finnish wonder, Teemu Selanne, scored on the power play that had two extra players with McElhinney pulled.   With three assists on the evening, Selanne added another four points to his already stellar totals.

The game remained tied in regulation and went to overtime.  Both teams had their chances in the extra session and it seemed inevitable that they would go to a shootout. 

Rookie Cam Fowler had other ideas.  With just :18.6 seconds left, Fowler redeemed himself from an earlier defensive breakdown that led to the Flames third goal.  It was his second chance in overtime and the second one did not miss the net.

"Luckily it went in," said Fowler. "I didn't get as much on it as I would have liked and it looked like it fooled him a little bit.   This was huge for us. If we drop this one, Calgary jumps ahead of us in the standings and now we bump up. You can just see the degree of difficulty that's involved in a conference like this. Every game is huge and all the points matter and we're lucky to come out of here with two." 

The Ducks are now in 5th place in the standings and continue to give themselves a chance at the post-season.   They now dangerously head into Edmonton, the worst team in the conference, and cannot afford to take it "easy" against the Oilers. 

In other notes:  Francois Beauchemin was inserted into the line up after being acquired on Wednesday morning from the Toronto Maple Leafs.  The Ducks dressed seven defensemen, using Andy Sutton as a forward on the fourth line.   Timo Pielmeier was sent back to the ECHL as Hiller was activated off IR.  There is no room in Syracuse since the Ducks signed Ray Emery and he has finally gotten his immigration paperwork completed.

 

Nothing says satisfying like defeating the best team in the NHL and handing them only their fourth loss at home.  The Ducks were satsfied after their 4-3 win over Vancouver that keeps them in the playoff hunt.

It was a busy Wednesday for the Ducks, who traded Joffrey Lupul, a prospect and draft pick to Toronto in exchange for Francois Beauchemin early in the day.  Aaron Voros cleared waivers and was sent to Syracuse, which made room for the return of Ryan Getzlaf to the line up.

The Ducks got the strong start they needed in a building that has been difficult for virtually all teams visiting this season.  Jason Blake scored just :56 seconds into the first period.

In the second period, Brandon McMillan and Bobby Ryan scored :46 seconds apart to make it 3-0.  Dan Sexton made a well timed play getting the puck to McMillan, who put the puck in behind Cory Schneider at 3:26, not long after a Canucks penalty had expired.

The Ryan goal itself was not a thing of beauty, but the Getzlaf pass was!  Getzlaf faked everyone out but his teammate, making the Canucks believe he was going to shoot the puck.  The goalie went down, the defense prepared themselves and then Getzlaf spun around and sent a behind the back pass to Ryan who had no problem finishing the play.

Getzlaf, who missed nearly six weeks with fractured nasal passages and came back wearing a visor, clearly had less rust than would have been expected.

"I think he hadn't missed a beat," Ryan said. "There were a couple of shifts early where Getzy has to get his timing back. He missed a lot of hockey, but the on-ice intangibles, the plays that he makes and the passes that he feeds -- like on (my) first goal. You can't replace that. We'll take our captain back, and (Perry) and I will certainly take our center back."

To say the building was quiet after the third goal would be an understatement, but the Canucks showed their tenacity and skill and got back into the game.

On the only power play they had, Daniel Sedin put the Canucks on the board at 7:22.  It was a wise thing to be disciplined against Vancouver, who will happily make you pay for your sins.   Curtis McElhinney, who was in net again while Jonas Hiller recovers from fatigue and lightheadedness, saw his bid for a second shut out in a row end.

Early in the third period, Alex Burrows brought the Canucks back within one goal at 5:42.  It was Burrows 100th career goal, but more importantly got the crowd back into the game. 

Coach Randy Carlyle, sensing a momentum shift by the Canucks, took a wise time out for his team.  His players responded on the next shift with Ryan's second goal of the game at 6:10.  Somehow it found it's way in on the short side off the post.

Never say never for the Canucks, and their coach pulled Schneider with 2:16 left in the game, in the hopes that the Canucks could tie things up.  They almost did. 

Ryan Kesler scored with :20.2 seconds remaining, making the empty net that Corey Perry missed by a fraction of an inch that much more frustrating. 

The Canuck storm did not let up until the final horn sounded and the Ducks hung on for the 4-3 win.  McElhinney's 35 stops were critical to the Ducks success.

