Ducks News

Ducks are struggling to find their rhythm
Comment
November 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"Optimism -- of the cautious variety -- could be heard in the Ducks' dressing room after practice at Anaheim Ice on Friday, the day after a 4-0 shutout of Nashville. "We're still not a winning team," said winger Bobby Ryan, who has four goals in the last five games. "That pressure is not going away until we right the ship." Teemu Selanne, the 39-year-old future Hall of Famer whose eight goals rank second on the team to Corey Perry's 10, said the Ducks' 2-1-1 record in the last four games is a start after falling into last place in the Pacific Division. "This game is all about confidence," Selanne said. "We've gotten confidence the last four games. We played pretty good. We all know we can ..."
Anaheim Ducks cruise past Nashville Predators
Comment
November 6
Tennessean
 
"Shea Weber plays a key role in so many facets of the Predators' game that it's hard to figure where the team most will miss the injured defenseman. In Thursday's 4-0 loss to Anaheim, however, his absence on the power play looked particularly significant. The Predators had just started clicking with the man advantage over the past five games, posting five power-play goals, after a horrific start to the season. But with Weber - who leads the Predators in power-play ice time and power-play goals (three) - sidelined because of a foot injury, Nashville looked impotent with the man advantage against the Ducks. The Predators failed five times, and all five opportunities came with Nashville either ..."
Predators' Jordin Tootoo returns to ice
Comment
November 6
Tennessean
 
"Predators forward Jordin Tootoo made his season debut during Thursday's 4-0 loss to Anaheim. He looked as energetic and as irritating as usual, hammering Anaheim's Ryan Carter with a good open-ice hit in the first period and drawing a Ducks' retaliation penalty afterward. But Tootoo also took a penalty that led to Anaheim's first goal. He was called for slashing goalie Jonas Hiller's pads after Hiller made a save on one of Tootoo's four shots. The Predators killed off Tootoo's penalty but were still down a man four seconds later when the Ducks scored the game's first goal. Tootoo hadn't quite been able to make it back into the play when the goal was scored. "I felt pretty good,'' said ..."
Predators, without top two scorers, held scoreless at Anaheim
Comment
November 6
Nashville City Paper
 
"The Nashville Predators allowed two four-on-four goals 1:46 apart in the third period and lost 4-0 to the Ducks in Anaheim on Thursday. The defeat came in the first of a four-game road trip and snapped the Predators' three-game win streak. It was the fourth time in 14 games Nashville (6-7-1) has been held without a goal. The Predators played without their top two scorers, forward J.P. Dumont and defenseman Shea Weber, both of whom were injured. They did, however, have Jason Arnott and Jordin Tootoo, who had missed seven and 13 games, respectively, with injuries. Anaheim's Teemu Selanne scored his second goal of the night at 8:05 of the third period, 13 seconds after Nashville's Joel Ward ..."
Ducks prey on Predators
Comment
November 6
L.A. Daily News
 
"Against an offensively toothless Nashville Predators squad, a 4-0 victory Thursday was the reasonable, expected result for the Ducks. Not to mention a welcome result. "I'm going to savor a win here," head coach Randy Carlyle said, "because it's been kind of tough." The Ducks (5-7-2) had lost six of their previous seven before Thursday, when Teemu Selanne scored twice, Todd Marchant and Bobby Ryan tacked on two more, and Jonas Hiller logged his fifth career shutout before 14,298 at Honda Center. The 40-save effort was Hiller's first shutout of the season - but the fourth time Nashville has been blanked in 14 games. "I gave up a couple of rebounds, but our defensemen were doing a great job ..."
Hiller shuts out Predators
Comment
November 6
Los Angeles Times
 
"Jonas Hiller has taken some shots this season behind a revamped Ducks defense that has given up more than its share. But Hiller stopped everything he faced Thursday, making 40 saves in a 4-0 victory over Nashville at the Honda Center for his first shutout of the season and fifth of his career. Teemu Selanne scored two goals -- both assisted by Saku Koivu -- and Todd Marchant and Bobby Ryan added the others. It looked like a laugher in the end, but the Ducks were clinging to a 1-0 lead much of the game before they broke through for three goals in the third."
Ducks can't match depleted Penguins
Comment
November 4
Orange County Register
 
