Hot Hands Lead Anaheim Ducks in the Early Goings
By Paul Miller
October 17, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry (10) celebrates his goal scored against the Minnesota Wild during the third period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
After losing the season opener in Pittsburgh, the Anaheim Ducks have won six straight games to get their season going. Through this stretch the Ducks have been buoyed by a few players who have hit the ground running.
Corey Perry has started the season by being the fastest Anaheim player to get eight goals in a season. His eight goals in seven games out paces Paul Kariya’s former tally of seven in seven.
Of Perry’s hot streak, Head Coach Bruce Boudreau says “right now he sees it…The net looks huge to him.” That certainly was the case on Wednesday night when Perry’s second hat trick of the season lifted the Ducks to a 4-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
Frederik Andersen backstopped the Ducks through all six of their victories and in that time posted a 1.32 GAA and a .951 SV%. These six victories have propelled him to twenty-six wins in his first thirty-one games, and he is the first goaltender in the NHL to do so.
Andersen has been particularly essential in close games like the ones played against the Philadelphia Flyers and the Minnesota Wild. Because of Andersen’s solid goaltending and timely saves, the Ducks stayed in those games and eventually pulled through with a victory.
Matt Beleskey is a player contributing to the team even though he’s played mostly on the bottom lines. Beleskey has four goals in eight games and a +3 on the ice. Bruce Boudreau likes to roll four lines and having Beleskey in the bottom six has proven to be fruitful for the Ducks’ depth.
On the Defensive side of things, Cam Fowler and Ben Lovejoy have silently been putting together some solid games. Combined they have five assists, a +6 rating and, possession-wise, both are above 50% for their Corsi and Fenwick.
The Ducks are playing good hockey right now, in large part thanks to these players. The team is stacked with talent and I’m sure these aren’t the only players we’ll see lead the Ducks to victory in the coming months.