Game 40: Ducks @ Coyotes 12.28.10

OPINION:
After Coach Carlyle held one-on-one meetings with the players yesterday, they showed in the 1st period tonight that the message was received loud and clear. The first period was all the Ducks needed to clinch the 3-1 victory over the Coyotes. In the 2nd period Getzlaf got hit square in the face with a shot by Doan and left the ice immediately. Heaps of blood left behind on the ice. 10 stitches to the forehead later, he did not return to the game. A scary injury, and I hope he's not out for very long.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"We talked about some of the things we thought were grieving them and some of the things they thought were grieving us," Carlyle said. "We felt better today. Obviously the coaching staff makes the final decisions, but it doesn't hurt to get some feedback."

"We have to show that when we play well we can play with any team in the league," Hiller said. "Our problem is we haven't shown that every night."

"We can't do that," Carlyle said of the two-man advantages. "Those are things where we're very fortunate to get out of here with two points."

GAME NOTES:
Phoenix had one shot on their second, 37-second two-man advantage. The crowd also might have been boosted by a $1 beer promotion. Ryan Getzlaf took a puck to the face 4:31 into the second period and bled profusely before he was helped to the dressing room. Ducks personnel said Getzlaf had a laceration above the eye and was feeling better by the third period, but he didn't return. He will be evaluated Wednesday morning.

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

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

Anaheim Ducks right winger Corey Perry (center) celebrates with teammates Ryan Getzlaf (left) and Matt Beleskey (39) after scoring a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2010, in Glendale, Ariz.(Photo by Yahoo Sports)

Game 40: Ducks @ Stars 12.31.09

Graphic Credit: BuckyHermit @ duckscentral.net





OPINION:
Okay it was too much to ask. The Ducks have just a bad bad history with New Years Eve games. It's like they don't want to enter the new year on a win. Whatever, boys. Often times teams that score 3 goals in a game can walk away with the win, but such is not the case this year for Anaheim. I haven't looked at Hiller's GAA lately or recently, because I am afraid of what I will see. From memory it seems to me he's pretty consistent at letting in at least 4. He should try to work on that. Carlyle should stop the fight for the top spot as a goalie so both Giguere and Hiller can get over the stress and pressure and just play their games.

They just didn't have fight in them for this game. They had a 2-1 lead in the 2nd period and that's when things went to hell. A bad garbage goal got in past Hiller on what would normally be a save, then directly after that bad goal there was another humdinger that went past Hiller through the pie-hole. That was just a terrible goal any way you want to slice it. That took the fight out of the Ducks and we have a loss. Dallas started with a short handed goal, notched a hat trick at some point, and stole the show.

Happy New Year?

POST GAME QUOTES:
"We're this far into the season and we keep repeating the same answers in situations like this," Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer said. "A lot of it is done to ourselves. Simple mistakes that we talk about pretty much every day about how to play, how we want to defend and those types of things. We keep straying from it."

"It was probably our worst period of the year," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "We gave up 19 shots and they had more scoring chances than shots because they had some chances and the pucks went wide.

Source for Quotes: ocregister.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

Anaheim Ducks center Kyle Chipchura (28) tosses his gloves to fight Dallas Stars center Steve Ott (29) in the third period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009, in Dallas. Dallas won 5-3.(Photo Credit: Yahoo Sports)

Game 40: Ducks vs. Coyotes 1.4.09

DUCKS WIN 2-0!!

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GAME DAY QUOTES:
"For me, it’s important to play as much as possible because I think for a goalie, experience is a big part in this game," said Hiller, making his first apperance since a Dec. 28 win in St. Louis. "I just try to do my best every game I can play. It’s great that it worked out that well. I’m happy for me and happy for the team to get those two points because they were really important today."

"It was tough, especially because I already thought I wasn’t going to get a lot of shots that period because I had one shot until then," Hiller said. "They were in our zone for four minutes. It was hard on the legs. They moved the puck around pretty well. I think everybody battled through."

Added Ducks forward Bobby Ryan, "The penalty kill had to do it again tonight. It was nice for us to reward them for all they’ve done lately and put a few home."

"They cleared the puck, so it was a half breakout, half neutral zone regroup," Ryan said. "Getzy showed his poise again, carrying the puck all the way down the half wall and hitting Scotty. I think Scotty had too much to look at and found me off the side virtually all alone. That’s a tough for a goalie to make to get all the way back and across. It was easy for me to slide it home."

"Tonight was our best team effort that we’ve had," said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. " For us, I think the difference in the game was our specialty teams. We got two power play goals and they went o-fer on their power play, so our penalty killers and our power play guys stood up."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com