Ryan Getzlaf: Ducks’ Captain Dominating On More Than Score Sheet

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

After starting slow, the Anaheim Ducks rolled to a 5-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes last night. One of the better storylines in the game was the play of Hampus Lindholm, who scored his first career goal as well as assisted on another.

But maybe the player that stuck out the most to me last night was Ryan Getzlaf, and maybe even more so the ‘PPG’ line of Getzlaf, Dustin Penner and Corey Perry.

The line is at their best when they can get the puck down low and along the wall, using their big bodies to work the cycle and set up a player in front of their net. Not only did they do that but Getzlaf scored his seventh of the season, a blast from the point on the power play that tied the game 2-2. The captain has had a great start to the season, and after a two point performance last night, is only five points behind the league lead in points.

While obviously the Ducks are having great success this season, when Getzlaf and his line play like they did last night they seem even more unbeatable. With a slow start to the game where they struggled to get established in the offensive zone, the game took an exact 180 when the PPG line was able to get things going down low.

The more the PPG went to work, the more it opened up for the rest of the lines until it was a continually onslaught that forced the Coyotes into several penalties – which included a 5-on-3 power play, a two man advantage that Getzlaf eventually scored on.

Cool how that works right?

The Ducks will continue to ride the success of their captain, and when he plays like he did last night – it is no wonder they set atop the NHL in points right now.

Anthony Murphy is the Editor at Pucks of A Feather. You can contact him by email at anthony.murphy@thefarmclub.net or you can follow him on Twitter @AMurphyTFC.