Game 57: Ducks @ Oilers 2.13.11

OPINION:
So many positives about this game, where do I even begin? I'll just roll with it. The Ducks got Hiller back from his mysterious injury/sickness and it couldn't have been any better of a game for him to come back for. Instead of facing a team that would pelt him with 40+ shots, he got to ease back into the game with a team that gave him 14 shots. And since it was only 14 shots Hiller earned his 5th shutout of the season.

Another positive is the Ducks played a full 60 minute effort, even against the Oilers. In past games they've been guilty of playing themselves down to the opponent and not taking the weaker teams seriously. And they got burned in doing so. Not this time. This time they went in to play hockey whether the Oilers wanted to play or not. And they got the result they wanted. Bobby Ryan had 2 goals on the night and was looking for his 3rd hat trick of the season. (Is it just me, or are Bobby and Perry in an unsaid competition on who can score the most hat tricks this year? No complaints from me, the more hat tricks the better, I say).

The Ducks sailed through this game and won 4-0 and ironically come home from the road trip a perfect 4-0. I said early in the season that if they could figure out how to win on the road, they would be fine. And ladies and gentlemen, I believe they have figured out how to win on the road. I'm looking forward to the final stretch.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"Shot-wise it might have been one of the easiest shutouts of my career," said Hiller, who now has 11 for his career. "But not getting a whole lot of shots, does sometimes make it tougher to stay focused. They did have a couple of chances. There were a couple of odd-man rushes, and things like that, so it wasn't an easy night, but it wasn't a whole lot of work."

"When you score early like that, it really set the tone for us," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said.

"I thought we got guilty of being too cute at times, but then got a big goal and the game started to go in our direction and we were fortunate we caught a tired hockey club tonight," Carlyle said.

GAME NOTES:

• The Ducks outscored their opponents 16-7 on the road trip, which included shutouts at Colorado (Feb. 5) and at Edmonton (Feb. 13)...Anaheim is now tied for the division lead with Dallas (the Stars have one game in hand).


• The Ducks have won six straight games on the road, the longest current streak in the NHL and equaling the third-longest streak in the NHL this season. The streak is the club's longest road win streak since a six-game stretch from Mar. 19 – Apr. 4, 2009 (club record is seven games).


• The Ducks road trip sweep (Colorado/Vancouver/Calgary/Edmonton) marked the third time in club history the team has won every game on a road trip of four games or more


• Selanne's goal was the 100th game-winner of his career...he becomes the sixth player in NHL history to achieve the milestone, joining Gordie Howe (121), Phil Esposito (118), Jaromir Jagr (112), Brett Hull (110) and Brendan Shanahan (109).


• The Ducks allowed only 12 shots tonight at Edmonton - the fewest shots allowed in a shutout in club history...the previous low was 14 (Bryzgalov, Oct. 28, 2006 at Chicago, 3-0 win).


• Anaheim has won four straight games overall…the team is 8-2-0 in the last 10 contests, 11-3-0 in the last 14, 14-4-0 in the last 18 and 19-8-1 over the last 28 games.

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

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

Anaheim Ducks' Saku Koivu (11), Teemu Selanne, center right, and Jason Blake, right, celebrate Selanne's goal against Edmonton Oilers' goaltender Devan Dubnyk (40) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, in Edmonton.(Photo Credit: Yahoo Sports)

Game 57: Ducks vs. Wings 2.3.10

Graphic Credit: BuckyHermit @ duckscentral.net






OPINION:
The Ducks didn't waste any time setting the tone for this game. While the Wings fan behind me was yelling for his team to "put it in the net" the Ducks just so happened to listen to him. It went in the net, for the good guys. The first period was just an all around solid effort. The second period was a little chippy, a little more sloppy, which is par for the course but they also grabbed a goal in that period too, unfortunately so did the Wings, which snapped Hiller's shutout streak. Which is fine, you can't expect a shutout every game, that's just crazy talk. It was the only goal Hiller (the "insert any other team here" Killer) would allow and the Ducks cruised to the 3-1 victory. It might also have helped that Detroit was on the 2nd end of a back to back and had to play the Sharks last night, but that's up to them to make the excuses, I don't really care. The 2 points grabbed tonight got the Ducks within 3 of the coveted 8th spot that it feels like everyone is in a battle for... and if they win tomorrow they could be within 1 precious point. The team that gets to play part in this decision is unfortunately one that would love nothing more than to spoil these hopes. The LA Kings are the Ducks' next opponent x2. The Ducks are 0-2 against them, so let's just hope for the best tomorrow and that the Ducks snap that record. And then hope that on Monday they even it up at 2-2.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"It’s fun to play if you get a lot of shots, but it’s also a little tiring," Hiller said. "We found a way to win tonight."

"They are a great team no matter where they are at in the standings," said forward Jason Blake, playing his second game with the Ducks after coming over in a trade that sent J.S. Giguere to Toronto. "They always seem to be in the thick of things all year long. It was a great night by our goaltender. He played outstanding. It was a great team effort. That is all you can ask for."

"We had a good start and that gave us a lot of confidence," Hiller said.

"We gave ourselves a good start and built on that," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "We did a lot of things that we needed to. It’s all about getting points right now. We understand the situation we’re in. We’re looking up at a few teams. We’d like to climb into that other group to give ourselves a chance."

"The whole team is playing really well defensively,: Hiller said. "Even if I have rebounds, we’re clearing them. Everybody is fighting hard, blocking shots and doing everything back there. I hope we can keep it on ... We have another really important coming up tomorrow."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

ANAHEIM, CA - FEBRUARY 03: Kyle Chipchura #28 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrates his goal with teammates Todd Marchant #22, Steve Eminger #7 and Troy Bodie #50 for a 2-0 lead against the Detroit Red Wings during the first period at the Honda Center on February 3, 2010 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Game 57: Ducks vs. Flames 2.11.09

Ducks Win 3-2 in OT!!!

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GAME DAY QUOTES:
"It doesn’t happen too often," Niedermayer said of the 3-on-3 situation. "There was a lot of room to skate and I tried to take advantage of that. I was a little lucky on the goal. You put it on net and you never know. I was just trying to get it on net and it got deflected in by the defenseman’s stick."

"They are all big for us where we are right now," Niedermayer said. "We need every point we can get. Kiprusoff played well. There is no doubt about it. I think it was good on our part that we kept doing the things you need to do."

"It’s nice to get two big wins against a good team," Giguere said. "Hopefully, we can use this as a springboard for us. We’re doing a lot of good things out there. If we keep playing that same way, we’re going to win more than we lose."

"It was an intense hockey game right from the opening faceoff," said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. "We had to battle back in a lot of situations all night. You have to credit our players with the grit and determination. They stuck with the gameplan and found a way to get a win."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com