"Back when they were among the NHL's elite, the Ducks seemingly got contributions from everyone in their lineup and did all the right things at the right time. On a frustrating Tuesday night, they got a first-hand look at a reigning Stanley Cup champion doing what it took to win. Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar weren't in the Pittsburgh lineup because of injuries and Sidney Crosby didn't have a point but the Penguins showed that they are far more than their stars in scratching out a hard-fought 4-3 victory before 16,128 at Honda Center. Pascal Dupuis' goal at the 9:13 mark of the third – which capped a three-goal flurry by both teams in a 78-second span – decided the game but some clutch ..."
Ducks can't hang on against Pittsburgh
Comment
November 4
L.A. Daily News
 
"That the struggling Ducks lost to the defending Stanley Cup champions Tuesday should come as little surprise. Here's the stunner: The difference in the Pittsburgh Penguins' 4-3 win at Honda Center was a pair of goal-line saves late in the third period - one by Sidney Crosby. Corey Perry scored the 100 th and 101 st goals of his career, and Saku Koivu added another for the Ducks, but a pair of pucks that somehow didn't cross the goal line were the lasting memories for 16,128 at Honda Center. Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury probably thought he had made the save of the game with 5:40 to play. His body shifted right, while his glove reached left, to snag a close-range shot by Saku ..."
Crosby save seals deal in victory for Penguins
Comment
November 4
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
 
"Proud papa Troy Crosby had an obstructed view of his son's sinister save late in the third period Tuesday night to help the Penguins preserve a 4-3 victory against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center. "I never got to see it," Troy Crosby said of the leg-stack save that Penguins captain Sidney Crosby made in the crease on a shot from Anaheim defenseman Scott Niedermayer with only a few minutes remaining. "If that was me, though, it would have gone through my pads." Well, it stopped at Sidney Crosby, who, as a center, doesn't don goalie leg pads like his father once dreamed of doing in the NHL, and, thus, the Penguins (12-3-0, 24 points) can continue to call themselves the NHL's undisputed ..."
Ducks' Wisniewski suspended two games
Comment
November 3
Orange County Register
 
"Defenseman James Wisniewski was suspended two games for his hit on Phoenix captain Shane Doan, the NHL announced Monday. Wisniewski will sit out tonight's game against Pittsburgh and Thursday's game against Nashville. He will be eligible to return Saturday against the same Phoenix Coyotes team that was involved in last Saturday's incident. Wisniewski hit Doan high with a forearm in the first period. Doan fell to the ice and stumbled trying to get up but only missed one shift. Referees Paul Devorski and Stephen Walkom did not call a penalty on the play, but the NHL can hand out supplemental discipline in the form of suspension or a fine. The league ruled that Wisniewski was suspended "for ..."
Ducks' Wisniewski suspended for two games
Comment
November 2
NHL.com
 
"Anaheim Ducks defenseman James Wisniewski has been suspended for two games, without pay, for delivering a forearm blow to the head of Phoenix Coyotes forward Shane Doan on Oct. 31, the National Hockey League announced on Monday. The Ducks lost the game, 3-2 in a shootout at Jobing.com Arena. The incident occurred at 7:12 of the first period. No penalty was assessed on the play."
Ducks fall to Coyotes in shootout
Comment
November 1
Orange County Register
 
"Having had plenty of recent experience feeling lousy after a loss, the Ducks were at peace Saturday night as they left the ice following a 3-2 shootout defeat to the Phoenix Coyotes. Ducks coach Randy Carlyle was rather upbeat and somewhat more satisfied with this result than the team's 7-2 rout of Vancouver on Friday, which ended a four-game losing streak. "We played better tonight than we did last night from a coaching standpoint," Carlyle said. "We did more of the little things that we need to do more consistently. And we did them tonight. "You could tell that our confidence level was much higher than it has been." Radim Vrbata delivered the only goal in the shootout as he got a ..."
Coyotes win chippy affair vs. Ducks
Comment
November 1
Arizona Republic
 
