Game 20: Ducks @ Stars 11.16.10

OPINION:
Just like all good "undefeated in regulation" streaks, it had to come to an end sooner or later. Would have preferred "later" but oh well. Time to make a new streak. If the Ducks had buried their chances, the outcome would be different. I counted 4 solid opportunities in the 1st period alone (Selanne, Marchant (breakaway), Carter, and Bobby) all should have had a goal in the 1st. But should, woulda, coulda doesn't win games. Unfortunately.

And I'm not usually one to pick on the refs. It takes special games to get me fired up against the refs. One of those is tonight. I'm not going to go into too much of a rant about it, because we've all heard it before and I hate being the stereotypical Ducks fan whining about the ref, but damn! THREE times the Stars could have been called for too many men, alone. The missed tripping call at the end of the game could have helped too. They were really letting the Stars get away with bloody hell out there in terms of penalties.

On to the next one.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"We had our fair share of chances," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "It wasn't like we were devoid of chances, we came up empty. Even more-so, we had lots of good chances on our power play, too. ... We're just not really sharp offensively. We got to think 'shoot more,' be a little more selfish."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

Dallas Stars right wing Krys Barch, right, lands a punch to the head of Anaheim Ducks right wing George Parros, left, in the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2010, in Dallas. (Photo Credit: Yahoo Sports )

Game 19: Ducks @ Blackhawks 11.14.10

OPINION:
Well, there goes the win streak, BUT the Ducks remain undefeated in 7 games in regulation. That's something. Like always, I'll take the point, but I really wanted both points. I'm sure you feel the same way. Hiller had some amazing saves that made him look absolutely brilliant and I'm going to say he's why the Ducks got the point. Why the Ducks didn't get both points is because the Ducks played a little too much passing in the overtime period, which they went into with the man advantage (4-on-3). They passed too much, toying with their advantage, and didn't shoot enough. That advantage dwindled and the Hawks took their advantage of surviving that penalty kill. It is what it is. The Ducks now go to Dallas, looking to start a new streak, and keep the unbeaten in regulation streak alive.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"We didn't play the way we really wanted to play," Perry said. "We haven't played that way in a while. Got a point out of it, got to take the positive out of that game. They took it to us in the second and third."

"You never want to give up opportunities on the power play," said Hiller, who needed stitches to close a cut above his left eye after he was struck by a puck during practice Saturday. "I think they have enough great players out there, they make a difference."

"We didn't have very much energy tonight, we looked tired," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "We've played an awful lot of hockey, and we didn't look like we had the crispness, but we still found a way to get a point."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

Anaheim Ducks' Corey Perry (10) gets a pat on the head from Jason Blake(33) after Perry's goal against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Noiv. 14, 2010, in Chicago. Lubomir Visnovsky is at left rear. (Photo Credit: Yahoo Sports)

Game 18: Ducks vs. Stars 11.12.10

OPINION:
Don't look now, but that's a 6 GAME WIN STREAK we're looking at. Always a team for the dramatics, it came down to the wire (Selanne said they like to keep it interesting). Bobby Ryan sealed the win with an empty netter, but in the very last minutes Dallas came on very strong and it could have easily been tied and gone to overtime. Thank goodness Bobby found the empty net!

The Ducks are now 7-1-1 at home and go on a 3 game road swing visiting Chicago (the defending Stanley Cup Champions), a little how do you do? in Dallas, and then up to Minnesota, before returning home a week from now to play Columbus. I'd just like to thank the schedule makers for making that retarded. It'd make more sense to hit Minnesota after Chicago and then go to Texas, but I'm just sayin'. They had to throw that loop in there. Pfft. I'm not a fan of the Ducks on the road, and their record out on the open highway can tell you why. I don't even want to post it. I'll take the win streak continuing, thank you very much. At least for this road trip, they'll go with confidence and momentum.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"It was a huge night," Ryan said. "Tonight we didn’t give them a whole lot of momentum swings, which we’ve done in the past few games. The guys played hard in front of Hillsy [Jonas Hiller, who had 27 saves]. He earned the win tonight for us."

"When Getzy buried that goal, it was huge," Ryan said, then alluded to the line of him, Ryan and Corey Perry. "The three of us fought the puck a little bit early in the game, so it was nice to get rewarded for sticking with it. We’ve figured each other out and we’re rolling right now. It’s evident. It just needs to stick."

"I just tried to stay on my feet as long as possible," Hiller said (about facing the penalty shot). "He was coming in pretty slow. I thought he was going to deke. He made a good move and I was able to move my leg out. I felt pretty comfortable."

