Game 27: Ducks vs. Panthers 12.1.10

OPINION:
George Parros?? George Parros!! I don't know Parros was a sniper ;) He had his first multi-goal game in his NHL career and it was thrilling for everyone in attendance to see if he could actually pull off a hat trick. He was only an assist away from the Gordie Howe hat trick as well. Wouldn't that have been a sight to see? The Panthers are a struggling team, and what most teams consider to be "beatable". We all know how the Ducks do with the "beatable" teams, so I didn't go into the game overly-confident. I'm glad they were able to get the 2 points out of the whole thing though, because that's how it should have gone. What would have been a boring, quiet (the arena was less than half-way full), Wednesday night tilt, turned into a frantic and loud (well...loud whenever Parros touched the ice) arena. That's just the fan power that our beloved Parros has on us. He made the game exciting. Viva la Moustache! I don't think I was the only one in there who really, REALLY, wanted to throw a hat.

POST GAME QUOTES:
“I was feeling really good,” Parros said to a television reporter on the ice, barely heard over the roar of the crowd that stuck around to watch him get First Star honors. “It seemed like the pucks were coming to me tonight.”

"We wanted to go out and have a nice cycled shift and get things going," Getzlaf said, "and we were fortunate enough to put one in the back of the net and changed momentum back to us."

"It was great, obviously tonight and any other time George can chip in offensively – and he also had a big fight to follow his goal," Getzlaf said. "Not a lot of guys follow up a goal with a fight right off the face off, but that was good for our group and creates energy for sure."

"It was an awesome feeling," Parros said. "You could hear them getting crazy every time I touched the ice in the third period. It was a good feeling and I appreciate it. I wanted the hat trick for sure. It was great feeling, glad our line could finally contribute. We can’t rely on the top two lines every night. It definitely helps to chip in."

"We’ve got to take every point we can get in this building," Perry said. "If we can win home we are going to have a better chance of making the playoffs. Things don’t change, we’ve got to go out and play the same way every night."

Said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle, "We definitely had the right approach. We started the hockey game very, very well. We were very workmanlike. And anytime you have a player like George Parros go out and score a couple of goals, everybody feels real good for him, and that kind of led the way."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

ANAHEIM, CA - DECEMBER 01: George Parros #16 of the Anaheim Ducks reacts to the fans after being named the first star of the game against the Florida Panthers at the Honda Center on December 1, 2010 in Anaheim, California. The Ducks defeated the Panthers 5-3. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Game 27: Ducks @ Stars 12.3.09

Graphic Credit: BuckyHermit @ duckscentral.net

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






OPINION:
Ducks got off to an early lead of 1-0 on a Koivu goal and.... not much else happened after. See, a lot of folks like their team to score first. Not I. Not this year anyway. The Ducks record is pretty much garbage when they score first, but that's not saying much since their record is garbage in any sense of anything. Anyway, they win more games than lose when the other team scores first, even if that winning isn't happening much. When the Ducks get off to a lead they go into an automatic defensive shell that they are not very good at. I don't see the point in defensive shells if you can't defend particularly well. But that's what the Ducks do.

On another note, I'm getting sick of the injury bug. It has plagued teams all over the league and it's had it's sights set on Anaheim for a while now. Lupul, Carter, Calder, and now you can add Teemu Selanne to the list. In tonight's game, where he was even questionable to play due to flu symptoms, Selanne got nailed by a slapshot in the hand and as a result, has a fracture and will be out 4 to 6 weeks. Gravy. He should have stayed in bed then we'd have only missed him for 1 game instead of 4-6 weeks worth of games, but that's the sport of hockey. Nobody could predict he'd get nailed by the puck. It's unfortunate. This season is unfortunate.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"They should feel like thieves right now to steal two points like that," Ducks defenseman James Wisniewski said.

"In the course of a career, you get all kinds of weird goals," Giguere said solemly. "That's one that ...it's a different goal for sure. I don't think it's anybody's fault. We're trying to do the right thing here, Wiz and I, and it just ..."

Source for Quotes:ocregister.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

Anaheim Ducks center Saku Koivu (11) hugs right winger Evgeny Artyukhin (24) after a first-period goal in an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009, in Dallas. (PHOTO CREDIT: Yahoo Sports)

Game 27: Ducks @ Blackhawks 12.3.08

Ducks Lose 4-2

ROBBED. Completely.

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GAME DAY QUOTES:
"We had a couple of close chances around the net," Toews said. "Then Steeger made a great play. You've just got to get your stick on those."

"He gave us a chance, we couldn't ask more from our goalie," coach Randy Carlyle said. "I thought after the first period we were in control and did some things well. We started to play our game. We were in a position to win this hockey game, and these are the ones that are tough."

"This was a big win," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "The circumstances turned in the second period. The two points are welcome. Anaheim was playing their game to a 'T.'"

"It seemed kind of lucky. They got the bounce," Hiller said. "It's kind of sad to lose a game that way. On an experienced club like ours, those things shouldn't happen. We had the lead until the end. What else do you want in a road game. It was a bad, bad loss."

"Steeger and Duncs made a great play on Havlat's goal to tie it up," Toews said. "Right there, we said we can win this game. That was a huge turning point in the third."

Source for Quotes:nhl.com