May 3, 2017

Jakob Silfverberg scored the game-winning goal 45 seconds into overtime, and the Ducks defeated the Oilers 4-3 in game four of their best-of-seven series on Wednesday night in Alberta.  The series is now tied 2-2, and heading back to Anaheim for game 5.

Silfverberg took a pass from Ryan Getzlaf for a one-timer from the left circle, which beat Cam Talbot for the winner.  Getzlaf had two goals and two assists on the night.

Anaheim secured the win despite losing the lead with 1:42 left in the 3rd period.  Drake Cagglula took a centering pass from Patrick Maroon and chipped the puck by John Gibson to tie the score and send the game to OT.  Gibson made 29 saves on the night for the Ducks.

The Ducks scored three unanswered goals in the 2nd period to take a 3-2 lead.  Ryan Getzlaf got the scoring started 1:37 into the period, after taking advantage of a turnover from Jordan Eberle.  The goal had to be reviewed by the officials for goaltender interference, but it ended up counting.

Just under 4 minutes later, Rickard Rakell took a pass from Getzlaf across the crease on a broken play, and put the puck past Talbot to tie the score 2-2.

Then at the 14:25 mark, Getzlaf was at it again, pouncing on a rebound after a terrific initial save on Rakell.  With the goal, he surpassed Teemu Selanne for the most playoff goals in team history, with the 36.

The Oilers jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a power play goal from Milan Lucic, followed by a goal from Connor McDavid late in the 1st period.  Talbot made 35 saves for Edmonton.

Game 5 will be back in Anaheim on Friday night at 7:30 pm.

April 28, 2017

Cam Talbot made 39 saves and Patrick Marron scored power play goal in the 2nd period, and the Oilers defeated the Ducks 2-1 in game 2 of their best-of-7 series.  Edmonton now has a 2-0 series lead after shocking the Ducks by winning the first two games of the series in Anaheim.

Jakob Silfverberg scored on the power play at the 15:34 mark of the 2nd period, but that was the only offense for the Ducks all night.

Andrej Sekera scored 65 seconds into the game for Edmonton after beating John Gibson with a long shot from the left wing boards.

Gibson stopped 21 shots for the Ducks, who had gone 18 games without a regulation defeat before this series.  Anaheim has never recovered from an 0-2 series deficit, losing all seven series in franchise history after digging that early hole.

Talbot feels like the Oilers have definitely grown a lot in the last two games.  “We started the game the way we wanted to start it, ” he said.   “Down the stretch, we bent but we didn’t break, and that’s the sign of a good team.”

Silfverberg didn’t seem too worried about the 0-2 hole the Ducks are in.  “We’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing.   We’re doing a lot of good stuff out there, and it’s the last piece that’s missing, and it’s correctable.”

The Ducks played without two of their top defenseman again.  Sami Vatanen missed his 5th straight game with an upper-body injury, as did Kevin Bieska, who suffered the injury in game 1.

Game 3 will be Sunday afternoon in Edmonton, with the Ducks trying to avoid going to down to a practically insurmountable 0-3 deficit.

April 26, 2017

Adam Larsson scored the go-ahead goal with 4:40 left in the 3rd period, and the Oilers got by the Ducks in game 1 of their second round series at the Honda Center on Wednesday night.  Edmonton now has a 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 series.

Patrick Eaves and Jakob Silfverberg scored 3rd period goals for Anaheim to rally the Ducks from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game.  Larsson’s game-winner was his 2nd goal of game.  Leon Draisaitl added an empty-netter with 1:05 left to secure the victory.

The Oilers were 2 for 5 on the power play, getting a pair of goals from Mark Letestu.  The first tied the game 1-1 at 6:22 of the 2nd period, and his 2nd gave Edmonton a 2-1 a little over 6 minutes into the 3rd.

After a scoreless first period, Ryan Getzlaf got the Ducks on the board 37 seconds into the 2nd period with a power play goal of his own.  John Gibson made 27 saves on the night in a losing effort for Anaheim.

Cam Talbott made 33 saves for the Oilers, who are making their 1st playoff appearance since 2006.