"Any time you can get out and have the number of shots that we had in the first period, we were trying to take advantage," said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. "We knew they played a tough game last night. These are opportunities that you get that you have to take advantage of."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

Anaheim Ducks right wing Bobby Ryan celebrates his empty net goal against the Dallas Stars during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Friday, Nov. 12, 2010. The Ducks won 4-2. (Photo Credit: Yahoo Sports )

Game 17: Ducks vs. Islanders 11.10.10

OPINION:
Who said all wins have to be pretty? It wasn't pretty, but it's a 5 game win streak the Ducks are holding right now. When two weeks ago they couldn't string together 2 wins in a row. It's pretty nice! I don't know about you, but I think tonight's game was a total snooze fest. Both teams played horrible, but one of them had to win. I'm stoked that went in the Ducks favor because that would have been a hard loss to stomach. It just adds to the Ducks win streak, and adds to the Islander's baffling now 8 game losing streak. I'll take the win streak, thank you very much.

They don't always have to be pretty, but as long as the Ducks are in the win column, who the hell cares how they got there?
And Congrats goes out to Curtis McElhinney posting his first career NHL shutout! He is definitely McGlovin!

POST GAME QUOTES:
"We knew it was going to be tough," said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. " We were playing a young, energized Islander team. Having played last night in San Jose, we knew it would be a tough struggle. These are the type of games that you almost have to win. In our situation, we couldn’t accept anything other than a win. That was our focus."

"It’s never easy to play back-to-backs, especially when the other team had a couple of days off," Koivu said. "They were fresh and were coming hard at us in the first period. You were able to tell that we didn’t have the jump that we usually have. When you have a tough schedule, with a lot of games and travel, you’re going to have nights where you’re not going to feel your best. Good teams find ways to win these games. We did tonight."

"It feels great," McElhinney said. "The last couple of games I’ve played it was five goals each night. This was a nice turn of events. To come back after a big game in San Jose last night and be able to keep the winning streak alive felt good."

"We didn’t play our best," Koivu said, "but when you get two points that is what matters. We have to keep working on things that we can improve."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

ANAHEIM, CA - NOVEMBER 10: Saku Koivu #11 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrates his goal for a 1-0 lead over the New York Islanders during the third period at the Honda Center on November 10, 2010 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) )

Game 16: Ducks @ Sharks 11.9.10

OPINION:
It's games like these ones. Games like these ones where you for sure know they don't deserve the win, but somehow, like a GREAT team, they figure out how to pull it off. Sure, it wasn't in regular time. But they got it figured out before the shootout. They stole two points from San Jose, and nothing makes me feel happier right now.

4 GAME WIN STREAK BABY!!!!!!!!!!!

That's all that needs to be said.


POST GAME QUOTES:
"It's always fun to play against San Jose,"Hiller said. "It's kind of a rivalry. They have a good team. They're always a lot of shots and a lot of work."

"Hiller was outstanding," coach Randy Carlyle said. "The best player on the ice. But that's what it takes to win on the road in these tough buildings."

"It was a great face-off," Visnovsky said. "I stayed in my shooting lane and the goalie doesn't know where the puck is. The guys in front of me did a great job. I just shot the puck."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

SAN JOSE, CA - NOVEMBER 09: Lubomir Visnovsky #17 of the Anaheim Ducks is surrounded by teammates after he scored the winning goal in overtime of their game against the San Jose Sharks at HP Pavilion on November 9, 2010 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

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 14: Ducks vs. Penguins 11.5.10

OPINION:
What a way to win! There's not much I can say about this one, they went out there and basically owned the show for the night. The 3rd the Pens tried their damnedest to force the comeback, but to no avail. I loved this game. If you missed this game, you oughta be kicking yourself in the butt. What a geat, high energy, passion driven game tonight. Loved every minute.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"Hopefully it’s a stepping stone and we can get some confidence," said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. "We’ll feel a lot better about ourselves tomorrow morning again. That is what we’re trying to do, something to build on here. We want this building specifically to be a tough place to come into and play. We’ve accomplished that in these last two games."

"We were overdue," Ryan said of that second period. "We had some chances in the first that didn’t quite find the net the way we wanted them to. When you stick with the basics, they are going to come back around for you. We did that in the second."

"That was a big goal for our line and the confidence for us," Koivu said. "We’ve been having some great chances in the last four, five games. We’re trying to capitalize on those chances. It’s hopefully the start of something good."

