February 18th, 2017

The Ducks ran into a red hot Florida Panthers team on Friday in Anaheim, and it was the Panthers big 2nd period that propelled them to a 4-1 win.

After a scoreless 1st period, Andrew Cogliano got the Ducks on the board with his third short-handed goal of the season, and the Ducks looked like they might be on their way to a victory.

However, the Panthers blitzed the Ducks for three straight goals after that, and never looked back from there.  45 year old Jaromir Jagr scored a brilliant goal during that stretch to give Florida a 2-1 lead, after stealing the puck from Josh Manson behind the net.  Jagr made a few dekes before putting the puck past Gibson.

Jagr’s goal, followed by Colton Sceviour, and Aaron Ekbald, came within a stretch of 6 minutes.  The Ducks put some pressure on James Reimer in the 3rd period, but the Panthers Goaltender game up with some big saves.  Derek MacKenzie added an empty net short-handed goal in the final two minutes to secure the win for Florida.

Turnovers were a big issue for Anaheim.  “We fed their offense with our inability to execute with the puck,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. “They turned the game in their favor with us gifting the puck to them.”

The Ducks played their first game without center Antoine Vermette, who’s serving a 10-game suspension for slashing an official pending an appeal.  However, Anaheim still dominated in the face-off circle.  The Ducks won 12 of 17 faceoffs in the first period and 71 percent for the game.

Jonathan Gibson made 27 saves for Anaheim, but wasn’t necessarily as sharp as he usually is.  Carlyle indicated that he considered giving Gibson the night off to rest, but backup Jonathan Bernier was ill.

The Ducks will try to get back in the win column on Sunday when they take on the Kings at the Honda Center.

February 15^th, 2017

The Ducks got all the offense they needed five minutes into the game, as they defeated the Minnesota Wild 1-0 on Tuesday night.

John Gibson made 37 and earned his 4^th shutout of the season, and rookie Joseph Cramarossa scored the games only goal, his 4^th of the season.

The story of the night though was Antoine Vermette, who was ejected in the third period for abusing an official. Vermette lost a faceoff in the 3^rd period, and used his stick to hit a linesman on the back of the legs.   The Ducks forward will likely face a suspension, as the league rules state that any kind of physical force with an official results in a 10 game suspension.

The Wild went 0 for 5 on the power play, and suffered their first loss in regulation for the first time in six games. Devan Dubnyk made 22 saves for the Wild.

The 1^st place Wild outshot the Ducks 37-23, but Anaheim continued their strong defensive play. The Ducks have allowed the fewest third-period goals in the league this season.

Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau said his former team, the Ducks, got the goaltending they needed from Gibson. “You could tell very early on, or I could- maybe I know him a little bit- but he was really on his game and it was going to take something special to beat him,” Boudreau explained. “But we couldn’t find that.”

The Ducks return home on Friday night to take on the Panthers. Anaheim finished their five game road trip with a record of 2-3-1.

February 11th, 2017

The Ducks road troubles continued Saturday in our nation’s capital. Anaheim rallied from a three-goal deficit, but gave up a goal late in the 3rd, ultimately ending in a 6-4 loss to the Capitals.

Capitals rookie Zach Sanford scored the game-winning goal, which was the first goal of his NHL career. Marcus Johansson added an empty net goal with 13 seconds left.

Anaheim fell behind 3-0 after the 1st period before getting on the scoreboard in the 2nd. Jakob Silfverberg got the Ducks on the board, but just over 5 minutes later, the Capitals made it 4-1 on a goal by Daniel Winnik.   Hampus Lindolm made it 4-2 before the period was over, then goals by Ryan Kessler followed by Ryan Getzlaf tied it up midway through the 3rd period.

Getzlaf had a goal and two assists for the Ducks, while John Gibson made 33 saves in the losing effort. Anaheim is just 1-3-1 with one game left on this six game road trip.

The Capitals have 84 points and own the NHL’s best record. Despite the loss, Getzlaf was encouraged. “It showed a lot of character, hanging in there and playing with a team like that and making that comeback,” Getzlaf said. “That’s not an easy team to do that against, and not an easy building to be in.”

The Ducks will wrap up their road trip on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild. Former Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau is behind the bench, and it’s no surprise the Wild are sitting at the top of the Western Conference standings given his track record for regular season success.

Anaheim remains in 2nd place in the Pacific Division. After playing at Minnesota and returning home to play Florida, the Ducks will have another showdown with their cross-town rivals, the Kings, on Sunday night.

May 1st, 2013

I can’t believe this dude is still playing.  I can still remember watching Selanne play against Gretzky and the Kings in 1992 at the Forum when he was a rookie.  19 years later he’s carrying the Ducks in the playoffs against the Red Wings, and he scored the game winner in game 1 vs Detroit to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead in their best of seven series.

Bruce Boudreau pushed the right button in game 1 by starting Jonas Hiller over Victor Fasth.  If there’s one advantage the Red Wings thought they had going into this series, it was having Jimmy Howard in goal.  But the Ducks put more pressure on Howard than Michigan alums put on their kids to attend their crummy school.

Corey Perry nearly “Clint Malarkchuk’d” Jimmy Howard in the 2nd period, with his drive to the net and shot to the head of the Red Wings goaltender.  I can’t remember an NHL season in recent memory with as many skate blades knocking guys in the face as this one.

This isn’t the same stacked Red Wings team that we’re used to seeing over the years.  They had to fight until the final day of the regular season to sneak into the playoffs, and their offense is carried by two players.  The Ducks may not have been able to score at even strength, but they played a great puck possession game, and their skilled players broke through on the power play.

If the Ducks, Kings, Sharks, and Blackhawks win their 1st round playoff series, The Ducks and Kings will meet in the 2nd round of the playoffs.  Can anyone imagine a better matchup in the Stanley Cup playoffs?  Those two teams would tear each other apart for seven games.  Then again, were talking about the Sharks coming up big in the playoffs.  Unlikely for a group that has perfected the art of choking around this time of year.