Game 30: Ducks @ Oilers 12.7.10

OPINION:
Another game, another 2-goal lead blown, but only the 2nd shootout of the Ducks season. It took 10 heart wrenching rounds and none other than the phenomenal rookie Cam Fowler to seal off the victory! I have a love/hate relationship with the shootout. I love it, because it's thrilling and brings the game to a whole other level of intensity. I hate it, because it's really a toss up for who gets the extra point and I'd really rather the winner of the game get 2 points and the loser go home empty handed. I think players of all teams get all too content to "just make it to overtime" if there is a tie in a game, because then they at least got a point. And yes, even when the Ducks escape with a point from overtime or shootout losses, I still believe the loser should actually go home with 0.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"I wanted to shoot," Fowler said. "I didn't want to risk putting a move on because Khabibulin had already made some really nice saves on guys that have way better moves than me. I thought my best chance was to go in and pick a spot. Luckily it found the back of the net."

"Any coach will take a win, it doesn't matter how you get it," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "We're not going to critique a win from our standpoint. After being shut out two games in a row, it was nice to get a couple. We actually missed some other opportunities."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

EDMONTON, AB - DECEMBER 7: Teemu Selanne #8 and Cam Fowler #4 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrate a marathon shoot-out win against the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place on December 7, 2010 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Game 29: Ducks vs. Coyotes 12.5.10

OPINION:
Two shutouts in a row is downright embarrassing. Embarrassing to the team, and embarrassing to the fans. In the Ducks defense, going up against Howard (Det) and Bryzgalov (Phx) is nothing to sneeze at. However, being shutout back-to-back is unacceptable. That's really all there is to say about these past two games. I hope Edmonton is ready because I have a feeling the proverbial ketchup bottle is ready to BURST. (Or maybe I just hope it is, same difference, right?)

On a brighter note, Joffrey Lupul made his return to the hockey scene tonight, sporting the number 19 when he used 14 last season. Welcome back, Lupes! It's been a year since he's last played a game when he went out with his back spasms, and then the surgery, and then the infection. You all know the story. It doesn't matter who the hockey player is, it's always good to see them return from such a scary injury like that.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"It’s frustrating when you’re out there trying to work as hard as you can and things aren’t happening," said Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf. "It’s not a matter of putting the puck in. It’s a matter of all those other little things that we’re not doing properly. We have to reach back here and start doing those again."

"It seems like we don’t really have a starting point in any of the games, specifically the last two," said coach Randy Carlyle. "We started both of them, the first 10-12 minutes we were playing defensive zone coverage and not on the attack. It seems like it takes 10 minutes for us to get warmed up and that is not acceptable."

"It seemed the frustration level got us and we couldn’t execute," Carlyle said. "It seemed liked everywhere we turned, there was a white sweater tonight."

"It was enjoyable just being back around the guys," said Lupul, who switched to uniform number 19 after wearing 14 last season. "We’re here to win games. I’m glad to have the first one out of the way. Hopefully now, I can just join the team and go about business as usual. I felt good before the game. I was pretty excited. Once the game got going, it was just hockey again. If I had any nerves, they were gone by the first or second shift. It was not the result we wanted. It’s frustrating. I can play better and everyone can play better."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

Anaheim Ducks' Joffrey Lupul skates against the Anaheim Ducks during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010. The Coyotes won 3-0.(Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports)

Game 28: Ducks vs. Red Wings 12.3.10

OPINION:
At the beginning of this game I thought I might have made a wrong turn somewhere on the way to the arena and ended up in Detroit, but apparently, I actually was in Anaheim. There's a few things in hockey that can really piss a fan off such as - the rival fans, being shutout, being outnumbered in your own building- and all of the above applied tonight. Outnumbered being the thing that hurt the most. Not so much for me, but I can't help but get upset about it because I'm sure it doesn't make our players feel very good. I mean, hearing "Let's Go Wings!" being chanted when you're playing at home? It can't feel too good.