"At times it was like a brawl on an icy street. Other times it was . . . well, kind of the same thing. Pack mentality evolved into pack hostility. In a game that turned ugly early when Shane Doan was decked by a high hit and got uglier, Radim Vrbata scored the only goal in a shootout, giving the Coyotes a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night in front of 6,495 at Jobing.com Arena. "I thought early on we were very good in the game, and the hit on Shane kind of tweaks your team," coach Dave Tippett said. "Shane's our captain, our guy that's our leader out there, and he takes a hard hit. I thought it affected our team a little bit and rightly so. "They want to avenge that hit. ..."
Canucks collapse as Ducks win 7-2
Comment
October 31
Vancouver Province
 
"Here's the good news: The number of goals the Canucks gave up was fewer than the number of defencemen they dressed. But it was close. With eight defencemen, the Canucks were determined to keep a struggling Ducks team down and off the scoreboard. Instead, Anaheim exploded for a 7-2 win. Guess the Canucks will try dressing 12 defencemen Sunday when they face Colorado, one of the hottest teams in hockey. The Canucks had energy, heart and displayed effort Friday. They pushed the puck, controlled the play and had the lead. It was as surprising as it was brief. The Canucks, with a bizarre, injury-depleted lineup, jumped out to a 2-0 lead but then collapsed faster than the Balloon Boy story. ..."
Canucks drown in the Pond
Comment
October 31
Vancouver Sun
 
"Scary stuff. No, not Halloween, the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night. The Canucks dressed up as a NHL team at the Honda Center, but didn't fool anyone. Especially the Anaheim Ducks, who snapped a four-game losing streak with a lopsided 7-2 win over Vancouver. With goalie Roberto Luongo and six forwards out, for the second night in a row coach Alain Vigneault loaded up on defence. It worked Thursday night in Los Angeles, when Vigneault used defenceman Aaron Rome as a forward. Friday night, he went one better with his 3-D lineup, adding defenceman Mathieu Schneider to the forward mix. Lightning most definitely did not strike twice. The Canucks scored the game's first two goals, but then ..."
Ducks struggle with identity crisis
Comment
October 29
L.A. Daily News
 
"Is it the practices? With their losing streak up to four games and getting uglier, that was one question tossed about after the Ducks practiced Wednesday following a day away from the rink. "We've practiced many different ways this year. We've had up-tempo, we've had down-tempo," left wing Bobby Ryan said. "Those things have translated a bit, but I think it's a matter of the guys in the locker room being ready to go for 60 minutes." Wednesday's was a little bit of first and fourth gears. Head coach Randy Carlyle spent much of the early part teaching 5-on-5 technique in the offensive/defensive zones, and much of the latter part was watching the players sprint. It wasn't punishment for ..."
Ducks help Maple Leafs end their winless streak
Comment
October 27
Orange County Register
 
"Just how low can a hockey team go? If you are the Ducks, you hope you've hit rock bottom after an embarrassing 6-3 loss to the sad-sack Toronto Maple Leafs, who came into Honda Center the NHL's only remaining winless team Monday night. If this isn't as low as it gets, then it could be a long season for a team that envisioned itself as one that could get back among the Western Conference's elite and challenge San Jose for the Pacific Division. Instead, the Ducks are an unqualified mess at the moment. "It was an ugly game," said goalie Jonas Hiller, who made 33 saves in a shaky outing. "Two teams playing the worst in the league right now. We never thought we would be in that situation but we ..."
Ducks GM likes Burke's game plan
Comment
October 27
Toronto Sun
 
