Game 15: Ducks vs. Predators 11.9.11

Game 15: Ducks vs. Predators 11.7.10

OPINION:
It wasn't the prettiest of wins, but it's a win! And with only 1.7 seconds to spare, the Ducks basically swiped that almost free point right out from the noses of the Predators (Much like some shenanegan a Datsyuk fellow pulled on the Ducks a couple weeks ago, only much cooler and with a better result). Bobby Ryan directed a pass straight to Paul Mara who took on the role of sniper and snapped the puck in the back of the net like it was no big deal, and Honda Center went NUTS. Grumbles were all around before this play with the likes of "why can't they just hold a lead" or "overtime, again". People preparing themselves for an overtime period, when this beautiful play unfolded. I am sick right now, and spend most of the game frustrated that I had no voice to cheer for, and yell at, the Ducks. With that game winning goal I hollered as loud as I possibly could! Now I really have no voice. I'll take it though, that was worth it. Thank you, Ducks!

Before I forget to give out my Kudos to Selanne and Koivu, here it is! KUDOS YOU FINNISH DUO! Selanne is hot lately and Koivu is right behind him (2 goals tonight, for his 700th career point!) Not too shabby, boys! Don't look now, but the Ducks are on a winning streak! And have fought their way to .500. Awesome!

POST GAME QUOTES:
"Two points is two points," Carlyle said. "We’re not going to lament any other part of it. It was one of those games that seemed like we had to work for every inch. Every time we got a lead, they came back. We sure kept the fans in the building."

"I knew going out we didn’t have a whole lot of time," Ryan said. "It worked out for the best. Paul made a great play jumping in with a nice finish. The defenseman was trying to cut across and just got a piece of it, maybe a little too much. It came right to me. Everything came just the way we needed to there."

Added Mara, "I looked up at the clock and I saw there were eight or nine seconds left. Bobby got it and I just kept jumping to the net. It was bouncing right there and I just put it into an empty net. It was a great play by those guys. I was just in the right place at the right time."

"It was an ugly game, certainly not one we want to put in the archives, that's for sure." Ryan said. "We have to do a better job in front of Hillsy [goalie Jonas Hiller] and a better job managing the puck through the neutral zone. It’s something we’ll focus on."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

Anaheim Ducks players Ryan Getzlaf(notes) and Bobby Ryan(notes) celebrate after Paul Mara(notes), center, scored the winning goal against the Nashville Predators in their NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2010. ( AP Photo/Christine Cotter)

Game 15: Ducks vs. Coyotes 11.7.09

Graphic Credit: BuckyHermit @ duckscentral.net

PERIOD 1: 1 - 0
PERIOD 2: 3 - 0
PERIOD 3: 4 - 3





OPINION:
For most of the game the Ducks held their own. Most being the key word. Going into the third period I think most Ducks fans were thinking "hey, Hiller is moving towards his second shutout in a row, wouldn't that be great" and then into the third that turned into "Holy crap! What's going on here? Please don't have a Minnesota Wild (See Game 3 of the season) repeat." Getzlaf happened to make a huge error by passing directly to another player. It was a great pass, mind you, it was to the wrong team. That pass resulted in a goal, and that goal resulted in a breakdown by the Ducks and a surge for the Coyotes who went on to score two more goals to make the game interesting at 4-3. A far cry from what the game was in the first two periods. The good news is the Ducks had JUST enough of a cushion in goals to squeak past the Coyotes for the 4-3 win.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"Considering how the last few weeks have gone here, it’s good to come out with a couple of wins here at home," said Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer. "Home ice is important and you want to take advantage of it. We haven’t been able to do that, but the last two we have. We’re heading in the right direction right now."

"You have to give [Phoenix] credit," said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. "They did not go away."

"Some of our losses earlier in the season were bad bounces," said James Wisniewski, who returned after serving a two-game suspension for a hit in that last game in Phoenix "I don’t think we played all that poorly, but sometimes if you don’t get the right breaks at the right time, then you’re not going to win games. Now, with our hard work, dedication and the way we’re playing by keeping it simple, getting pucks in deep and grinding it out, breaks are coming out way."


"In the middle of the third period, we went out and gave them life," said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. "It was almost like we stood around and watched them skate. That is what happens in these games. The momentum swings back and forth. You can’t critique a win. We won the hockey game. We’ll take the two points and move on."

"We want to get on this road trip now and continue to get better," Niedermayer said. "We are playing better hockey and that is why we’re getting some results now. We have to continue to build on it."

Added Wisniewski, "It’s perfect with us getting two wins in a row at home, where we were struggling. It was surprising because we were at home for such a long time. Now, we go on a tough road trip with four games in six days. It might be a good thing for us because of how well we’re playing. We’ll see what we can do."

Source for Quotes:ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry scores a goal against Phoenix Coyotes goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, of Russia, in the second period of an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009. (Source:Yahoo Sports)

Game 15: Ducks vs. Blues 11.5.08

Ducks Win 5 - 2 !
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GAME DAY QUOTES:
"The team is playing well and everybody is contributing in different areas," Getzlaf said. "Our penalty killing and power play is playing well. We’re getting great goaltending. It’s a matter of things are clicking right now and we just have to continue playing the way we are."

"We have to be happy with our work ethic, first and foremost," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "We played in a game last night in L.A. and [the Blues] were here waiting for us. We did some things that we have to do to be successful. We did those more consistently tonight than we did last night and that was our goal."

"You have to put most of it on [Getzlaf's] shoulders," said linemate Chris Kunitz of the Ducks' resurgence. "He sat out in Toronto because of a [dental procedure]. He came back, we got a goal that first game in Ottawa, and ever since then it’s just elevated everybody’s game. The power play started clicking after that. Teemu starting scoring a bunch of goals, Corey started getting a bunch of points and Prongs and Scotty. I think Getzy is probably the cornerstone of how it all started to go."