And things that feel worse are being shutout, so, once again, the players don't feel too good because they didn't give THEIR fans something to cheer about in THEIR fans home building. Both sides of Duck coin lose tonight. The fans - for being outnumbered. The players - for playing a crummy game and getting shutout. Lose/Lose.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"It is frustrating," said a quiet Corey Perry afterward. "We battled hard tonight, but we just couldn’t find a way to get the puck past Howard. It was just one of those nights where things just didn’t go our way."

"We did a lot of good things in the hockey game," said coach Randy Carlyle. "We controlled a lot of the play. We weren’t able to find a way to score a goal." (side note: Only THE most important part of a game, Randy)

"I didn’t actually see the puck," Hiller said. "I tried to get back to the post and I couldn’t see it. It was a bad turnover in our zone that led to the whole thing. It’s tough to be down that early in the game, especially against a team that plays such solid defense as Detroit does."

"We had a couple of turnovers, a couple of mental lapses there and we’re down 2-0," Perry said. "They got the third one at the end of the period that was heartbreaker."

"If we play as hard as we did tonight in every game this year and be as effective on our forecheck for stretches of the game, we’ll be alright," Carlyle said.

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller, right, of Switzerland, makes a glove-save as Detroit Red Wings left wing Tomas Holmstrom, of Sweden, looks on during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Friday, Dec. 3, 2010.(Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports)

Game 27: Ducks vs. Panthers 12.1.10

OPINION:
George Parros?? George Parros!! I don't know Parros was a sniper ;) He had his first multi-goal game in his NHL career and it was thrilling for everyone in attendance to see if he could actually pull off a hat trick. He was only an assist away from the Gordie Howe hat trick as well. Wouldn't that have been a sight to see? The Panthers are a struggling team, and what most teams consider to be "beatable". We all know how the Ducks do with the "beatable" teams, so I didn't go into the game overly-confident. I'm glad they were able to get the 2 points out of the whole thing though, because that's how it should have gone. What would have been a boring, quiet (the arena was less than half-way full), Wednesday night tilt, turned into a frantic and loud (well...loud whenever Parros touched the ice) arena. That's just the fan power that our beloved Parros has on us. He made the game exciting. Viva la Moustache! I don't think I was the only one in there who really, REALLY, wanted to throw a hat.

POST GAME QUOTES:
“I was feeling really good,” Parros said to a television reporter on the ice, barely heard over the roar of the crowd that stuck around to watch him get First Star honors. “It seemed like the pucks were coming to me tonight.”

"We wanted to go out and have a nice cycled shift and get things going," Getzlaf said, "and we were fortunate enough to put one in the back of the net and changed momentum back to us."

"It was great, obviously tonight and any other time George can chip in offensively – and he also had a big fight to follow his goal," Getzlaf said. "Not a lot of guys follow up a goal with a fight right off the face off, but that was good for our group and creates energy for sure."

"It was an awesome feeling," Parros said. "You could hear them getting crazy every time I touched the ice in the third period. It was a good feeling and I appreciate it. I wanted the hat trick for sure. It was great feeling, glad our line could finally contribute. We can’t rely on the top two lines every night. It definitely helps to chip in."

"We’ve got to take every point we can get in this building," Perry said. "If we can win home we are going to have a better chance of making the playoffs. Things don’t change, we’ve got to go out and play the same way every night."

Said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle, "We definitely had the right approach. We started the hockey game very, very well. We were very workmanlike. And anytime you have a player like George Parros go out and score a couple of goals, everybody feels real good for him, and that kind of led the way."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

ANAHEIM, CA - DECEMBER 01: George Parros #16 of the Anaheim Ducks reacts to the fans after being named the first star of the game against the Florida Panthers at the Honda Center on December 1, 2010 in Anaheim, California. The Ducks defeated the Panthers 5-3. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Game 26: Ducks vs. Kings 11.29.10

OPINION:
Well, as a Ducks fan nothing makes me happier than watching the Ducks shutout the Kings. Their bandwagon made its way into Honda Center and nobody would be the wiser because the Ducks gave them absolutely nothing to cheer about. They say silence is golden, and when it comes to keeping Kings fans quiet, it really is. Hiller was absolutely on fire, and completely robbed Kopitar at the end for what I consider the game winning save. The entire 2nd line was beastly and a force to be reckoned with, and Cam Fowler (Still can't believe we got him in the 12th round when he was projected to go as fast as 3rd!) had his best game in a Ducks uni, in my opinion. Absolute great game.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"We didn’t play too well the last few games at home, and we wanted to show we could play better," Hiller said. "Everybody played quite well tonight. If we play like that every night, we’ll always have a good chance."

