Defenseman Brendan Mikkelson was picked up off waivers by the Calgary Flames today.  Mikkelson was going to be sent to Syracuse of the AHL, but did not clear waivers.

The Ducks reported that Mikkelson had fallen a bit on the depth charts after the play of rookie Cam Fowler and with other defensemen up and coming in the wings.

As the Ducks only have six healthy defensemen (Andy Sutton is still out with a broken thumb), the team recalled Danny Syvret from Syracuse.  Syvret will join the Ducks in Columbus to start their four-game road trip that will also include Philadelphia, Detroit and Dallas before returning to Anaheim next week.

During this road trip, the Ducks will also have to make a decision about Fowler.  Fowler has played six games and has three more before a decision must be made about whether or not to return him to his junior team.  With a goal and two assists and adding a much needed spark to the defense, it seems unlikely that Fowler will be returned.  However, nothing is ever certain until it happens.

There are plenty of Ducks odds and ends to clean up the day after a grit it out victory over Phoenix.

Rookie defenseman, Cam Fowler, was having a great game against the Coyotes, including his first NHL goal.  In the middle of the second period, he was taken hard into the boards by Shane Doan.  The hit by Doan on Fowler was pretty clean for the most part, although unfortunate, as Fowler was losing an edge after having gone end to end with puck and getting his third great scoring chance of the night.

Fowler lost his helmet and was quite shaken up.  He clearly had a cut on his nose from the incident and this morning it was announced that the nose was indeed broken.

Fowler will be traveling on the four game road trip that the Ducks leave on tomorrow.  He is listed as "probable" for Wednesday night's game against Columbus.

The hit by Doan on Dan Sexton in the third period, however, was not so clean.  The referees missed that one, but the play was reviewed by the league and deemed to be a blindside hit.  In the replays, Doan clearly his Sexton's head.  Doan was suspended for three games for the incident, a clear sign that the new rule about blindside hits is going to be enforced.

The Ducks also announced on Monday that Brendan Mikkelson has been waived in order to be sent down to Syracuse.  Mikkelson will join Luca Sbisa, who was reassigned on Saturday, if he clears waivers by 9:00am Tuesday morning.

These actions leave the Ducks with six healthy (mostly) defensemen and one on IR.  Lubomir Visnovsky, Toni Lydman, Andreas Lilja (who got his visa renewed and played his first game as a Duck against Phoenix), Sheldon Brookbank, Paul Mara and Cam Fowler remain.  Andy Sutton is out after having surgery to repair a broken thumb.

What this could mean is that Fowler is not going back to juniors.  After the game, coach Randy Carlyle was asked about that and he would only state that he had an "opinion" but it was up to management.  With the way Fowler has performed, it would be insane to send the kid back to juniors.  This latest move with Mikkelson seems all but sure that Fowler is here to stay.

Back in the day, the Ducks could pretty much guarantee a win against Phoenix.  That hasn't been the case lately, with Phoenix being the team who made the playoffs and the Ducks the ones who stayed home last spring.   Nonetheless, the Ducks continued to improve their season with a 3-2 victory that started slow, but improved as time went on.

Although the first period was mostly a yawner, the second period proved much more interesting.  Rookie Cam Fowler scored his first ever NHL goal at 3:41 with a shot from the blue line that hit the post and went in.  On the next shift, he nearly got his second goal.  A few minutes later, Fowler experienced another first - getting creamed by Shane Doan. 

Fowler was making another stickhandling run with the puck, making his way past several Coyotes obstacles.  He was caught behind the net, though, by Doan, who checked the 18-year-old hard.  Fowler was down on the ice for quite a while and bleeding when he finally got up, looking quite dazed.  He went straight to the locker room to be evaluated and remained there the rest of the game.  At minimum, Fowler had a cut on his nose.  Whether or not it was broken remains to be announced.

The Ducks persevered and Toni Lydman, only playing his second game since being cleared from a nasty episode of double vision, got his second goal in as many games at 9:44.  Lydman has never had a goal scoring streak in his 10 year career.  He has one now and he looks to be having a career year.   Anaheim can use the scoring, whereever it comes from.

Taking a 2-0 lead into the third period is no guarantee of a win as Anaheim enjoys playing things on the dangerous edge.  They gave up goals to Scottie Upshall at 1:01 and Eric Belanger at 11:19.   Gratefully the top line of Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan came through with the game winning goal coming from Perry at 14:23.  

Jason LaBarbera, getting the start in the second of back-to-back games for the Coyotes, stopped 32 shots, but could not stop Perry. 