""Crappy." That's how Bob Murray describes how the Anaheim Ducks played during the first few months of the Brian Burke era in southern California. It was the 2005-06 season and the Ducks came out of the gates limping, much in the same manner that the Maple Leafs have kicked off the 2009-10 campaign. "No one really remembers how much we struggled," said Murray, who took over from Burke as Ducks GM last season. "We really had a tough time coming out of the gate. "People forget about that. They forget success didn't come overnight in Anaheim. Come Christmas, we were doing pretty crappy." So, what changed? "Brian stayed the course," Murray said. "We got lucky on a couple of trades, and ..."
Pogge watches, waits
Comment
October 27
Toronto Sun
 columnist Mike Zeisberger
"About 160 kilometres north of the bright lights and soupy smog of Los Angeles is the sleepy city of Bakersfield, home of the East Coast Hockey League's Condors. And Justin Pogge. In just a handful of months, the kid once called the Maple Leafs "goalie of the future" has gone from the hotbed of Toronto to this hockey hinterland, where the sport, while supported at the ECHL level, is hardly woven into the community's cultural fabric. In Toronto, Pogge couldn't walk to his car without being recognized. In Bakersfield, he can stride into any 7-Eleven and be just another customer eyeing the Big Gulp machine. Pogge's exit from Toronto came in August when general manager Brian Burke shipped ..."
Leafs finally get it right
Comment
October 27
Toronto Sun
 
"When it was over, when the Maple Leafs had become the final NHL team to hit the win column this season, a team official gave Jonas Gustavsson one of the game pucks to mark his first National Hockey League victory. If he keeps this up, you can bet there will be plenty more of them. Buoyed by the Monster's spectacular stretching save off Erik Christensen in the first period, the Leafs skated to a well-deserved 6-3 drubbing of the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center. "It was special, sure," Gustavsson said. "I was a bit nervous at the beginning, but that's a good thing. "The biggest thing is, the team got the win. That's the most important part." The Monster, for the record, claims he is no ..."
Leafs get their Ducks in a row
Comment
October 27
Toronto Sun
 
"The Monster claims he's no saviour. For one night, anyway, the entire city of Toronto might disagree. With coach Ron Wilson constantly preaching that solid goaltending would prove infectious for his struggling Maple Leafs, Jonas Gustavsson did exactly that. Buoyed by some big saves by the Monster early on, the Maple Leafs finally accomplished something last night they hadn't done since April 11. They won a game. Take a deep breath, Leafs Nation. It's over. After the worst start in team history (0-7-1), the Leafs finally hit the win column for the first time in 2009-10 with a 6-3 decision over the Anaheim Ducks last night, becoming the final NHL team in the 30-member league to record a ..."
Leafs end nightmare with Monster win
Comment
October 27
Toronto Star
 columnist Damien Cox
"Hours before game time, Ron Wilson gave his explanation on how improved goaltending could, somewhat counter intuitively, help his club's anemic offence. "It goes together," he explained Monday morning. "If you believe you're going to get some saves, you're not as edgy with the puck and the offence will come." Well, rookie netminder Jonas (The Monster) Gustavsson didn't deliver a dazzling shutout or an acrobatic 40-save effort against the Anaheim Ducks Monday night."
Ducks, once strong, show their weak side
Comment
October 27
Los Angeles Times
 
"The Ducks never minded when opponents and critics called them dirty. Their physicality was a big part of their personality, and Chris Pronger's on-the-edge impulse control made other teams fear them. General Manager Bob Murray said the other day that the current team, with a stream of new faces and youngsters still finding their footing, is still searching for its identity. Actually, the Ducks might have a new identity. They have become soft in their four-game losing streak, a malady that can't be cured in the weight room. Softness isn't measured in hits or penalty minutes but in the weakness of their resolve and inability to handle the slightest adversity. On Monday, they became the ..."
Ducks are on losing end of Maple Leafs' first win
Comment
October 27
Los Angeles Times
 
"A Ducks team that was struggling to stay afloat scraped bottom and then ran aground Monday, losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who had been the last winless team in the NHL. The 6-3 loss -- the Ducks' fourth in a row on their home ice -- dropped them to 3-6-1 with a solid grip on last place in the Pacific Division and a load of frustration. The Maple Leafs entered the Honda Center looking like a team that wanted to take out its own frustration on somebody, and the Ducks were too willing to tangle. They came out on the short end, taking a slew of bad penalties that gave the Maple Leafs five power-play goals -- including three while skating five-on-three against the Ducks. "It's terrible," ..."
Former Ducks GM Burke feels right at home, as Toronto defeats Anaheim
Comment
October 27
L.A. Daily News
 