The scariest part of the game came just after Ryan's second goal.  Dan Hamhuis was behind the Ducks net and Getzlaf hit him cleanly in the shoulder.  Hamhuis, who had begun to turn to avoid the hit, was spun around, slammed into the glass and clearly unconscious when he fell to the ice limply.  After a long period on the ice, Hamhuis was helped off by the trainer and teammates, but did not return to the game.   There was no penalty called on Getzlaf and it was deemed a clean hit.  Hopefully all is well with Hamhuis and he recovers quickly.

The Ducks now head to Calgary, where Beauchemin is expected to play with the team.  

Well, Murray did it again.  Ducks GM Bob Murray made another trade with Toronto and his former boss, Toronto GM Brian Burke.  

This time Murray sent winger Joffrey Lupul to Canada, along with top defensive prospect, Jake Gardiner, and a conditional fourth round draft pick in 2013 in exchange for defenseman Francois Beauchemin.   Beauchemin first came to the Ducks in 2005 from Columbus in the Sergei Fedorov trade.  While the other part of the trade, Tyler Wright, has long since vanished to obscurity, Beauchemin was a key part of the Ducks defense for several years, including the Stanley Cup winning team in 2007.

Despite coming back from an ACL injury in fall of 2008, the Ducks let Beauchemin go as a free agent, with Murray claiming at the time that he was too expensive to sign.  Murray never even offered him a deal and Beauchemin signed with the Maple Leafs. 

Now Murray seems to value what he lost in Beauchemin, but rather than having kept him in an Anaheim uniform all along, now the price is a lot steeper.

While Lupul has not been stellar since returning from back surgery that kept him out of the line up for a year, he has provided depth scoring and experience up front.   Gardiner is a top ranked defensive prospect who is currently playing at the University of Wisconsin and much is expected from him in the future.  

In many ways the short term benefits of this deal could be outweighed by the extremely high long term costs.  It was an awful lot to give up for a single player with just one more year on his contract.  Especially when you now have nine defensemen on your roster.   

What does one do with nine defensemen? 

Toni Lydman, Lubomir Visnovsky, Cam Fowler, Andreas Lilja, Andy Sutton, Luca Sbisa, Paul Mara, Sheldon Brookbank and now Beauchemin.  Mara and Brookbank are already seeing enough time in the press box as healthy scratches.  Mara was brought in when Lydman missed the first part of the season with double vision.  Lilja was brought in when Sutton broke his finger in the first game of the season.  Now that everyone is healthy, something has to give. 

Murray could not have sent an extra d-man in place of a top prospect?  Does Burke have compromising pictures of Murray that would help explain some of the logic behind this deal?  

On the plus side, there should be no transition time for Beauchemin, who is quite familiar with coach Randy Carlyle and his system.   And Lupul's contract has two years remaining, so that is a significant savings in terms of the salary cap.

Ducks fans seem torn on this one.  Happy to have Beauchemin back, but unhappy at the price paid to do so.  As with all deals, hindsight will prove 20/20 as to whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. 

There might be time off between games, but it is never quiet in Ducks land.

Jonas Hiller has officially been put on IR, retroactive to February 3.  Hiller had a horrible beginning to last Wednesday's game against the Sharks.  He let in three goals in the first 11 minutes and was promptly shown the bench in favor of Curtis McElhinney.  Hiller admitted he did not feel quite right and missed the next few days of practice and did not play against Colorado on Saturday.

Hiller reported continued fatigue and lightheadedness, and did not practice again until Tuesday with the team. 

"It was all right," Hiller reported after practice.  "It was different. It still doesn’t feel 100 percent, but it was good to be back on the ice.  I’m still not quite there.  I’m definitely feeling better. I still feel a little off, but I really hope it’s not going to get worse tonight and we can go forward from here."

While it was hoped the Hiller would be available on Wednesday against Vancouver, the last thing you want is a goaltender having that loopy, spacy feeling in net. 

IR requires a minimum absence of one week, so Hiller will remain out until at least Thursday with his next available game to be Friday in Calgary. 

"Obviously, we’re going to make sure that he feels 110 percent," said coach Randy Carlyle.  "It seems like now he’s on his way to recovery."

In the interim, Timo Pielmeier has been called up to back up McElhinney.  Pielmeier also joined the team for the Colorado game before being sent back down again to the ECHL. 