Phoenix did all they could do to tie up the game, and no one left the game early.  Jonas Hiller did his best work in the final minutes and stopped 36 more shots for the win.   He's had to make a total of 215 saves so far in the season. 

The win gives the Ducks five out of six points at home before heading out for another road trip.  This one takes them to Columbus, Philadelphia, Detroit and Dallas.  It just doesn't get any easier, but if the Ducks can play like they have the past three games, at least they will have a better chance of getting points on the road.

After winning the home opener, the Ducks did not want to fall back on their winless ways.  They came close, but not close enough in a 5 - 4 shootout loss against Atlanta. 

"I think it was mental mistakes that we made that cost us the point," observed coach Randy Carlyle.  "Not their effort.  They worked hard and tried.  Some nights shootouts go for you, some nights they don't."

The Thrashers wasted no time scoring, just :17 seconds into the game.  Anthony Stewart finished off Andrew Ladd's pass while the Anaheim defense continued to show why they are a work in progress. 

It took a while for the Ducks to get things in gear, but eventually they found their rhythm and got some shots on goal, outshoothing their opponent for the first time this season, 41 - 33.  Taking advantage of a power play, Anaheim tied things up when Corey Perry deflected Lubomir Visnovsky's point shot at 8:54.  

The Ducks took their first lead of the game midway through the second period.  Toni Lydman, making his debut with the Ducks after missing more than a month with double vision, saw just one puck go in the net on 9:43.  Chris Mason could not control the juicy rebound that landed right at Lydman's feet.  The stay-at-home defenseman only scores a handful of goals each season, but this was certainly the way to start things in an Anaheim uniform.

Atlanta came back to tie things up on their first power play opportunity.  Chris Thorburn, who had recently exited the penalty box himself, deflected in Dustin Byfuglien's hard shot from the blue line at 13:21.

The Thrashers would have been better off staying out of the penalty box, but the Ducks were happy to take advantage of their errors.  Teemu Selanne scored his second power play goal in as many games at 19:08 to restore a 3-2 lead to Anaheim.  That was Selanne's 608th goal, and ties him for 16th on the all-time list with Dino Ciccarelli.

The Ducks, outshooting their opponent for the first time this season, wanted to maintain that momentum going into the third period.  Another power play goal, this time from Ryan Getzlaf at 6:35, gave the Ducks a two goal lead.  They needed it.

Not learning from Atlanta's mistakes, the Ducks decided to make a few trips to the penalty box themselves. 

Stewart took advantage of a loose puck behind Jonas Hiller to bring the Thrashers back within one at 10:35.  He got his first hat trick at 14:38 deflecting a rogue puck into the net.  Never having scored more than two goals in a season, Stewart has already eclipsed that mark. 

"I'm happy to contribute any way I can," said an obviously happy Stewart.  "I am still tring to prove myself in this league, so any way I can contribute is great."

That sent the game into overtime, the first time for the Ducks this season, and then into the shootout.  Both Hiller and Mason looked strong, but in the end, it was Nigel Dawes who put the game winning puck past Hiller in the fourth round to end things on a positive note for the Thrashers. 

"We lost a point," said Carlyle.  "But we're going to try to build on that, because there were parts of the game that we played very, very well."

Next up is the Phoenix Coyotes on Sunday evening, which also happens to be Hockey Fights Cancer night at the Honda Center. 

Three losses to open the season on the road.  The Ducks needed to turn things around at home.  Fast.  The Ducks made baby steps in a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.

Outscored 13 - 2 in their first three efforts, the Ducks finally got some offense.  Ryan Getzlaf looked exceptionally relieved when his power play goal went in at 2:41 of the first period.  Unable to convert on the 5 on 3, the Ducks persisted and got their first lead of the season.

"It was nice to be able to calm things down and play hockey," said Getzlaf, who assisted on each of the other Ducks goals.  "It didn't matter what the score was.  Guys were playing with the puck all night long.  That changes the outlook on the game."

The outlook changed again when the lead did not last.  Daniel Sedin got a power play goal of his own at 3:57 and :17 seconds later Raffi Torres deflected a shot by Dan Hamhuis to make it 2-1 for the Canucks.  Just like that the Ducks were back behind the eight ball.

Unlike previous games, the Ducks kept things close and were actual getting shots on goal.  They also were getting more chances handed to them.

In the second period the Ducks were graced with another long 5 on 3 chance.  Unlike the first one that looked pretty even, the Ducks took advantage of this one.  Teemu Selanne, who has more than one-third of his goals on the power play, got his first goal of the year at 15:09, roofing his shot behind Roberto Luongo.  Once more the game was tied.

