Game 46: Ducks vs. Blues 1.12.11

OPINION:
The game started off awesome, the Ducks went up 3-0 in the 1st and the thought was "smooth sailing", but every Ducks fan KNOWS there's no such thing as "smooth" sailing and the Blues came back into the game 3-2, after that the 3rd period arrived and basically all hell broke loose. We started to cream them again, and their mentality turned into "if you can't beat em, beat em up"... and having that mentality against the Ducks doesn't work very well. The Ducks know that strategy all too well, you see. In the end the score was 7 - 4. It was a spectacular game that included a Bobby Ryan hat trick, the 3rd of his career and 2nd of this season.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"It was a weird play," Ryan said [Of his 1st of 3 goals]. "It came off the cycle and I tried to push it low. Lupul made a great play through the slot area to find me. I had a lot of net to shoot it."

"I was in the right spot at the right time," Ryan said [Of his 2nd goal].

"He’s a goal-scorer and he scored goal-scorer-type goals," coach Randy Carlyle said of Ryan. "It’s nice to see that he’s finally being rewarded in the last little while."

"We’ve realized that on a homestand you really need to come out and put your best foot forward," Ryan said. "The month of December was a little bit ugly. We’ve gone on streaks all year long. We need to come out at home, establish the forecheck and our identity."

GAME NOTES:
-The Ducks have won three straight games (3-0-0), six of their last seven (6-1-0) and have gone 11-5-1 overall in the last 17 contests.
-Over the last three games, the Ducks have outscored their opposition 14-4. Tonight also marked Anaheim's first seven-goal game since Apr. 11, 2010 vs. Edmonton (7-2).
-Ryan’s 3-1=4 points tonight is a career high. He has a three-game goal (point) streak, scoring six goals (6-1=7) in that span. Ryan has reached the 20-goal plateau (21-14=35) for his third consecutive season.
-Jonas Hiller had his scoreless streak snapped at a career-high 178:34 minutes. The Ducks scored 10 straight goals during his scoreless streak. Hiller’s scoreless streak was the 11th-longest since the lockout (start of 2005-06 season). Over the last three games, Hiller has gone 3-0-0 with a 1.33 GAA (4 GA/180 MIN) and .959 SV% (94-of-98). He also has a .956 SV% (219-of-229) and 1.43 GAA (10 GA/419 MIN) over the last seven games (6-1-0).
-With two assists tonight (0-2=2), Teemu Selanne now sits just one point shy of 1,300 points in his career (618-681=1,299 in 1,223 career games). He has 2-3=5 points in his last four games and 2-9=11 points in his last 10 games. Selanne’s 1.05 points-per-game ranks 12th in the NHL. He is five years older than anyone else in the top 15 (TB’s Martin St. Louis ranks fifth with 1.20 points-per-game and is 35 years old).
-Rookie Cam Fowler has 0-5=5 points in his last three games. His 0-2=2 points tonight marked his fourth career multi-point game. Fowler leads all NHL rookies in assists and ranks tied for fifth in points. He also leads all rookie defensemen in points.

Source for Quotes & Game Day Notes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

ANAHEIM, CA - JANUARY 12: Corey Perry #10 of the Anaheim Ducks stands amongst the hats following a hattrick by teammate Bobby Ryan #9 (not shown) against the St. Louis Blues at the Honda Center on January 12, 2011 in Anaheim, California. The Ducks defeated the Blues 7-4. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Game 74: Ducks vs. Blues

VS.

Ducks Win 5 - 2!!!!!

PERIOD 1: 1 - 0
PERIOD 2: 2 - 1
PERIOD 3: 5 - 2

I gotta admit we played well enough to beat St.Louis but I don't want them to play the way they played tonight against Dallas or San Jose...they were sloppy at times and some of their goals would otherwise be saved by Turco or Nabby. Legace let them in, they wouldn't. It's kinda like that. :) So this was game 1 without Pronger due to his suspension, 7 remaining on his suspension, I even added a new element in the sidebar just to count down for him. My kudos for the night go to Rob Niedermayer, he had 2 goals tonight! :) And they weren't because of an empty net either! LOL.

GAME DAY QUOTES:

"We were battling along the boards," Niedermayer said. "I just popped free quickly and I saw Mo going to the net. I just wanted to get it on net as quick as I could and luckily it went by Manny." -- Rob Niedermayer

"I just had an empty net," Niedermayer said. "It was some great plays by Sammy and Travis."" -- Rob Niedermayer

"Jiggy made some great saves," Schneider said. "If it wasn’t for his performance, we would have been in a much tougher spot. We had a couple of timely goals. We were able to stay on top and not play from behind." -- Mathieu Schneider

"I just saw an opportunity to jump up," Schneider said. "I was just trying to create some room for Teemu and happened to break into the open. I was trying to get it at the net as quickly as I could. I think their defenseman got a stick on it, but a backhand is a tough shot for a goalie no matter where. It’s hidden from him." -- Mathieu Schneider

"We didn’t play to the level that is going to be required here that is for sure," Carlyle said. "We’ll take the win, but we’re going to have to play a higher level than we played tonight, specifically in our next game against Dallas. We think it’s a decent sign that when you don’t play to your best, you still have some success." -- Randy Carlyle, Head Coach

Game 65: Ducks vs. Blues

vs.

Ducks Win 2 - 1 in OT

PERIOD 1: 0 - 0
PERIOD 2: 0 - 0
PERIOD 3: 1 - 1
OT: 2 - 1

This was a fairly boring game, or on the boring side, until the 3rd period. Big goal that Teemu got credit FOR but I give most of it to Schneider for the slapper, Teemu gets the rest of the credit for directing it in the net. GOOD ONE!! Tied up the game, went to Overtime where who other than Sammy got the game winner. Total beauty, you could see it ready to happen from a mile away! Fans still booed the weasel, and they played a nice "Thank You Andy" message on the jumbotron for Andy, most of the crowd stood up to clap for him, I was a little dissapointed at how many didn't stand though. Big 2 points for us.