Game 50: Ducks @ Maple Leafs 1.20.11

OPINION:
Not many teams make it look easy to lose to celler dweller teams. The Ducks do, though. With losses to teams like the Islanders, the Devils, and the Oilers, it seems only natural for them to add the Maple Leafs to that list. It's unexplainable. Except well, we all know what's happening. The Ducks are notorious for lowering their level of play to the opponent. They are notorious from not learning from experience that that kind of thing doesn't work. They are notorious for losing to teams in the basement. I'm not gonna lie, the loss was indeed expected. It doesn't make it hurt any less. Losing to these kinds of teams is what decides if you make the playoffs or if you don't. Come April, this game-- and the Islanders and the Devils-- will really sting.

On the absolute flip side and in a rare moment, you'd be hard pressed to find any Ducks fan that wasn't at least a little bit happy to see none other than John-Sebastian Giguere get the win for the Leafs. I think we all know from experience, he's no slouch. Congratulations Jiggy, we still miss you.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"(The Leafs) got embarrassed last night and they came out pretty good," Ducks forward Teemu Selanne said. "They played better than us."

Added Ducks coach Randy Carlyle: "We played about 12 minutes of hockey tonight. You can't play 12 minutes of hockey and expect to win in the NHL."

"I wanted to just have a strong game," said Giguere, who made 26 saves. "Not because I'm bitter or anything like that. You want to play well against guys you know. It's a fun challenge. Seeing them this morning, you can have a little laugh, but when the game comes they want to score and I want to make a save. Thankfully, I made more saves tonight."

GAME NOTES:
Giguere's only other start against Anaheim came Dec. 29, 1999, when he backstopped Calgary to a 3-1 win. ... Maple Leafs forward Mike Brown served the final game of a three-game suspension. ... Toronto tough guy Colton Orr smacked his face on the ice at the end of a first-period fight with George Parros and didn't return to the game.

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

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

TORONTO, CANADA - JANUARY 20: Jean-Sebastien Giguere #35 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates the win against the Anaheim Ducks during game action at the Air Canada Centre January 20, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Abelimages/Getty Images)

Game 50: Ducks vs. Sabres 1.19.10

Graphic Credit: BuckyHermit @ duckscentral.net





OPINION:
Getzlaf Scores. Artyukhin Scores. Brown Scores. Ryan Scores. All in just over half of the 1st period. You wouldn't think that the Ducks would need Bodie to score in the 3rd to hold on to the victory, but they did. Bodie's goal was the game winner against a tough Miller, who was in net replacing Lalime who got pulled after Anaheim's 4th goal. The 1st period was 100% all Ducks, Buffalo had no business being in that 1st period. The 2nd period was 100% all Buffalo, with them coming within 1 goal of the Ducks 4-0 lead. The 3rd period was a battle of the goal tenders, Hiller and Miller. In the end the Ducks had just enough in them to skate away with the win. They handed Buffalo their first regulation loss since December 23rd. Also their first loss this season to a Western Conference team. The Ducks, on the other hand, came away with their 8th straight home win and 2 major major points. It puts them in 11th, tied with Dallas with 53 points; however, Dallas has a game in hand so they get 10th and we get 11th. It leaves them only 4 points out of the 8th spot that they have been desperately trying to get into since they're rough start to the season and both Detroit and the Kings lost tonight, making it that much sweeter. So while it wasn't exactly a pretty win on the ice, it's a very pretty win where it counts-- the standings.


POST GAME QUOTES:
"If you have four goals, it can be dangerous," Hiller said. "They knew they had to do something. They scored two quick goals and were back in the game. At the end, we have to take the positives. We found a way to win. That is what it important right now."

"Bodie got a huge goal for us there late in the third period," Getzlaf said. "Those are things that we need to win hockey games. Tonight wasn’t the prettiest effort throughout the whole game, but we were able to get that early lead and hold it."

"We’ve played pretty well at home lately," Hiller said. "At least we got the points and found ways to win. We have to do the same thing on the road now. We have that confidence that we can win every game. We have to keep going. It’s not going to come by itself. We have to work hard, especially if we can start like tonight and play 60 minutes."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

Anaheim Ducks right wing Troy Bodie, right celebrates scoring a goal against the Buffalo Sabres with teammate Anaheim Ducks center Todd Marchant (22) in the third period during an NHL hockey game, in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday, Jan., 19, 2010. Ducks won 5-4. (Photo Credit: Yahoo Sports)

Game 50: Ducks @ Coyotes 1.27.09

Ducks WIN 7 - 3!!!

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GAME DAY QUOTES:
“You watch a lot of other teams that are having success, and they’re getting those goals and getting those bounces,” said Corey Perry “We’ve talked about it right from Day One in training camp — our middle-lane drive and stop at the net and crash the net. That’s how we have to play. We have to get those ugly goals to be successful.”

Randy Carlyle added, "You look at the goals we scored. They were all from the crease in. They were goals off faceoffs, off deflections and from jamming the crease. Those are the ugly areas to score goals from."

Phoenix coach Wayne Gretzky said it best: "The reality is we played against a team that knows the situation, knows where they're at and understands where they are in the standings. They basically wanted to win the game more than we did."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com