"He (Hiller) played outstanding and made some great, timely saves," Blake said. "In the first period, they came out with more energy and established their game plan. He bailed us out."

"I just stepped on the ice and the puck came to me," Blake said. "We had some great opportunities in the second period and the third. I was just fortunate that it went in."

"That’s the type of game our hockey club has to play night in and night out," said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. "It was a good one for us. We had an effort from every member of our group. That is what is important. The true display was at the end of the game, when people that were on the ice were sacrificing their bodies to block shots and get into shooting lanes to protect that shutout for Jonas Hiller."

"We found a way and didn’t back off," Hiller said. "We can be happy with this win and it’s something we can build on."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

ANAHEIM, CA - NOVEMBER 29: Teemu Selanne #8 and Jason Blake #33 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrate Blake's third period goal against the Los Angeles Kings at the Honda Center on November 29, 2010 in Anaheim, California. The Ducks defeated the Kings 2-0. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Game 25: Ducks @ Coyotes 11.26.10

OPINION:
The first half of the game looked like it would be more of the same...the other team getting the right bounces, and pulling a fast one on the Ducks. The second half of the game, after the Ducks went down 3-1, Bobby Ryan said "not so fast". With his 2nd career hat trick, Bobby Ryan helped propel the Ducks into the lead. McMillan with his first career NHL goal also wanted to pitch in to the rally. So did Corey Perry.

I love these kind of "come from behind" type wins, but it also leaves me shaking my head wondering "where was this team last game?" I guess they felt as fed up as the fans did with the losing and decided to do something about it. The thing I think they finally figured out is that it was time to get back to basics to get the win. No fancy passes, no dipsy-doodles-- just crash the net, shoot the puck, and goals will come.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"I'm just happy to join the club," Ryan said. (About his goal being the 11th hat trick scored in Jobing.com arena this season)

"I would say our penalty killing bailed us out," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said, "and then our big guys that get paid all the money scored some goals for us."

"It came right to me," [Ryan] said. "They weren't sure who the first guy was supposed to be back and gave me a little room, so I just tried to do what I know how to do and that's shoot. I'll take the lucky ones, that's for sure." (on his break away goal)

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

GLENDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 27: Bobby Ryan #9 of the Anaheim Ducks warms up before the NHL game against the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena on November 27, 2010 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Game 24: Ducks vs. Blackhawks 11.25.10 (1 PM START TIME)

OPINION:
While the Ducks started off the game with a bang by revealing their new 3rd jerseys, they ended with a thud by losing 4 - 1. In an almost traditional match up with the Blackhawks after Thanksgiving, where they traditionally win (4-0-1), it seems they had too much turkey for dinner the night before. The Hawks, however, seemed to have skipped on the turkey because they came out to the game guns a-blazing. The team got Hiller pulled after leaving him out to dry and the whole game it looked as if they were just going through the motions rather than trying to win the game. Frustrating loss for the fans who spent their Friday afternoon off from work watching the team put out a lousy effort. Tryptophan 1, 3rd Jerseys - 0.

Selanne sat out his second game with a groin strain. This was the Ducks 6th loss in a row, after winning 6 in a row. Back at square 1.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"It didn’t look like they had to work too hard to get their chances," said Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller, who gave up all four Blackhawks goals. "We gave away too much. It’s just not possible against such a good team."

"I thought I made the save and I couldn’t find the puck so I just didn’t want to move," Hiller said. "It is really hard to get scored on a power play and take a short-hander. I still don’t know how it went in. We were unable to react after that."