McElhinney earned a shut out in Colorado, and if he continues on a roll, Hiller and the Ducks have nothing to worry about while Hiller is less than 100%. 

In other goaltending news,  the Ducks have signed Ray Emery to a two-way contract.  Emery had to clear waivers before being sent down to Syracuse. 

Emery, 28, has not played any hockey since having hip surgery in April 2010. 

“Ray Emery has been a solid NHL netminder for several years and is only 28 years old,” said Ducks GM Bob Murray. “We are going to give him a chance to go to Syracuse and establish himself again. He’s worked hard to get back into shape and we are looking forward to seeing what he can do.”

Emery has not had a quiet, unassuming career to this point.  He spent his first seasons with the Ottawa Senators, and most notably was in net when the Ducks won the Stanley Cup in June 2007.  By next June the Senators waived hiim and bought out his contract, having long since tired with his antics both on and off the ice.

The antics included a three game suspension for high sticking Maxim Lapierre in the face during a game.  (Yes, the same Lapierre who now wears a Ducks uniform.)  He's been in not one, but two fights in the same game.  He's shown up late to practices.  He's fought with teammates in practice.  He's had controversial mask artwork. 

One can only hope he has matured since then.  Certainly he has had enough time off recovering from serious surgery to contemplate his past behaviour.

"I’m really excited to be back," said a seemingly more humble Emery.  "I definitely appreciate things more. I appreciate my body more, knowing that it’s not always going to be there for me and having that scare of thinking I might have played my last game.”

How long Emery will be in Syracuse is unknown, but he will need some time to get back into game shape.  He does add depth to the Ducks roster, though.

In other notes:  Aaron Voros was placed on waivers to make room for Ryan Getzlaf who will be coming off IR and playing on Wednesday night in Vancouver.

Wha?  Huh?  Oh!  Is it time to wake up?  I think I took a nap during the Ducks and Sharks game on Wednesday.  Problem was, the Ducks took a nap, too, and lost 4-3.  By the time they woke up, Jonas Hiller was chased out of the net after letting in three goals on 10 shots.  

Facing Colorado on the road, the Ducks actually started the game in an awake state.  Amazing how that will go a long way to winning a game. 

Hiller has been feeling fatigued and light-headed (Ducks fans weren't feeling any better after Wednesday's effort), so he has been excused from his usual goaltending duties.  Timo Pielmeier was called to back up Curtis McElhinney, but there was no need to call on the back up in this game. 

McElhinney stopped all 25 shots for his second shut out of the season.  The second shut out of the season is a bit more impressive considering that those represent two of his four wins this season.   He might not get many opportunities in net, or be put into ideal situations, but when he is, he performs very well for the Ducks.  

The star of the show was Corey Perry.   With his second hat trick of the season (and his career), Perry made sure the puck got in the net.  He sealed the victory for the Ducks with an empty net goal at the end, but he could easily have had the hat trick earlier in the game with eight shots on goal and another five that either missed or were blocked by the Avalanche.

The Avalanche shot themselves in the foot by taking so many penalties in the game, five of six coming in the first period alone.  Perry broke the scoreless tie at 13:51 on the Ducks second power play. 

While unable to convert on a 5 on 3 at the end of the period, the Ducks were able to make it 2-0 at 1:53 of the second.  The Avs, who were much more disciplined after that, could not get anything past McElhinney. 

When Peter Budaj was pulled for the extra attacker late in the third period, the Avs still had a good chance of tying up the game.  The empty net goal to complete the hat trick at 19:42 sucked that possibility right out the door. The Ducks had not shut out the Avs since 2003.

The dads who were on the annual father-son road trip were certainly happy with the outcome.  The Ducks were happy with the outcome.  Coach Randy Carlyle had to be happier with the outcome (although is he ever really truly pleased?)

And so erasing a lousy and self-described "lethargic" effort on Wednesday, the Ducks start their four game road trip on the right foot with a win. 

Next up?  Oh Canada.  With tilts in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton.   As long as they are awake for those matches, they should be fine.

In other notes:  Ryan Getzlaf was cleared for contact and could play on Wednesday in Vancouver, if ready.   Hiller remains day to day, but is likely to be ready to go on Wednesday as well.  If not, McElhinney is not a bad option for the Ducks.

