The Ducks Are Plucked

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Puck Luck Plucked

The Anaheim Ducks just cannot catch a break.  They had a goal 62 seconds into their Black Friday bout with the Chicago Blackhawks and generally outplayed the reigning Cup Champs for 58 minutes. With most teams, that would be enough, but if we’re being honest, it is more than the Ducks have been bringing to the table on a nightly basis. Unfortunately, the Chicago Blackhawks are not a team you want to give any space, even if it is just for the last two minutes with a seemingly safe 2-0 lead in hand.

Chicago took advantage and scored twice in the last 101 seconds of the game to force the 3-on-3 overtime.  Unfortunately, there is little doubt who had the advantage there.  The Ducks never even fired a warning shot in OT, as the Hawks gave them little opportunity with the puck before Brent Seabrook carried the puck into the offensive zone and drifted it across to Artem Anisimov for the win, less than halfway through the extra frame.

Stars Missing In Action…Again

Corey Perry has shown some signs of life, though they have been sporadic at best. He was scoreless for the bulk of the early season, but he like the rest of the big guns on the Ducks have been anything but mighty. With games on the line, or protecting leads they have rarely been up to the task of finishing, or closing out games with authority.

Ryan Kesler got a big payday from the Ducks and has done little to prove that management was warranted in their faith. Though, he did look somewhat willing to throw down with Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, after he carefully removed his gloves, laid his stick on the ice, and prepared to fold his sweater. For all his talk about toughness, that was a bit lackluster for the big center.

Ryan Getzlaf was noticeable, in that he got called for a penalty with 2:07 left in the third. Sure, it was questionable at best, but when you have a takedown in the crease, you are at risk of getting a call, warranted or not.

Of course, fans are outraged as Andrew Shaw might have been guilty of embellishment and Getzlaf had some strong words regarding such tactics. Though, at the end of the day when you have Ryan Kesler in your dressing room, best to leave talk of dives off the table, lest we turn the microscope in the other direction.

Besides, the dives have a tendency to cancel each other out, with just about every team having players that are prone to academy award worthy performances that get the calls.

Excuses, Excuses…

As far as Getzlaf is concerned, perhaps it would be better to focus on his game, which has not been perfection, or anything in that vicinity all season and worry less about his reasoning for why they lost.  Whether that be opponent embellishments or boring buildings, as it were in Arizona a few nights before.

At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is who is putting the puck in the back of the net, and Getzlaf and his Ducks simply are not doing it enough.  As their captain, it is his lead that is being followed. At the moment, Getzlaf is leading them towards excuses, instead of solutions.

Sick and Tired

In for Frederik Andersen (out with the flu), John Gibson performed admirably in net for the first 58 minutes.  He appeared poised to grab a second shut-out in two career games against the Chicago Blackhawks, but Marian Hossa and Company had other ideas.  And Patrick Kane‘s American record-tying 18-game point streak ensured his performance would make the highlight reels; Though, It is certain Gibson would have preferred that any of his 29 saves had been the reason. Instead, Gibson has been featured front and center for the Ducks latest collapse.

For the Ducks netminders, the season has been a pretty good one.  They (Andersen, in particular) have been the most solid players on the ice just about every night. At this point, the tandem in goal has to be hoping for a quick turnaround, as they all have to be sick and tired of seeing their leads evaporate. The theme for the season is that the offense doesn’t provide enough support, and the defense simply isn’t getting the job done as the clock ticks down to zero.

There is little doubt John Gibson would love to have those three goals back; However, when you give Duncan Keith 30 feet of open ice to take a shot, more often than not you are going to getting scored on.

Forward Thinking

The Ducks are fortunate to be in the Pacific Division, in the Central their season would already be over.  However, the Pacific has two teams that are perhaps over-performing in the Arizona Coyotes and the Vancouver Canucks.  Both teams are considerably better than last year, but Coyotes have been thriving on the back of a pair of rookies, and the Canucks are simply not as well built as the under-performing Ducks. Either of these teams could be caught with only a few points between them. In fact, the Ducks are only six points behind the division-leading Los Angeles Kings.

If the Ducks can get their focus on the playing the style of hockey they played last year, and stop worrying about dives, opponent’s attendance records and fan ferocity they still have a fighting chance at righting the ship.

If they can’t do that, then Bruce Boudreau will not be the only thing turning red pretty soon.  His seat will be starting to glow, as the fans will likely start calling for his job once again.  It is a feat that he has managed to evade a permanent eviction from his post at the helm of the Ducks through the first quarter.

If there are more of the late collapses and losses of poise in the waning minutes of games, that would almost certainly put Boudreau’s head on the chopping block if it hasn’t already.