"Maybe they shouldn't have clapped so loudly for Brian Burke. The 14,291 in attendance at Honda Center gave a warm ovation to the Toronto Maple Leafs' general manager in his return to the Honda Center on Monday, Burke's first game against the Ducks since leaving the franchise he built into a Stanley Cup champion. But that was about the only friendly moment in a game of bad blood that worked against the Ducks, whose 6-3 loss was their fourth straight, all of which have come during their current homestand. The Maple Leafs' first victory of the season (in their ninth game) ended their longest winless stretch to begin a season since the franchise began play in 1917. And their rough-and-tumble ..."
Burke still a man with a plan
Comment
October 26
Orange County Register
 
"Brian Burke left Toronto this week — or escaped if you look at it another way — to revisit some old stomping grounds and remember what it was like when his teams won. Two years after winning the Stanley Cup with the Ducks on a champagne-soaked June night at a boisterous Honda Center, the Toronto Maple Leafs president and general manager is back with the NHL's only winless team. Burke looked on in Vancouver — a place he spent six years lifting the Canucks out of mediocrity — as the Leafs fell to 0-7-1 Saturday night with a loss to the Canucks. It is the worst start in the 92-year history of a tradition-rich franchise. Tonight he'll witness his desperate Leafs against his former team with ..."
Ducks defenseman Sbisa gets reassigned
Comment
October 26
L.A. Daily News
 
"The writing was on the wall Saturday night, when Ducks defenseman Luca Sbisa was a healthy scratch in a 6-4 loss to Columbus. The 19-year-old won't be back with the team in the regular season. Sbisa, a native of Switzerland, is expected to be assigned either to his junior team in Lethbridge, Alberta, or a European team. Sbisa appeared in eight games, went scoreless and would have had to remain in Anaheim for the remainder of the season had he played in two more games. Because he is younger than 20 years old, Sbisa can't be assigned to an AHL or ECHL team. "We've probably discussed it for the better part of two weeks here," Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle said Sunday. "We felt we couldn't ..."
Ducks lose softly to Columbus
Comment
October 25
Orange County Register
 
"Goaltending seemed to be down the list of the litany of issues the Ducks have had to deal with in their uninspiring start to the season. Now you can add that to the list after Jean-Sebastien Giguere gave up a backbreaking soft goal by Columbus defenseman Fedor Tyutin with 3:22 remaining that decided the Blue Jackets' 6-4 victory Saturday night at Honda Center. Rick Nash's empty-net goal only punctuated the disappointment felt after the last-place Ducks (3-5-1) got third-period goals by Joffrey Lupul and Teemu Selanne to tie the score. They have lost three in a row, four of five in all and dropped to 1-4 at home. "When you go through stretches like we're going through right now, it seems ..."
Beauchemin looks forward to return to L.A.
Comment
October 25
Toronto Sun
 
"Back in 2007, Francois Beauchemin and Brian Burke must have felt like they were in one of those cheesy feel-good Disney movies, riding the Anaheim Duck wave all the way to a Stanley Cup title. The only thing that was missing, it seems, was a starring role by Emilio Estevez. How long ago that must seem for Beauchemin and Burke, who, less than three years later, find themselves locked in the horror flick known as the 2009-10 Maple Leafs. Tomorrow night, however, both men will take a trip down memory lane when they return to Honda Center in Anaheim for the game against the Ducks. Given the sluggish start to the season turned in by the Leafs, any sentimental feelings might be at a minimum. ..."
Ducks take another step back in loss to Blue Jackets
Comment
October 25
Los Angeles Times
 
"The Ducks went down again Saturday, and so did goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere. The way the puck bounced in the Ducks' 6-4 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, it's hard to say if it's good news or bad that the team they play Monday is the winless Toronto Maple Leafs. "When you're going through a stretch like we're going through right now, it seems like when something has a chance to go wrong, it's going wrong," Coach Randy Carlyle said. The Ducks lost their third consecutive game at the Honda Center, and are left to wonder about the status of Giguere, who has been bothered by a nagging groin injury and left the game with 3:22 remaining after giving up the winning goal on Fedor Tyutin's ..."
Ducks fall, as does goaltender Giguere
Comment
October 25
L.A. Daily News
 