The All Star Break is over.  Corey Perry, Jonas Hiller and Cam Fowler represented themselves at the All-Star festivities well.  Hiller had the best save percentage of all six goaltenders, which is saying a lot in a game that had 21 goals, and was hit in the head with a puck (what else is new).  Perry won the elimination shootout in the skills competition and was not chosen last in the draft.  Fowler came back with souvenirs and great memories. 

But now it is back to work.  The fun and games and rest are over and now the real test starts.

The Ducks got back to practice on Monday and were joined by Ryan Getzlaf, who had missed the previous month with fractured nasal passages.  He has had to don a visor in order to practice with the team, to prevent further damage.  However, Getzlaf still remains wishy washy about whether or not he'll keep it on after all is well.  Clearly the impact of the puck on his face has affected his ability to think wisely.   Getzlaf will remain out this week and is aiming to return to games next week when the Ducks head to western Canada on a road trip.

While most of the Ducks had rest and relaxation, Dan Sexton added more frequent flyer miles to his total.  He and Matt Beleskey were sent back to Syracuse during the break.  Sexton was the only one recalled again because Aaron Voros was taken off IR and rejoined the team at practice. 

Voros who?  Voros has played a whopping 11 games with the Ducks this season.  After a miserable bout of the flu after Thanksgiving put him on the IR, he was able to play one game before exiting the roster once again after 1:25 of playing time.  This time it was a fractured orbital bone and he has been missing in action since.  It is a safe bet that he will still be wearing a suit on game day, this time as a healthy scratch.

So now the Ducks head into their final 30 games.  16 of those are at home, including the game against San Jose tonight, the 100th time the teams have met.  14 of the final 30 games are on the road.  Anaheim went 8-3-1 in the month of January, and want to keep that momentum going.

If specialty teams remain strong, that will go a long way to earning two points every night.  The Ducks are 13 for 27 on the power play in the last nine games, which is a ridiculous 48.1% rate.  At 24.4% on the season, the Ducks have the second best power play in the NHL.  Penalty killing has been excellent of late, too, with the Ducks killing 40 of 45 penalties in the past 13 games.  

Initially the road was pretty cruel to the Anaheim Ducks, but things have turned around.  A 3-2 victory over Columbus gave them three out of four wins on this most recent road trip and keeps them in fifth place overall in the Western Conference.  

After an emotional shootout victory in Montreal that saw the first return of Saku Koivu to his former team, a game against the Blue Jackets could have been a letdown.  Certainly there was not the same media presence or hype surrounding the match up.  Nonetheless, the Ducks rose to the task and got the job done.

There have been two keys to the Ducks victories of late.  The first is the All-Star goaltending of Jonas Hiller, who stopped 35 more shots to add to his ever burgeoning totals.  The second is the power play.  Second overall in the NHL, it continues to produce, even while missing captain Ryan Getzlaf, who is out with fractured nasal passages until after the All Star break.

The Ducks added two more power play goals to their recent tallies, thanks to a five minute major penalty taken by Derek Dorsett.   Dorsett got a boarding penalty for carelessly taking Corey Perry into the boards hard.  Perry was in a vulnerable position and headed to the locker room while Dorsett headed to the penalty box. 

The Ducks took advantage and Teemu Selanne put the first goal in at 4:12 and Cam Fowler added insult to injury at 5:13.  With another 3:30 left to go on the penalty, Selanne nearly made it 3-0 shortly thereafter.  Columbus managed to hold on and did not let the Ducks inflict more damage, even though it would have been sweet justice to have Perry score after returning to the ice midway through the power play.

Columbus has been making a habit of coming back from two goal deficits and they persevered in this one as well.  The Ducks handed Columbus a 5 on 3 power play late in the first period and Rick Nash brought the Blue Jackets back within one goal at 17:42, just as time had erased the first penalty.  Nash's shot popped over Hiller's shoulder and into the net. 

"It was a tough start there giving up two goals right away," commented Columbus coach, Scott Arniel.  "Hiller was outstanding and we had a lot of opportunities to get that game evened up when it was 2-1. We played hard. We got behind the 8-ball, but didn't stop playing."

How the other pucks remained out of the net in the second period still remains a mystery.  Both teams had some good chances and near misses and a couple of pucks ringing off the post.  And as usual, Hiller remained velcro man with the pucks sticking to him.  Steve Mason managed to hold the fort at his end as well.