"The first and the second period were really strong for us and they pretty much took it to us in the third period," Koivu said. "The great thing is we got that win and two points that were big for us."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

Anaheim Ducks right wing Bobby Ryan (9) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second period of a NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Friday, Nov. 5, 2010. (Photo Credit: Yahoo Sports)

Game 13: Ducks vs. Lightning 11.3.10

OPINION:
I wasn't sure what to expect from playing Tampa Bay tonight. I've been keeping my eye on them this year because I have a certain Stamkos fellow on my Yahoo Fantasy Team and I knew they're pretty legit. They're especially good in the 3rd period, which I thought the Ducks might have some trouble with. They found a way though. Selanne was on a mission tonight, he had bountiful scoring opportunities tonight. I counted 6 goals he should have had, only 1 went in though. And then there is Kyle Palmieri who was called up yesterday. What's he going to do in his very first NHL game? He's going to score a huge game-tying goal with just minutes left to spare, that's what he's going to do! It was a huge goal that forced an overtime, where the Selanne on a mission zipped, or rather FLEW, up the ice and fed a beautiful pass to Getzlaf who potted that sucker into the back of the net. A thing of pure beauty.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"It was a big game for us," Getzlaf said. "It felt like we played pretty well tonight for the most part. We were able to come back at the end. The kid (Palmieri) scored a big goal in his first game and that is exciting."

"It was unbelievable," said a grinning Palmieri, the former Notre Damer, who had an AHL-leading seven goals with Syracuse before his recall. "I was so excited. The whole play seemed like it was slow developing. I saw the puck come across from Bobby. It squirted around to my stick. He banked it off me. I didn’t have to do much. It was unbelievable. To explain, I really don’t have any words right now. It hasn’t really sunk in. Right now, I’m just excited."

"It was a dream come true," Palmieri said. "Even just being there and out on the ice, it was an honor. It’s something I’ve been dreaming about since I was a little kid playing hockey back in New Jersey."

"We played against a hockey club that could really skate and is playing with a lot of confidence right now," said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. "We’ve had our fair share of turmoil and lack of consistency. Tonight was one of our more inspired games. Overall, our effort was way up there. We should feel good about ourselves."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

ANAHEIM, CA - NOVEMBER 03: Kyle Palmieri #51 of the Anaheim Ducks receives high fives from the bench after scoring his first NHL goal in the third period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Honda Center on November 3, 2010 in Anaheim, California. The Ducks defeated the Lightning 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Game 12: Ducks @ Sharks 10.30.10

OPINION:
All I have to say is: WHERE WAS THIS TEAM THAT PLAYED THOSE LAST TEN MINUTES, FOR THE WHOLE ENTIRE 50 MINUTES PRIOR. I don't like when they have a lightbulb turn on and they right their ship when there's only fractions of a period left to go. It's that TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE scenerio that I DON'T LIKE. I don't like when they do it because then they get my hopes up even though I know better and know it'll still be a loss. I can't handle games that work that way. Unless of course it actually worked out where they did steal the win. BUT NOT TONIGHT THEY DIDN'T.

San Jose? We played with San Jose? I didn't see any SJ game, did you?

Bah Humbug.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"We didn't play the way we needed to right off the drop," Getzlaf said. "We can't get scored upon on a faceoff play."

"There's obviously an animosity developing," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "We didn't seem to get involved in the game. There's always going to be fatigue, but it didn't look like we had much structure."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

Anaheim Ducks right wing George Parros (16) and San Jose Sharks left wing Frazer McLaren (68) get into a fight in the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010. (Photo Credit: Yahoo Sports)

Game 11: Ducks vs. Devils 10.29.10

OPINION:
Hmm. Where have I seen this before? The Ducks losing to the worst team in the league? Oh yeah, happened last year too when we played Toronto. When it comes to the Ducks and battles with the last place teams, the Ducks like to lose. And it's highly embarrassing. I don't know how to explain it... they downplay their game to the worst teams, and manage to lose. Then when they play the higher ranked teams, they somehow win. I don't get it, it must be a law of physics I'm not smart enough to understand, but it happens. Without fail.

I don't have much more to say other than that except one thing. What was Randy Carlyle thinking putting Voros on the top line? What was he doing anywhere near the top line? Carlyle has lost his marbles.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"We knew they were going to come out hard and try to start a winning streak," Blake said. "For us, we were just trying to keep the ball rolling. We had a great win in Dallas. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get the win tonight. I thought we had some great chances. We were facing a great goaltender."

"We didn’t have a lot of momentum going our way until later in the hockey game, after they got the 2-1 lead," said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. "We just didn’t execute. Our power play was pretty much on the outside. We scored one goal with Jason Blake that was a power play goal. But the other group didn’t get much done from an offensive standpoint."

"We knew they were one of the teams in the same situation as us, not playing as well as they are supposed to," Hiller said. "It was almost a must-win. We just couldn’t find a way. Every time you think we’re going to get it going, we play a game like tonight and lose again. It starts all over again. We have to find a way to win tomorrow. It would be great if we could get a streak going. It just makes it easier."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

ANAHEIM, CA - OCTOBER 29: Martin Brodeur #30 of the New Jersey Devils makes a save in front of Saku Koivu #11 of the Anaheim Ducks during the first period at the Honda Center on October 29, 2010 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)