"Looking to snap a two-game losing streak, the Ducks took several steps forward Saturday. Then, all in one sequence, they lost their starting goalie - and the game. A one-timer from the blue line by Columbus' Fedor Tyutin beat Jean-Sebastien Giguere with 3:22 left in the final period, breaking a 4-4 tie in an eventual 6-4 loss in front of 14,468 at Honda Center. Though untouched on the play, Giguere remained on his hands and knees for the next minute before skating off on his own power, and was replaced by Jonas Hiller. The status of Giguere, who had been battling a groin strain earlier in the week, was not immediately known after the game. The Ducks' four-goal outburst was a welcome relief ..."
Pahlsson will strap it on against former teammates
Comment
October 24
Columbus Dispatch
 
"One of the best aspects of playing for the Anaheim Ducks, center Sammy Pahlsson joked yesterday, was having center Ryan Getzlaf as a teammate, not an opponent. Pahlsson was a Duck for seven seasons before he was traded to Chicago in March. After signing as a free agent with the Blue Jackets this summer, he'll make his first appearance in the Honda Center as a visitor tonight. It's going to be exciting, he said, but only to a point. Pahlsson figures to match up frequently with Getzlaf's line, if the Blue Jackets get their wish. "It's going to be tough," Pahlsson said. "I've never played against him, but I've seen what he can do and how good he is. "He's got that Rick Nash combination of ..."
Artyukhin suspended for taking out Niskanen
Comment
October 23
Orange County Register
 
"Ducks winger Evgeny Artyukhin was suspended for the third time in his NHL career Thursday as the league docked him three games for a "slew-footing" incident in the second period of Wednesday night's 4-2 loss to the Dallas Stars. Seconds after Brenden Morrow gave Dallas a 2-0 lead, Artyukhin delivered a hard check to Stars defenseman Matt Niskanen along the sideboard in the Dallas zone and used his leg to take Niskanen's feet out from under him. Artyukhin will not be eligible to return to action until Oct. 31 at Phoenix. "While we disagree with the decision to suspend Artyukhin, we understand that the league is trying to protect players from injury," Ducks general manager Bob Murray said. ..."
Ducks doomed again by sluggish start
Comment
October 22
L.A. Daily News
 
"With his team on the verge of getting blown out of its own building for the second straight game, Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle switched up the line combinations. He called a timeout. He yelled. Eventually, and more importantly, the players realized the game had begun. Down, 3-0, in the middle period to the Dallas Stars, the Ducks rallied to give 14,503 at Honda Center hope, before eventually falling, 4-2. "It's a positive sign on one hand. On the other hand it's not," Carlyle said. "It lets them off the hook for the rest of the game, and that's not what we're about." Rather than excusing another forgettable start, the coach hinted that changes were in store after the loss, the Ducks' ..."
Ducks can't make up for poor start in loss to Stars
Comment
October 22
Los Angeles Times
 
"It is getting late to say it's early. Eight games into the season, the Ducks haven't found themselves, and their spurt of focused effort in the third period of a 4-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday at the Honda Center wasn't enough. "We didn't start playing until the third period. That's not acceptable in this league," center Ryan Getzlaf said. "We tried to put a game together in 20 minutes. It's 60." Shut out in two of their previous three games, the Ducks fell behind, 3-0, before rallying to cut the lead to one goal when Joffrey Lupul scored at 8:35 of the third."
Ducks' Giguere questionable against Stars
Comment
October 21
Orange County Register
 
"Jean-Sebastien Giguere is questionable for Wednesday night's game against Dallas because of an injury that neither he nor Ducks coach Randy Carlyle will disclose. Giguere left the ice early during Tuesday's practice at Honda Center and later stated that he has dealt with the injury the past couple of days. Both the goalie and Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said the injury was not a factor when he relieved Jonas Hiller in Saturday's 5-0 loss to St. Louis. "It's something that's been bugging me for a few days here," Giguere said. "It's not bad as I've been practicing every day. But it's something that I've got to stay on top of right now and hope that it's going to get better in the next few ..."
Ducks have new power play presentation
Comment
October 20
Orange County Register
 