Finally in the third period the Ducks got the insurance marker they were looking for.  Playing in his 800th career game, Jason Blake scored his 200th career goal (10th of the year to keep things well rounded).  It turned out to be the game winner.

The Ducks continued to play with fire by taking penalties and Derick Brassard made it 3-2 at 9:54 on the power play.  Brassard happily finished off the rebound behind Hiller. 

Despite their best efforts, Hiller stood firm and the Ducks wisely stayed out of the penalty box for the remainder of the game.  The victory gave the Ducks an 8-3-0 record in the month of January and puts them eight games over the .500 mark with a 28-20-4 record. 

The Ducks now head to the All Star break, hoping to resume momentum on February 2 when the return home to play the Sharks.  It will be a brief visit, as the Ducks have yet another four game road trip with three games in Canada (this time Western Canada). 

"Obviously, we've played a lot of hockey," said Selanne. "I always think the break is good, but the team has played well lately. Even those nights when we haven't played that well we've still found a way to win the games. That's a sign of a good team."

If they stay this good, there is a chance the Ducks will make it to the playoffs this season after missing last year. 



 

The return of Saku Koivu to Montreal began with a press conference on Friday evening to meet media demands, continued with a standing ovation at the start of the game and ended with the second star of the game in a 4-3 shootout victory for the Ducks.

Montreal, who had not seen Koivu for more than a year and a half since he left as a free agent, was as warm and welcoming to their former captain as they could be.  To say it was an emotional night for Koivu would be an understatement. 

However, when all was said and done, there was a game to be played and both teams were in need of two points. 

Anaheim got on the board first with a power play goal from Cam Fowler that went off two different Canadiens players before landing behind Carey Price at 15:07 of the first period.   There was not much Price could do to stop the puck. 

The Ducks then had a very good second period.  They have played horrible in the middle frame of late, but this time they decided it would go better if they stayed in the game. 

Max Pacioretty tied up the game at 7:55 with a power play goal.   That goal was significant, because it was only the second time in 36 chances that an opposing team had put a puck in the net with the extra man against Anaheim.  Koivu was in the penalty box for one of three penalties he took. 

The Ducks got lucky at the end of the period with a rebound goal that Joffrey Lupul shot.  It went off Bobby Ryan and in.  Ryan, who was at the side of the net, also got a stick in his face by a Canadiens player, but a goal at 16:26 made it feel a lot better. 

Corey Perry added another power play goal at 19:43 with an assist from Koivu, giving the Ducks a 3-1 lead going into the third period.

With time winding down, the Canadiens kept pressing and were rewarded with a goal from Mathieu Darche at 16:20.  Darche tipped in Yannick Weber's shot through traffic to put it behind Jonas Hiller, the other All-Star goaltender in the game.  

Pulling within one goal, the Canadiens had life and they gave it their all to tie up the game.  With Koivu in the box for the third time, Pacioretty once again struck gold.  Price had vacated the net to make it a 6 on 4 and the game was tied up with just :12.6 seconds remaining. 

Overtime came, overtime went, and the fans who came to see their former captain return certainly got their money's worth.  As the first game of the road trip went in Ottawa, so did this one for the Ducks.  Hiller stopped all three Montreal shots in the shootout.  Perry missed his shot, but Ryan was successful in his.  Two points for the Ducks, who remain in fifth place in the Western Conference. 

The Ducks now have one more game in Columbus before heading into the All-Star break.  With a win tonight, they are guaranteed at least a .500 record on the four game trip. 

In other notes:  Timo Pielmeier was recalled to back up Jonas Hiller.  Curtis McElhinney left on Friday to be with his wife for the birth of their second child, necessitating the call up.

The Santa Ana winds were blowing back home in Anaheim, with leaves on the doorstep.  In Toronto, Jonas Hiller had Leafs on his doorstep.   When all was said and done, Toronto also had two points in the standings with a 5-2 victory over the Ducks.

While the Leafs are not a familiar team, there was a familiar face in goal.  It was the first time the Ducks had met up with Toronto since Jean-Sebastien Giguere was traded last spring.   Giguere appeared to be a man on a mission to play well and he succeeded.

The Ducks started off well enough, getting on the scoreboard at 7:55 of the first period with a wide angle shot from Dan Sexton.  Sexton figured to put it on net and let the traffic in front take care of it, but Sexton's shot went in over the shoulder of Giguere. 

