Game 82: Ducks vs. Coyotes

vs.

Ducks Win 3 - 2 in SO!!!

PERIOD 1: 0 - 0
PERIOD 2: 0 - 1
PERIOD 3: 2 - 2
OT: 2 - 2
SO: 3 - 2

Ok this was a REALLY boring game up until about the last 10 minutes, where the Ducks decided "ok we'll play, why not?" And ultimately came back from a 2-0 deficit in the 3rd to WIN in the shootout... whew. It was a crazy time but wow did it rev up the fans and made me real excited for playoff atmosphere inside the pond once again!! :D So that pretty much sums up the game as easy as it sounds...

Game 81: Ducks @ Kings

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Ducks Win 4-3!!!!

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

OK I finally am feeling up to the task of reviewing this game. I think that the Ducks came out to this one wanting to just have fun, really. The game meant squat to where they would end up in the playoffs, having 4th place locked up. And fun they did have. The Kings, on the other hand, were looking to give their fans one more win for the year. Such a shame that didn't happen. I have to give honorable mention to the Royal Execution that was organized over on the official Ducks Message Board... about 130 fans made the trip to Staples Center to view the game live (I was one of them!) and take over the arena. 2 sections directly behind the net that Ducks shot at twice were loaded full of black, orange, white, and gold wearing fans, and LET'S GO DUCKS chants were louder than the ever popular "Ducks Suck" chants. Comedy. Anyways, this was a great game and I was glad to be a part of it. Even lost my voice from it. Good times. At least Kings fans got to leave the last game of their hockey season in the same way they are used to leaving their building, with a loss. :) (Common, it's a rivalry, it wouldn't be natural for me as a Ducks fan to not poke fun at them.)

Game 80: Ducks vs. Stars

vs.

Ducks Win 3 -2 in SO!!!

PERIOD 1: 1 - 0
PERIOD 2: 2 - 1
PERIOD 3: 2 - 2
OT:2 -2
SO: 3 - 2

This was a pretty good game! The first period was the best period that the Ducks played, they dominated that period with 10 shots on goal to 3. Then the Stars came out in the 2nd probably saying "not so fast"... and they put the pressure on. They ended up in the shootout where Teemu and Kunitz produce 2 goals which was enough to win the shootout since Jiggy only let in 1. :) Very good game, and it was nice to have both Getzy and Giguere back in the lineup. They have been missed.

GAME DAY QUOTES:

"We’ve certainly had our struggles against them this year," Schneider said about the Stars. "The last couple of games we’ve reversed their fortunes. It’s been a great back and forth series. They are one of the elite teams in the Western Conference. If we do end up playing them, it’s going to be a battle. If we can get home ice, that’s a big bonus for us. We put ourselves in a positive that we might be able to."

"I felt good. I felt strong," Getzlaf said. "Everything went as planned. It was a big win for us, as well as me getting back in there and feeling comfortable again."

Said Schneider of Getzlaf: "You can’t say enough about what he’s done for this club this year, especially as a 22-year-old. "It’s just amazing. He comes back off an injury and gets a good contribution again tonight. He just creates time and space out there and uses his body. He’s going to be an elite player for years and years here."

"It’s a hockey game that obviously was tight," said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. "We feel fortunate enough to get the extra point in a shootout. Now it’s down to two. The bottom line is we have two more games next weekend. We’ve got a week to prepare. We’ll start our preparation on Tuesday and see where that takes us."

SOURCE FOR QUOTES: http://ducks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=Recap&seas=20072008>ype=2&gnum=1183

Game 79: Ducks vs. Sharks

vs.

Ducks Lose 3 - 1

PERIOD 1: 1 - 1
PERIOD 2: 1 - 3
PERIOD 3: 1 - 3

I'm going to be very honest here... they played like they didn't even care about winning. They were sloppy tonight, very sloppy. And once again they could not for the life of them figure out how to break down the Sharks boring trap game. They were stopped. It wasn't very fun to watch. I don't know why they looked so slow or tired out there tonight but I hope they were just being lazy. I want our team to be healthy again. Being without Pronger, Perry, Giguere, and Getzlaf isn't a fun time. I just want them full strength again, that's all. This isn't the Ducks team, this is a skeleton of the Ducks team with those 4 out... It's sad.

GAME DAY QUOTES:

"They’re playing good hockey right now," said Rob Niedermayer of the Sharks. "You don’t go on a run like they have been without playing some good hockey. They’re getting contributions from everyone right now. That’s what makes a good team."