"The Ducks' power play hasn't been going anywhere for four games, so Coach Randy Carlyle has decided to move one of the unit's biggest pieces. Center Ryan Getzlaf mostly has been used on the point on the power play, alongside the roving Scott Niedermayer. But the team's recent struggles with the man advantage have forced them to take another look at Getzlaf down in front. "We think that we've lost some playmaking down on the side wall, so we're going to move him back into the middle and see what we can come up with," Carlyle said. The move presumably will take better advantage of Getzlaf, who has the size to bang down low and the hands to score and pass in traffic. Getzlaf finished eighth ..."
Ducks searching for offense
Comment
October 19
Orange County Register
 
"After getting shut out for the second time in three games, the Ducks understandably focused on offense in a two-hour practice Sunday. While no one is pushing the panic button, this much is clear: A team whose biggest offseason moves involved getting offensive help is averaging just 2.28 goals a game and stuck in an 0-for-17 streak on the power play. Top-line center Ryan Getzlaf called out his line for not leading the way out of the funk, but there is plenty of responsibility to bear. "We don't have one line right now that's playing consistently well," Joffrey Lupul said. "The games we've won and played well it seems like everybody contributed. It's just a matter of everyone getting ..."
Ducks' loss something to jeer
Comment
October 18
L.A. Daily News
 
"They still cheer a little for Andy McDonald in Honda Center, no matter what jersey he's wearing. So most of the boos Saturday were reserved for the St. Louis Blues' Paul Kariya and the hometown Ducks. Not that the 14,902 in attendance were especially happy to see McDonald, a former Duck, score twice in the Blues' 5-0 victory. But with the men in black giving so few reasons to cheer - they were booed off the ice after the final two periods - who could blame them? By the time the third period rolled around, the Ducks were looking mighty frustrated. Mike Brown got into a fight long after a whistle blew. Corey Perry drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. "We need to be a team that comes out ..."
Blues blank Ducks
Comment
October 18
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"If after Saturday's 5-0 victory Blues coach Andy Murray had any "coachable moments," as he often calls player's mistakes, he was being extra picky. The Blues played as sound a game against the Anaheim Ducks as they've delivered in a long time and no doubt turned in their best performance of the young 2009-10 season. Forwards cycled the puck and took plenty of shots, defensemen cleared the zone with crisp passing and the goaltending was impeccable. The result Saturday was the Blues' first shutout of the season, snapping a three-game losing streak that was beginning to raise concerns for a team that opened the schedule with back-to-back wins over Detroit. Former Anaheim Duck Andy McDonald ..."
Andy McDonald nets 2 goals in 5-0 win over Ducks
Comment
October 18
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
 
"Andy McDonald had two goals and an assist, and the St. Louis Blues ended a three-game losing streak with a 5-0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night. Ty Conklin made 26 saves to earn his first shutout of the season and the 11th of his NHL career. After consecutive wins over Detroit in Sweden two weeks ago, the Blues had lost three straight back in North America, going 0-10 on the power play. St. Louis quickly reversed the trend against the Ducks. Patrick Berglund and Carlo Colaiacovo scored man-advantage goals for a 2-0 lead early in the second period. McDonald scored two even-strength goals and T.J. Oshie added one. Brad Boyes and Erik Johnson each had two assists."
Perry, Ducks take advantage of fast start
Comment
October 15
Orange County Register
 
"So much for the questions about the way the Ducks have started their games. Corey Perry took care of that nagging problem in short order. Perry scored twice in the first 8:29 to finally get the Ducks going from the start Wednesday night, and Jonas Hiller had another strong effort in goal to highlight a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild in front of 15,111 at Honda Center. The Ducks (4-2-1) had not scored a first-period goal all season, but Perry changed that when he gobbled up a bad clearing attempt by former teammate Shane Hnidy and easily put a backhand shot past goalie Niklas Backstrom. "We talked about it before the game," Perry said. "We haven't come out in the first period all ..."
A hot start leads Ducks past the Wild
Comment
October 15
Los Angeles Times
 