The Leafs, who were rebounding from a 7-0 loss to the New York Rangers the night before, tied up the game at 11:43 with a goal from Clarke MacArthur. 

Tied going into the second period, the Ducks did what the Ducks seem to do a lot of lately - stop playing in the middle frame and start relying on their goaltender.  This time Hiller could not bail his team out.

Brandon MacMillan gave the Ducks the lead once more at 5:23.  It was unclear whether MacMillan's goal crossed the line behind Giguere, as Dion Phaneuf went to clear the puck.  Even if it had not crossed, Maxim Lapierre banged it in again to make certain it counted.  Eventually the goal was credited to MacMillan, his fifth of the year.

But that was all she wrote for the Ducks.   Once more the Leafs tied up the game with a goal from Carl Gunnarsson at 13:10 and Tyler Bozak gave Toronto the first lead of the game at 16:15.

The Ducks regrouped and came out a bit better in the third, but then Bobby Ryan made a beautiful pass to Mikhail Grabovski.  No, Grabovski does not wear a Ducks uniform, and Grabovski was more than obliging to put the puck behind Hiller at 5:56. 

The Ducks looked like they could have come back within one midway through, but Lubomir Visnovsky's shot went off the cross bar and out and play continued until Grabovski did it again.  He caught Hiller down on the ice and made it 5-2 at 11:40. 

At that point, game over Ducks.  They were outshot 37 to 28.  They were outhit 31 to 23.  They were bested in the faceoff circle by Toronto, who won 2 out of 3 face offs. 

Eventually playing poorly catches up to you, and this time it caught up to the Ducks.  One can only hope that they get their act together for a full 60 minutes (65 if overtime is needed) when they visit Montreal on Saturday.   Fans deserve better than this.

It was important for the Ducks to start off their four game road trip on the right note.  As with their last game against Edmonton, things got a little hairy in Ottawa, but the Ducks hung on for a 2-1 victory in a shootout.

Things started off well for the Ducks.  Corey Perry made a highlight reel goal by getting his own rebound and knocking the second chance into the net with a backhand shot as he was falling to the ice.  The puck went up and over Brian Elliott's shoulder and it was 1-0 at 14:30 of the first period.

Anaheim continued strong on the penalty kill, killing both attempts by the Senators.  The Ducks have now killed 31 of their last 32 penalties.  

Wisely, the Senators took no penalties, other than a fighting major.  The Ducks have been very good with the extra man of late and are third in the NHL with a 23.3% success rate.  Had the Ducks gone on the power play, that could have helped put the game away. 

Instead, the Ducks continued living dangerously on the edge and relied far too much on Jonas Hiller to bail them out.  Hiller showed the Eastern Conference why he was nominated to the All Star game by stopping 39 shots. 

The only one that got past him was Mike Fisher's rebound shot at 18:19 of the second period.  With the way the Ducks were slumping in the middle frame, they were fortunate to head to the third with a 1-1 tie rather than trailing. 

"I know you guys don't see it much on the East Coast but we're quite used to those kinds of performances," said Bobby Ryan. "You know, he did it again. That's why he's an All-Star and that's why he's our No. 1 goalie.  It's a pretty special player there."

The Ducks held on in the third period and Teemu Selanne had an opportunity to deny the Senators a point when he clanged a shot off the post with less than a minute to go.  The game went to overtime instead and then to a shootout.

The Senators have been unsuccessful in overtime and/or shootouts this year, and nothing changed for them in this game either.

Hiller stood strong in net stopping Daniel Alfredsson, Fisher and Erik Karlsson.  Elliott was able to stop Perry's attempt, but Ryan got his shot past the goaltender. 

Ducks got two points and are fifth in the Western Conference.

"Every game that you win is not a masterpiece," observed coach Randy Carlyle. "This one by no means was a masterpiece. Maybe if you consider it for our goaltender. He was the best player on the ice."

Like Sunday's game against Edmonton, the tape doesn't need to be kept for all posterity. 

Now the Ducks will get a day off before playing Toronto on Thursday.  Usually Anaheim is handed back-to-back scenarios, but on this trip, they will have breathing room.  And perhaps some time to consider why they still cannot play a full 60 minutes.   At some point, that behavior will come back to bite them.  For now, they are holding on and earning points to stay in the thick of things.