The Ducks kept themselves out of the penalty box for the most part, but when Bobby Ryan took his second hooking penalty of the game early in the third, it cost them.  Christian Ehrhoff ripped a long shot that seemed to be a heat-seeking missile destined for Jonas Hiller.   Bodies were no obstacle for the puck that found its target in the net at 5:23.  Canucks back in the lead.

The Ducks had other plans, and this time they would not be foiled.  After narrowly escaping a weird puck bounce that nearly landed in the net behind Hiller, the Ducks took off the other direction and Corey Perry finished off a slick pass from Getzlaf at 8:54.  Perry's arms, raised high in the air, signaled the same level of relief Getzlaf had shown earlier.

Not content to watch his linemates score, Ryan got his first, equally relieved, goal at 10:12 to give the Ducks back the lead.  Stealing the puck from a surprised Henrik Sedin, the Ducks took advantage and he, Perry and Getzlaf took off to the races with patient determination.

"We were gripping our sticks a little tight," Ryan observed.  "When you get one, good things happen.  We got back to the style that we're accustomed to. It's a huge monkey off our backs."

Forget monkey.  That thing hanging on them was an adult silverback gorilla.

Vancouver could not be faulted for effort in an attempt even the score, but even with the net empty for the extra attacker, the Canucks could not manage another shot on goal.

"We knew they weren't particularly happy," said Luongo, who stopped 28 shots.  "We knew coming in here that they would be a hungry team."

That hunger translated into success, instead of boiling over into frustration and poor choices, as it had in previous games.

"It wasn't pretty," said coach Randy Carlyle, who looked as relieved as his players after the game.  "At least its a starting point for us.  By no means are we out of the woods yet.  We just have to build on this and be ready when we come to work tomorrow."

Baby steps, but at least they are steps in the right direction.

The Ducks had one more chance to redeem themselves on their road trip, but instead, continued their awful road ways that plagued them last season.  A 5-1 loss to the Blues was just the latest self-implosion by Anaheim.

St. Louis came out of the gate with a vengeance and their early pressure paid off.  David Backes scored at 3:53 of the first period.  Six seconds later, former Duck Andy McDonald scored off the face-off.  That was all they needed to do.  The rest of the game could have been cancelled from there.

Even when the Ducks got their first power play, they turned the puck over and BJ Crombeen made it 3-0 shorthanded at 5:10.  Anaheim recovered with Koivu scoring his second goal of the year (and second goal for the Ducks) at 6:08 on the power play.

Matt D'Agostini finished off the scoring for the Blues with two more goals, one even strength at 15:51 of the second and 17:18 of the third on a power play.

After the fourth goal, Jonas Hiller left the net.  He'd already seen 34 shots at that point.  Curtis McElhinney was not neglected and faced 19 shots of his own.

Jaroslav Halak, on the other hand, was able to rest and relax in net, facing just 14 shots the entire game.  The Blues shot more than that each period!

The Ducks, who were frustrated from those first two St. Louis goals, never regained their composure, as shown in the 78 penalty minutes accumulated.

So much for getting off to a good start.  In the first three games the Ducks have been outshot 145 - 72.  They have allowed 12 goals while scoring only 2.  The Ducks are not disciplined.  The Ducks are trying to do too much and end up doing the wrong thing.  The defense is lacking.

It is going to be a long season.  Three games down, 79 to go.   The road has not been good so far.  Hopefully the team can turn things around when they come home for a three game home stand.  It remains to be seen....

In other notes: The Ducks signed Swedish defenseman, Andreas Lilja, to a one year contract worth $600,000.  The 35 year old d-man still has to obtain a current visa before joining the Ducks, but he is expected to fill a hole that Andy Sutton left after breaking his right thumb in the first game of the season.

Two games into the new season, and the Ducks are not headed in the right direction.  The latest 4-1 loss to Nashville continues to point out Anaheim's weaknesses.

Things were even for most of the game with Marcel Goc scoring first for the Predators at 4:10 of the second period.  The Ducks pulled even thanks to their first (and only) goal of the season at 5:25 from Saku Koivu.  Koivu was assisted by Teemu Selanne and Cam Fowler, who earned his first NHL point.

Steve Sullivan put Nashville back ahead on the power play at 8:33 and Patrick Hornqvist extended the lead to 3-1 at 16:12.

Nashville lost Pekke Rinne in net early in the third period to what appeared to be a leg injury that occurred when Troy Bodie tumbled into Rinne and everyone else piled on.  Anders Lindback, who at 6'6" is even taller than Rinne, took over in net and held the fort the rest of the way.