"We just gave it away," Teemu Selanne said. "I think they wanted it more than us. We didn’t play on our level again, so that’s disappointing for us. You have to give credit to those guys (San Jose). They’re playing well."

"You have to give the opposition credit," Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle said. "They played an up-tempo game. We played okay for the first 10 or 12 minutes and then we started to get away. We were completely flat. We didn’t execute and pucks were bouncing away from us. They turned it up and we were standing around."

"We have to move on," Selanne said. "Sunday is going to be a huge game. We can’t think about this game anymore. We just have to learn something from tonight and do things better on Sunday."

QUOTE SOURCE: http://ducks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=Recap&seas=20072008>ype=2&gnum=1169

Game 78: Ducks vs. Kings

vs.

Ducks Win 2-1 in SO

PERIOD 1: 0 - 1
PERIOD 2: 1 - 1
PERIOD 3: 1 - 1
OT: 1 - 1
SO: 2 - 1

They played a pretty good game all things considered. I really like the way this team deals with adversity... they just step it up and wont quit... I love that. They clearly wont let a few injuries get in their way of their ultimate goal. :) They managed to beat the Kings in a shootout that went 6 rounds! With just going to overtime tonight and getting that 1 point we clinched an official playoff spot, getting the 2nd point was just an added bonus and gave the Ducks a tie with their most home game wins in an entire season and added to their home game winning streak that they have going right now. Nice win tonight, it wasn't pretty but it was still a great win, and a big win.

GAME DAY QUOTES:

"It’s great that we’re in the playoffs," the 26-year-old Hiller said. "It was a tough game. During the game, you probably don’t think about it too much. You just try to do your job. I think everybody did pretty well on our team tonight."

"I think you don’t have time to think about anything at that time," Hiller said about the save. "It’s a breakaway. It doesn’t really depend when he comes, the first minute or the last minute, you just try to focus and do what you always try to do and stop the puck. I was happy that I did."

Schneider called it, "an unbelievable save. It was one of the best saves I’ve seen in a long time. He was on tonight, that’s for sure, even in the shootout. They had to make a great move to beat him. He seemed for the most part unbeatable. He’s been the difference for us lately."

"The three years that I’ve been here, some of the toughest games that we’ve played have been against the Kings," said Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle. "They work hard, stay with their structure. They play us very, very difficult. There’s a lot of physical and exciting hockey that’s been played between the two hockey clubs. This one clinches the Freeway Face-Off Series. There’s a 50,000 dollar stipend going to charity, so there’s a winner here tonight."

"It was nice to clinch a spot tonight and it’s nice to be at home," Schneider said. "The comfort of knowing that we’re home basically for the rest of the season going into the playoffs I think gives us a little bit of peace of mind and a chance to really get our bodies ready."

"It was a tough game," Hiller said. "Everybody on our team did pretty well tonight. We got the two points and it's great to be in the playoffs."

"Both goalies played tremendous tonight," Schneider said. "Jonas made some unbelievable saves there at the end, and their goalie made great saves throughout the game to keep them in it.

Schneider knew his number was going to be called. "I had a feeling my time had come because we were getting down the bench," he said, laughing.

Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said that, although the Ducks are in the playoffs, they have to keep playing hard. "Now we're in a position to improve for home-ice advantage," he said. "We just want to get our game to the level where we feel we can be competitive against the best teams."

GAME DAY QUOTES SOURCES:
http://ducks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=Recap&seas=20072008>ype=2&gnum=1153
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?service=page&page=Recap&gameNumber=1153&season=20072008&gameType=2

Game 77: Ducks @ Coyotes

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Ducks Win 2 - 1!!

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

Take a look at the Ducks scratches for the night:
10 R COREY PERRY
15 C RYAN GETZLAF
25 D CHRIS PRONGER ©
33 D JOE DIPENTA
35 G JEAN-SEBASTIEN GIGUERE

That's a very depleted lineup with those players out. That's an all-star worthy line up NOT playing. And we won, because we still had all-star Teemu Selanne in the game. :D And again for the second night in a row, Hiller amazed me. He's just... he'll be an amazing goalie in the future. This was a Ducks team dealing with a big chunk of adversity and still came out with the win, though it wasn't against a playoff team, it was against Bryz (remember him, aww) who has had our number since we waived him... so it's good to see us finally beat him. Selanne was the only Duck tonight with goals. 2 of them, reaching his 550th goal mark. :) Now they can come home, rest up a little bit, and face the Kings on Wednesday.