Cam Fowler and Hampus Lindholm returned from injury for the Ducks, but Sami Vatanen sat out his 4th straight game with an upper-body injury.

Game 2 will be Friday night in Anaheim.  The Ducks lost in regulation for the first time in 19 games.  The last time that happened was March 10.

April 19, 2017

The Ducks defeated the Flames 3-1 on Wednesday night in Alberta, sending Anaheim into the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after completing a four-game sweep of their best of 7 series.

Patrick Eaves, Nate Thompson, and Ryan Getzlaf scored, while John Gibson made 36 saves for Anaheim.  The Ducks will face the winner of Edmonton and San Jose in the next round.

“We just kept getting better each game and usually the team that gets better and stronger as the playoffs and series goes on usually has more success,” Gibson said. “We just want to carry the momentum with us. Obviously, stuff is not going to go our way sometimes. You just have to make sure to never get too high or too low.”

Patrick Eaves put the Ducks on the board at 5:38 of the 1st period, scoring a very soft goal against Flames’ goalie Brian Elliott.  Eaves sent a sharp-angle shot toward the net, which eluded the Flames goaltender.  Elliott was pulled after that and replaced by Chad Johnson.

Johnson gave up a goal on just the second shot he faced, just over a minute after entering the game.   Rickard Rakell was stopped by Johnson during a 3-on-2 rush, but Thompson jumped on the rebound to put the Ducks ahead 2-0.

The Flames cut the lead to 2-1 at the 16:07 mark of the 2nd period, when Sean Monahan scored on the power play.  Monahan scored 4 times in the series, with each one coming on the man-advantage.

Gibson and the Ducks withstood pressure from the Flames in the games final minutes, and Getzlaf scored into a an empty net with 7 seconds left in the contest.

The Ducks last sweep came against Winnipeg in the 1st round in 2015.  This one came on the birthday of coach Randy Carlisle, who turned 61 on Wednesday.

Anaheim will likely begin the second round on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

April 17, 2017

Corey Perry scored the game-winning goal 1:30 into overtime, and the Ducks rallied from a four-goal deficit to defeat the Flames 5-4 in overtime on Wednesday night in game 3 of their 1st round series.  The victory game the Ducks a commanding 3-0 lead in the series, and put them one game away from the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Perry shot the puck from the right wing boards, which deflected off of Flames’ goalie Brian Elliott, then off of defenseman Michael Stone, and into the net.  It was Perry’s first playoff goal since Game 7 of the 2015 Western Conference finals.

The Ducks tied the game at 4-4 with a little over 4 minutes left in the 3rd period.  Shea Theodore sent a wrist shot toward Elliott with traffic in front of the net, which got by the the Flames netminder, who had to battle traffic in front of the net on the play.  It was his 2nd goal of the game.

Anaheim trailed 4-2 heading into the 3rd period, but Nate Thompson pulled the Ducks within 1 at the 11:14 mark of the 3rd.  Thompson tipped in a shot, which had to be reviewed by the referees to insure that he didn’t knock the puck out of the air with a high stick.

Theodore started the Ducks rally with under a minute left in the 2nd period.  His wrist shot from the left circle beat Elliott to the glove side.

The Flames built their 4-1 lead on goals by Sean Monahan, Kris Versteeg, Michael Stone, and Sam Bennett.  Monahan and Versteeg’s goals came on the power play, 7 minutes apart to give the Flames an early 2 goal lead.  Nick Ritchie got the Ducks on the board at 15:33 of the 1st period, to cut the lead to 2-1 after the 1st period.

After Bennett’s power play goal in the 2nd period, the Ducks pulled John Gibson, and replaced him with Jonathan Bernier.  Gibson made 12 saves, while facing 16 shots.  Bernier stopped all 16 shots that he faced for Anaheim.

The win was the largest playoff comeback for Anaheim in franchise history.  The Ducks will go for the sweep on Wednesday night in Calgary.