Jonas Hiller was stuck in the shooting gallery again, this time facing 49 shots on goal.  The Ducks were hoping to get themselves back in the game, but David Legwand made it 4-1 at 12:39 of the third.  Penalty trouble did not help the Ducks, who finished off the game in the penalty box.

So what have we learned about the Ducks so far?

1.  The defense is thin.  Fowler is a bright spot in an otherwise dismal and overworked crew.

2.  Hiller will be facing a shooting gallery every game.  In two games, the Ducks netminder has faced 92 shots on goal.  Even the best goaltender in the world can't stop that many shots every single game.

3.  Offense is lacking.  The Ducks have plenty of firepower in Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan and Teemu Selanne.  One goal for and eight goals against is not going to win games.  Someone has to put it in the net. Sooner, rather than later.

4.  Specialty teams have to be excellent.  If you get a power play, convert.  If you take a penalty, kill it.  So far the Ducks are killing penalties - 12 out of 13.

5.  It's going to be a long season.......

Next up for the Ducks is a Monday matinee in St. Louis.

The Ducks announced after the game last night that Andy Sutton broke his thumb in a scrum with Red Wings defenseman (and former Duck) Ruslan Salei.  Sutton did not return to the game after the scrum, which occurred in the middle of the second period.

Sutton was reportedly wearing a cast after the game and will be reevaluated further today.  In the interim, Brett Festerling has been recalled from Syracuse to be the 7th d-man for the Ducks.

The Ducks play Nashville this evening, but it is more likely that Luca Sbisa, who was a healthy scratch against Detroit, will be in the line-up.

For the Ducks, whose defense is already lacking, this is not the way to start the season.

You can preach all you want about the necessity of having a good start, but the reality is that you have to back it up with real results.  The Ducks did not do that in their 4-0 loss to the Red Wings to open the NHL season.

Sure, the Ducks have historically been impotent at Joe Louis Arena in the regular season (although post-season has been another matter).  Nothing changed after 60 more minutes in Detroit.  Now the Ducks are 3-23-7 all time when in Michigan. 

Detroit, the oldest team in the league, proved that older can be wiser.  Johan Franzen and Mike Modano scored just :24 seconds apart in the first period and the Red Wings never looked back.  Modano, 40, got his first goal in a uniform other than the Dallas/Minnesota Stars and effectively sucked any chances the Ducks might have had in the game. 

So much for Jonas Hiller holding down the fort in net.  Then again, when the fort is attacked by 43 shots on goal, who can blame Hiller?

Pavel Datsyuk and Dan Cleary added tallies in the second period.  Cleary's came after a long review in Toronto and some dispute about when the net came off its moorings.  3-0 or 4-0, the score really did not matter at that point.

The Ducks were unable to get any offense, although they had good chances in spurts.  Jimmy Howard made sure that Anaheim would get nothing past him, stopping 21 shots, half the amount that Hiller saw.   

By the third period it became clear that the Ducks were already writing off this game and looking towards Saturday night in Nashville.  Get some momentum.  Get some good shifts.   Figure out how to get some offense.  Practice specialty teams.

On a positive note, the Ducks were 100% on the penalty kill, taking care of all six power plays, including a 5 on 3 for Detroit late in the game.  There was not much practice on the power play, as Detroit maintained its usual discipline and only gave the Ducks one opportunity with the extra man.

And so begins the season.  One game down, 81 more to go.  It has to get better from here or it will be a long season.

Bright Debut:  18 year old defenseman Cam Fowler got his NHL debut against the Red Wings.  Fowler, who grew up in Michigan, had plenty of friends and family, not to mention the entire Windsor Spitfire team from across the border.  Fowler played for the Spitfires last year before being drafted #12 in the first round by the Ducks this past June.  Fowler played 20:48 and had an even rating when all was said and done.  He continues to impress and the Ducks can use his talents on the blue line.   

While it was initially thought that defenseman Toni Lydman would not join the Ducks on the their season opening road trip, he made the trek to Detroit with them anyway.  Lydman suffered from a severe bout of double vision on September 8 and has been undergoing medical testing ever since.  Although physicians still have not determined the cause, they have ruled out many possibilities.

Lydman skated with the Ducks briefly in their morning skate last Friday, but was not seen since.  When asked if he would join the road trip, coach Randy Carlyle said only if Lydman was able to make it through a full practice with the team.

That circumstance did not happen, but Lydman has joined them nonetheless.  He skated briefly with the Ducks on Thursday morning, although he did not participate in any contact drills.  Afterwards he told media that he was feeling "significantly better," although he was still not 100%.

Lydman is currently listed as an injured non-roster player.  Once he is cleared, the Ducks will have to move a player to accomodate him, as they are currently at their limit of 23 players.