GAME DAY QUOTES:

"I wanted to shoot quick to make sure (goalie Ilya Bryzgalov) was not expecting the shot," Selanne said of the winning goal. "He is big and covers a great deal of the net, so I wanted to shoot quickly."

"We just ask our goalie to give us a chance to win," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "Jonas gave us a strong effort, but to have success, people have to step up and meet the challenge."

"Every loss hurts just as much right now," Coyotes captain Shane Doan said. "It's really frustrating. We have lost five straight now, and at this time of the season, that's unacceptable."

"Sometimes it's easier when you get many shots," Hiller said. "That keeps your mind sharp and you stay in the game. It's easy to play when you're comfortable, and right now, I'm quite comfortable."

"Our guys played their hearts out in a 2-1 game," he said. "I was very proud of our effort and thought we played a real solid hockey game." -- Wayne Gretzky, Phoenix Head Coach

Quote Sources From: http://ducks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=Recap&seas=20072008>ype=2&gnum=1133

Game 76: Ducks @ Sharks

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Ducks Lose 2 - 1 :(

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

Let's put it in simple terms. Sharks wanted it more, A LOT more. Ducks played like jellyfish... 0, yes that's a ZERO, shots on goal in the entire 3rd period from the Ducks. I don't even know! We had Hiller in net and nobody knows why... something happened to Jiggy during warmups and that's all we know right now... Hiller did a fantastic job and stood on his head, kept us in this one. He even took a puck to the helmet that gave him what Hazy called a "pressure cut" and literally laughed it off and stayed in the game. He continues to amaze me, I feel more and more confident when they put him in. With all that went on, the score was only 2 to 1, the Sharks, even with their heart and determination, still barely beat us with our backup in, without Pronger, and without Perry. Let's just hope they are streaking way too soon and that they can't keep up this hotness for the playoffs TOO. This loss just made it NEAR impossible for the Ducks to get the Division... it'll take a strong miracle to get it now. I'll cling to that. Had we have won tonight we would have only needed 1 more point to clinch a playoff birth, but our magic number remains at 3.

Game 75: Ducks @ Stars

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Ducks Win 2 - 1!! :D

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

Holy crap what a great nail biting game!! :D Pulled out a win in regulation with less than 2 minutes to go in the 3rd period, freaking sweet!! The adrenaline is still pumping in my body but wow what a game! There was some pretty bad penalty calls on both sides but I'm going to point out that the one against Rob Niedermayer for 4 minutes was absolutely terrible. Scott Niedermayer was a-freakin-mazing in this game, he controlled the whole thing. He even got the 1st goal for the Ducks with what he made look very easy. He played a huge portion of the game and didn't even look tired, there's not enough good things to say about Scott Niedermayer... he's one of the best.

GAME DAY QUOTES:

"That was a goal scorer's goal," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "I think it surprised Turco that he shot it from that position. That's what goal scorers do."

"I didn't have a lot of time," Bertuzzi said. "I just wanted to get it there as fast as possible."

"It's a good rivalry (with Dallas)," Bertuzzi said. "These are fun games to play going into the playoffs. It's a big win for us.

"It was a bad angle that I got a piece of but it went in," Turco said. "It's one I'd like to have back but I can't. It was a save that needed to be made."

"I'm in a pretty bad mood right now," Morrow said. "I don't like to see a game decided like that. It's frustrating. After all the stuff (the referees) let go, that was kind of middle-of-the-road. With the exception of (Scott) Niedermayer, you could call a penalty on their defense on every shift."

"It's important with the way things have been going this year," Giguere said. "It was good we beat them here. Most likely we're going to see them in the playoffs. It's going to be a good battle."

"We were on our heels early and were fortunate to get a win on the road," Bertuzzi said.

Game Day Quotes Source:http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?service=page&page=Recap&gameNumber=1108&season=20072008&gameType=2

Game 74: Ducks vs. Blues

VS.

Ducks Win 5 - 2!!!!!