Getzlaf called the [short-handed] goal, "huge," adding that it was "not only a goal, but our power play unit was terrible tonight. We were. Our line, not Saku’s line, our line was terrible tonight. Our power play is designed to give us momentum, whether we score or not it’s got to give us momentum and we killed it tonight. That was the difference in the hockey game."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

ANAHEIM, CA - NOVEMBER 26: (L-R) Saku Koivu #11, Cam Fowler #4 and Dan Sexton #42 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrate Sexton's first period goal against the Chicago Blackhawks at the Honda Center on November 26, 2010 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Game 23: Ducks vs. Oilers 11.22.10

OPINION:
Horrible.
That's all I have to say.
Pathetic, even.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"Getting 40 shots isn’t relevant if you’re just taking shots from the boards and the blue line," said Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf. "We’re not doing a good enough job of getting pucks and people there."

"We had our fair opportunities, but again I don’t think we got into that dirty area to create that second and third opportunity," said coach Randy Carlyle. "In the second period, we didn’t execute with the puck to get through the neutral ice. We gave them momentum. We got back in the hockey game and tied it up 2-2. I thought we’d be able to find a way and reach back in the third period."

"The effort is there, but we have to bear down," Getzlaf said. "We’re playing on a little homestand where we have to take advantage of it. We’re going into a break. We have to learn from the mistakes and go forward."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

Anaheim Ducks center Saku Koivu (11), of Finland, celebrates after scoring a goal against the Edmonton Oilers in the second period of a NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010. (Photo Credit: Yahoo Sports)

Game 22: Ducks vs. Blue Jackets 11.19.10

OPINION:
I'll be honest, since it took me so long to update this I've forgotten how I felt about this game. Completely. I'm stumped. The only thing I can think about is how embarrassing it was to lose to the Oilers. So, uhh, Go Ducks!

Oh yeah, Selanne got hurt this game. That's right. Well, he left the game with a sore groin, on the side of caution.

POST GAME QUOTES:
"When you get 50 shots, you need more than three goals," said Bobby Ryan. "That falls on us, not him being so good."

"When it rains, it pours," said Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf. "When you’re scoring, all those things go in all the time. It’s just a situation where you have to keep after it, keep shooting pucks and they will go in. The third period we really needed a push. We got the start we wanted and we just couldn’t get another one past him."

"We didn’t play with the desperation that was necessary for 60 minutes," said coach Randy Carlyle. "It seemed like we got up 2-1 and sat back. They didn’t change what they were doing. They just played a grinding road game."

Source for Quotes: ducks.nhl.com

PHOTO OF THE GAME:

ANAHEIM, CA - NOVEMBER 19: Corey Perry #10 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrates his goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the third period at the Honda Center on November 19, 2010 in Anaheim, California. The Blue Jackets defeated the Ducks 4-3. . (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Game 21: Ducks @ Wild 11.17.10

OPINION:
*Big Groan* It's amazing isn't it? The Ducks went from 6 game win streak hero's, to 3 game losing streak zero's. Except not exactly 0's. They did eek out a total of two points on this road trip in which they won 0 games. Thank you, overtime. It's a tough pill to swallow. This team is beyond brilliant when it's on its home turf. But as soon as they fly away to a place unfamiliar it's like they forget how to play.

Here's my opinion, and it's only that. It's all I can think of to try and answer the "why?". Carlyle. I'm not calling for heads to roll. I'm just pointing out a probable cause. He gets the match ups he wants when he's got the home ice advantage. As soon as they go on the road, he stops getting the match ups he wants and starts getting out-coached.

So there's my possible answer to the why? Unfortunately, I don't know how to solve that particular problem. I'm not the coach that's being out-coached on the road. That one is up to Carlyle.

POST GAME QUOTES:
None Available.


PHOTO OF THE GAME:

Anaheim Ducks goalie Curtis McElhinney, center, does not see the puck as a shot by Minnesota Wild winger Antti Miettinen (20), of Finland, gets past him during overtime of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010, in St. Paul, Minn. Ducks winger Bobby Ryan (9) defends on the play. The Wild won 2-1 in overtime. (AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)