April 15, 2017

Ryan Getzlaf scored the game-winning goal on a bizarre bounce off a Calgary Flames defenseman, and the The Ducks defeated the Flames 3-2 on Saturday night at the Honda Center.  The win gave the Ducks a 2-0 lead in their best of seven first round playoff series.

Getzlaf’s tie-breaking power play goal came with 4:46 left in the 3rd period, when his centering pass deflected off of Lance Bouma’s skate, arched high in the air, and past Brian Elliott.  It was the Duck captain’s 2nd goal of the series.

Jakob Silfverberg and Rickard Rakell scored 1st period goals for the Ducks and John Gibson made 35 saves for Anaheim.  It was the Ducks 29th consecutive victory in Anaheim against Calgary.  It is the longest such streak in NHL history.

The Flames received goals from Mikael Backlund short-handed, and Sean Monahan on the power play.

Anaheim had a 2-0 lead in the 1st period, but the Flames would fight back to tie the game.  Getzlaf acknowledged the rally Calgary put together before he scored the winner.

“They came out in the second period with the attitude that they were going to push us and play. They did a great job,” Getzlaf said.

The series now heads back to Calgary for games 3 and 4.  Game 3 is on Monday night.  Jakob Silfverberg says you have to expect that lucky bounces, like the one Anaheim got in the 3rd period, will just be a part of what’s ahead.

“That’s playoff hockey for you,” he said.  “That’s usually what it comes down to. You can have lucky bounces but you’ve got to make sure you’re on the right side of those lucky bounces, and so far we’ve been on the right side on it.”

April 13, 2017

Jakob Silfverberg snapped a 2-2 tie in the 2nd period with a power play goal, and the Ducks defeated the Flames 3-2 on Thursday night at the Honda Center.  The victory gave Anaheim a 1-0 lead in their best of 7 first round playoff series.

The Ducks trailed 2-1 in the 2nd period after Sam Bennett gave the Flames the lead when he redirected a spectacular backhand a spin-o-rama pass from Kris Versteeg.  However, Rickard Rakell knocked in a rebound off a shot from Ryan Getzlaf.  The Ducks caught the Flames in the midst of a line change, which allowed Getzlaf to break in alone for a shot against Brian Elliott, which Rakell followed to tie the game at the 17:47 mark of the 2nd.  Just under 4 minutes later, Silfverberg beat Elliott with a wrist shot from the left circle to give the Ducks the lead for good.

John Gibson made 30 saves for Anaheim, while Getzlaf had a goal, assist, and 4 hits.  The Ducks killed a 5-on-3 disadvantage for 1:17 in the the game’s final minutes.  Gibson also denied Johnny Gaudreau in front of the net with 18 seconds left to play.

“I don’t think it was my best [game] tonight, but I got better as the game went on,” Gibson said. “The guys helped me out in front.”

Both teams exchanged power play goals in the 1st period.  Getzlaf scored 51 seconds into the game on a one-timer that deflected off of a Flames player in front of the net.  The Flames tied it up 8 minutes later on a goal by Sean Monahan, who redirected a pass from Kris Versteeg past Gibson.

Elliott stopped 38 shots in the loss.  Calgary is winless in Anaheim since April 25, 2006, when the Flames won a playoff game in a series won by the Ducks.

Getzlaf also threw an enormous hit on Flames’ captain Mark Giordano late in the 3rd period.  The hit served as payback for the knee-on-knee hit that Giordano delivered to Ducks’ defenseman Cam Fowler last week.  That hit left Fowler with an injured knee, which will require 2-6 weeks of healing before he can return.

“We’re going to have to earn everything. That’s a great hockey team over there,” Getzlaf said. “We’re going to have to continue to get better in certain areas, but we found a way to win tonight.”

Ducks’ forward Nick Ritchie completed his 2 game suspension on Thursday, for punching Chicago’s Michael Rozsival last week.  He will be eligible to return in game 2.

Game 2 will be Saturday night at the Honda Center.  The Ducks will look to make it 29 straight home wins against Calgary.

April 9, 2017

The Ducks outlasted the Kings in overtime 4-3 on Sunday night at the Honda Center.  The victory clinched Anaheim’s 5th straight Pacific Division title.

