Anaheim Ducks Daily Links: Watching for the Incoming Storm
By Jason Byun
Good day, Anaheim Ducks fans! To those who were watching the Super Bowl last night, what a thrilling finish to a terrific season. That was one of the better Super Bowls in recent memory, and it was riveting entertainment. The Super Bowl should get us excited for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, set to begin in about ten weeks time. The playoff atmosphere is addictive and tense: standings and trends go out the window, and the scope gets narrowed to a game-by-game performance, where everything can change on a whim. It’s a truly thrilling time of the year, and barring major catastrophe, the Ducks should be participating in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third season in a row.
However, it’s also not the time to be looking too much into the playoffs, especially with the Ducks’ recent games. Back-to-back sour performances have frustrated the team, and the Ducks have to be looking for a quick rebound. The Ducks start the month of February by welcoming in the Carolina Hurricanes, who despite their 17-26-6 record, were 7-3-2 in the month of January. Then, the Ducks embark on a five-game road trip that takes them to Nashville before an East-coast swing at Washington, Tampa Bay, Florida, and Carolina. Getting back into the habit of strong play is the important factor: Nashville is another one of the best teams in the Western Conference, while the first three Eastern Conference foes on the road-trip are all playoff-teams. Florida is ninth in the Eastern Conference as well and shelled the Ducks at Honda Center in a 6-2 defeat for the team in November.
The improvement starts with the Ducks’ star players. Ryan Getzlaf is pointless in his last three games. Corey Perry has one point in that span: an assist on a Rickard Rakell power-play goal. Ryan Kesler has two assists in that span as well. They are a combined -11 during the two losses to the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks. Against the best teams, having depth is nice, but the best players have to be the best players.
Here are some Ducks and NHL news post-Super Sunday.
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Ben Lovejoy, the New Englander, recaps his Super Bowl Sunday (Ducks)
Josh Manson answers questions about his season thus far (The Hockey Writers)
No easy answers for Toronto Maple Leafs or Mike Richards (NHL)
Matt Duchene could learn a lot from what Tyler Seguin is doing (Mile High Sticking)
Calgary Flames unwilling to risk future for potential playoff push (TSN)
Regular-season adversity could be a benefit to the Pittsburgh Penguins (Pens Labyrinth)