Anaheim Ducks Daily Links: Cleaning Up After the Storm

Good morning, Anaheim Ducks fans! It was a tremendous win last night, with the Ducks overcoming a two-goal deficit in the third-period against the Carolina Hurricanes before winning in overtime on a Ryan Getzlaf goal. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Ducks, who were in some desperate need for some strong play before embarking on a five-game road-trip that includes the league-leading Nashville Predators and two of the Eastern Conference’s upper-echelon teams in the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning to begin things.

While the win was great for the Ducks, the game against the Hurricanes was reminiscent of issues that the Ducks have had to deal with all season: namely, inconsistency. The Ducks had a terrific start, but from the first Corey Perry goal just 37 seconds into the second period until the Jordan Staal goal that made the score 4-2, the Ducks were mostly invisible and flat-footed on their skates all evening. The Hurricanes were outshot 13-3 in the opening 20 minutes, but Carolina outshot the Ducks 12-11 in the middle frame and 17-5 in the third period. Now, the Ducks were opportunistic, getting a Devante Smith-Pelly tip-in and a Perry equalizer on two of those five shots, but attempting so few attempts is dangerous, and against one of the league’s best, such as Nashville (the next opponent), that could be the downfall for the team.

The effort mostly disappeared in those middle 30 minutes. Carolina attempted a whopping 29 shots over the final two periods of regulation, which averages to over 43 in a full-60-minute regulation contest. Those are games that teams, from bad to good or horrendous to elite, lose without transcendent goaltending. And that has to be pinned on the skaters: the goalie’s job is to make saves, not to prevent shots. The Ducks prevailed in a win because their star players in Getzlaf, Perry, and Ryan Kesler showed up, recording four of the five goals and seven of the 14 points. However, when the full-team effort isn’t there and the stars don’t show up, the results end up being more like the 6-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks last Thursday or the 4-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks the day after.

The Ducks are 23-0-6 in one-goal games. That’s a terrific mark. They are also 10-12 in multi-goal contests. The “ability” to win close-games may be an asset, but the best teams are capable of consistently winning all types of games. The Ducks will really be tested when they embark on their road-trip, starting in Nashville. Again, a win is nice, but improvement is still needed.

Here are some Ducks and NHL news for the day.