PERIOD 1: 1 - 0
PERIOD 2: 2 - 1
PERIOD 3: 5 - 2

I gotta admit we played well enough to beat St.Louis but I don't want them to play the way they played tonight against Dallas or San Jose...they were sloppy at times and some of their goals would otherwise be saved by Turco or Nabby. Legace let them in, they wouldn't. It's kinda like that. :) So this was game 1 without Pronger due to his suspension, 7 remaining on his suspension, I even added a new element in the sidebar just to count down for him. My kudos for the night go to Rob Niedermayer, he had 2 goals tonight! :) And they weren't because of an empty net either! LOL.

GAME DAY QUOTES:

"We were battling along the boards," Niedermayer said. "I just popped free quickly and I saw Mo going to the net. I just wanted to get it on net as quick as I could and luckily it went by Manny." -- Rob Niedermayer

"I just had an empty net," Niedermayer said. "It was some great plays by Sammy and Travis."" -- Rob Niedermayer

"Jiggy made some great saves," Schneider said. "If it wasn’t for his performance, we would have been in a much tougher spot. We had a couple of timely goals. We were able to stay on top and not play from behind." -- Mathieu Schneider

"I just saw an opportunity to jump up," Schneider said. "I was just trying to create some room for Teemu and happened to break into the open. I was trying to get it at the net as quickly as I could. I think their defenseman got a stick on it, but a backhand is a tough shot for a goalie no matter where. It’s hidden from him." -- Mathieu Schneider

"We didn’t play to the level that is going to be required here that is for sure," Carlyle said. "We’ll take the win, but we’re going to have to play a higher level than we played tonight, specifically in our next game against Dallas. We think it’s a decent sign that when you don’t play to your best, you still have some success." -- Randy Carlyle, Head Coach

Pronger Suspended - 8 Games.

I think it's fairly reasonable. Aside from the NHL making a poor decision on how they handled the entire situation in general... Fair enough. Our Captain shall be well rested going into the playoffs, and well is there need to mention what our record is without him? Your call.

Here's the story:http://ducks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=357029

And since I'm obsessed with quotes here's some of those as well, which can also be found in the story above at the end.

"I'd like to apologize to Ryan Kesler, the Vancouver Canucks, my teammates and the National Hockey League for my actions last Wednesday night," said Pronger. "While I did not intend to injure Ryan, I respect the league's decision on this matter and look forward to returning to the ice and leading my teammates into the playoffs." -- Chris Pronger

"We understand the NHL's determination to reduce skate-blade incidents and accept the process and Mr. Campbell’s judgment. We also stand behind our captain, a player with great character and leadership qualities that are critical to our club.” -- Brian Burke, GM

On Pronger’s eight-game suspension:
"That’s what the league has decided. We have to live with the consequences and deal with that. Now it’s an opportunity, that’s why you acquire players at the trade deadline and have depth in your lineup. We have the choice between Bergeron and DiPenta to go in. That’s just the way it is and we move forward."-- Randy Carlyle

On adjustments to the power play:
"It changes a little bit from the standpoint that we have two players to support that position. I just talked about Bergeron and now I moved Schneider into a more prominent role. We were specifically starting power plays with Pronger and Niedermayer and now we’ll start with Schneider and Niedermayer. We have the ability to come back with Bergeron and Huskins or Bergeron and Beauchemin. So we feel we have enough depth at the position, specifically for the power play and we’ll play to some players’ strengths and we’ll move forward as a team."-- Randy Carlyle

Reaction to the League’s decision:
"I don’t think ‘surprised’ would be the word. I think looking at other precedents and other situations that have happened, certainly as a League we don’t condone these types of incidents and obviously want to put these behind us and talk about the important parts of the game." -- Chris Pronger

On pleading his case to the league:
"I didn’t really plead my case all that much. There probably wasn’t too much to say, merely just to replay the incident to them and understand the League doesn’t condone instances like this. I expressed my sincere apologies and they did what they needed to do and I’d have to live with it." -- Chris Pronger

"First, I apologize to Ryan Kesler. Second, to the Vancouver Canucks organization. Third, to the Anaheim Ducks organization, the League and the fans. They obviously deserve an apology as well. This is not a place for these types of instances in our game."-- Chris Pronger

"We respect the process and we’ll abide by the decision." -- Brian Burke, GM

"I think what’s happened here is there’s a lot of sensitivity to anything related to skates right now. I would have to hope and believe any that the NHL disregards any kind of outcry when they evaluate these kinds of things. I have a lot more confidence in Colin Campbell that he’s never going to respond to media pressure. I know I never did when I did that job." -- Brian Burke, GM


Hm, pay attention to that last quote, by Brian Burke. Interesting...