"The slow-starting Ducks wanted a jump-start, and they got one. Corey Perry was two-thirds of the way to a hat trick only 8 1/2 minutes into the Ducks' 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild in front of 15,111 Wednesday at the Honda Center. Perry didn't get a third goal for what would have been the first hat trick of his career -- Ryan Carter scored the Ducks' other goal -- but Perry only shrugged. "If it ever happens, it happens," he said. "I'm not pushing it." Coach Randy Carlyle didn't even have him on the ice with an empty net at the end. "There was an old guy who didn't want to get off," he said in a teasing jab at Teemu Selanne. The Ducks got a nice start to a six-game homestand, and ..."
Careless mistakes cost Wild on road
Comment
October 15
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"There was no way to blame Wednesday night on a team in transition being unable to rid itself of old habits. No, with the Wild still looking like it was on vacation after three off-days in California, Minnesota forgot about fundamentals during another careless first period and an eventual 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center. Once again digging itself an early hole, the Wild, which lost Martin Havlat in the third period because of a groin injury, overlooked hockey tips taught in childhood -- for example, not going for a line change when the puck is on your side of the red line. A lack of defensive regard in the first 20 minutes led to the Wild dropping a third consecutive game ..."
Top line produces pair of early goals in Ducks victory
Comment
October 15
L.A. Daily News
 
"To become one of the NHL's elite lines, Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry will need more games to remember than games to forget. On a more elementary level, they'll need to play together the bulk of the time they're on the ice. A few games like Wednesday's won't hurt. With his linemates creating spacious seams at ease, then threading the puck almost effortlessly, Perry scored twice as the Ducks dominated the Minnesota Wild, 3-2, before 15,111 at the Honda Center. "It's definitely not easy," said Perry, who nearly completed his first career hat trick on a wraparound shot in the second period. "We controlled the puck; we were tight together. Our line hasn't been doing that this year. ..."
Injury mars successful trip
Comment
October 12
Orange County Register
 
"Finishing a four-game trip across the country with two victories and collecting five out of a possible eight points made for a modestly successful first venture on the road for the Ducks, but it came with a significant cost. Minutes-eating defenseman James Wisniewski suffered a sprained right shoulder and left the ice late in the third period of Saturday's 3-2 shootout victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. After X-rays were taken, the Ducks announced that the top-four defender will be out "week to week." Through four games, Wisniewski ranked third in average ice time on the team (25:15) and already had four assists from the blue line. Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said Wisniewski was injured ..."
Bounces go against fatigued Ducks
Comment
October 12
Orange County Register
 
"Funny how the game of hockey works sometimes. Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer makes a play Saturday that few others can make in the desperate final seconds of a game, flipping a backhand pass through the crease to a waiting Teemu Selanne for the tying goal in a comeback victory at Philadelphia. The next night against the New York Rangers, Niedermayer is again in the middle of another critical play, except he wishes he could have a do-over. Ales Kotalik's slap shot skipped off Niedermayer's stick and got past goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, breaking a scoreless tie early in the third period, and propelling the Rangers to a 3-0 victory Sunday at Madison Square Garden. Niedermayer was clearly ..."
Avery returns; guides Rangers past Ducks, 3-0
Comment
October 12
New York Post
 
"They have won four straight after an opening night defeat, but the Rangers won't make the same mistake they did last year when they got way too full of themselves after bolting to a 10-2-1 getaway. "I'm happy where we are, but a pat on the back is only a couple of feet away from a kick in the butt," Steve Valiquette noted after shutting out the Ducks 3-0 at the Garden today in his season debut. "So much goes into getting a shutout, that it's not a goaltending record, it's a team record." The record is 4-1 . . . and 1-0 with Sean Avery. The Fashionable One not only brought his customary energy to the party after missing the first four matches with a sprained knee, he indirectly set up the ..."
Ducks Forum Top 5
  1. So where can we improve
    Last post:Pensx3