Nate Thompson scored the game-tying with with almost 8:30 left in the 3rd, and Shea Theodore won the game in overtime.

Theodore’s goal came on a breakaway 53 seconds into overtime to give the Ducks the victory.  Anaheim has earned a point in 14 consecutive games, which is currently the longest streak in the NHL.  The Ducks will open the playoffs against the Calgary Flames.

“We went through a lot of ups and downs this year,” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said.  “We grew as a group as we went along, and that was a good sign. I thought the second half of the year, we did a lot better job with our composure, with our game, and we built toward this.”

The Kings gave a spirited effort despite playing for nothing but pride, and to honor their hall of fame play-by-play announcer, Bob Miller.  Miller was calling the final game of his storied career.  He got to call 7 goals on the night.  Drew Doughty, Kyle Clifford, and Dustin Brown all scored for the Kings.  Patrick Eaves and Antoine Vermette also scored for Anaheim.

Jerome Iginla might have played the final game of his NHL career for the Kings.  The 40-year-old said he will discuss his future with his family before making a decision.

“We hung in there,” Kings’ coach Darryl Sutter said. “I’ve said that lots. We didn’t score enough goals this year. We didn’t have enough goal-scorers in our lineup.”

The Kings season is over, and they’ll have to do some soul searching after missing the playoffs for the 2nd time in the last 3 seasons.

The Ducks will open the playoffs on Thursday against Calgary at the Honda Center.  One concern for Anaheim will be the loss of defenseman Cam Fowler, who is out 2-6 weeks with a knee injury.

April 6, 2017

John Gibson made 37 saves and earned his 12th career shutout as the Ducks blanked the Blackhawks 4-0 on Thursday night in Anaheim.  The win clinched home ice advantage for the Ducks in the 1st round of the playoffs.

Corey Perry scored a power-play goal, while Rickard Rakell had a goal and an assist.  Chris Wagner and Ryan Kesler also scored for Anaheim.

The Ducks played without the injured Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, and Nate Thompson.

The Blackhawks also played without many of their key players, opting to rest them with their playoff position secure.  Chicago rested stars Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, and did not have Niklas Hjarlmarsson because of a family matter.

“We’re playing well,” Gibson said. “At this time of the year, you want to be playing well to carry the momentum into the playoffs.”

Corey Perry also liked what he’s seeing from the Ducks heading toward the postseason.  

“I think we’re playing the right way and everybody’s starting to play as a unit,” Perry said. “Everybody’s starting to fit into their role. We’re rolling four lines, and it’s creating havoc on the other end.”

The Ducks will finish the regular season on Sunday evening at the Honda Center against the Kings.  A win will give Anaheim it’s 5th consecutive Pacific division title.

April 4, 2017

The Ducks outlasted the Flames on Tuesday night at the Honda Center by a score of 3-1 to move closer to a Pacific Division title.

Patrick Eaves scored his 8th goal in 9 games, and John Gibson made 26 saves, as Anaheim opened up a four point lead in the Pacific Division.   Kevin Bieska and Chris Wagner also scored for the Ducks.  The bad news was they lost Cam Fowler to an injury.

Fowler took a knee-on-knee hit from Flames’ defenseman Mark Giordano in the 3rd period.  The Ducks’ top defender and ice-time leader had to be helped to the locker room.

“He’s one of our best players, and who knows the severity of the injury?”  Bieksa said. “But it looked like he was in a lot of pain, so we weren’t happy with it, so we responded the way we did.”

The Ducks are getting thin on the blue line as the playoffs approach.  Anaheim played without Sami Vatanen, and Hampus Lindholm before losing Fowler.  The Ducks were actually down to three defenseman at one point on Tuesday night after a few penalties, which meant Ryan Getzlaf had to take shifts as a defenseman.

Calgary hasn’t won at the Honda Center in 13 years, which is a string of 25 straight victories for the Ducks.  It is the longest winning streak in one arena against one opponent in NHL history.

The Ducks will host the Blackhawks on Thursday night in their quest for 5th straight Pacific Division title.