Despite Recent Losses, the Anaheim Ducks Have No Need to Panic
One week ago, the Anaheim Ducks were staring at a three-game stretch against some of the upper-echelon teams in the Western Conference. The Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks, and Chicago Blackhawks were all going to test the Ducks and show where this team was in comparison to the other great teams out West. Ryan Kesler stated it was yet again a chance to see where the team stood. Unfortunately, the Ducks went 1-2-0 in the three games, and the two losses were very lopsided.
The losses were crushing enough to see many talk about how poorly the team played and, compared to the rest of the teams out West, talk about how unlikely it would be that the Ducks would actually make the run. While the scores would suggest that the Ducks cannot stack up against these teams and are still multiple pieces away, they are not that far off in the “big picture”. Honestly, the Ducks have the ability to defeat these teams when the time comes again.
Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks had a dominant win in Vancouver against a Canucks team that could very well be the Ducks’ first-round matchup come mid-April. The first three meetings between the clubs had gone past regulation, with the Ducks taking two of three. In this most recent matchup, the Ducks shut down the Canucks from start to finish. The Ducks were extremely effective in limiting the Canucks’ top-line. The trio of Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, and Radim Vrbata registered a combined five shots on goal: that plus the Ducks getting four goals behind Ryan Miller should feasibly lead to wins.
Matt Beleskey continued his goal-scoring ways, while youngster Rickard Rakell got another goal and seems to be improving with each shift. Watching Ryan Getzlaf and Kesler each game seems to be rubbing off on the young Swede, and the Ducks are extremely fortunate for it. Depth is one of the most important elements to a truly great team now, and the Ducks need to continue getting contributions from their secondary players as well.
Now, there were also the two lopsided losses that need to be examined. In no way did these games go well, and the Ducks need to change that going forward: this starts with effort. However, the sky isn’t falling, and this team doesn’t need to be blown up through a “splash” transaction. Rumor sites have linked the Ducks with players such as Cody Franson of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tyler Myers of the Buffalo Sabres, and both Antoine Vermette and Oliver Ekman-Larsson of the Arizona Coyotes. Those involve steep asking prices, and outside of Ekman-Larsson (who’s a star No. 1 defenseman that would require major assets going to Arizona), these are mostly just trades for the sake of making trades, and in terms of roster construction, the moves make little sense.
As far as the lopsided affair in San Jose, this game had potential disaster written all over it when Ilya Bryzgalov got the nod in goal. This signing has been an unmitigated disaster. Yes, there were injuries to both John Gibson and Jason LaBarbera, but by the time Bryzgalov was in “game-shape”, both other goaltenders had recovered from their respective ailments. Bryzgalov’s cap-hit of $2.88 million is more than that of Frederik Andersen, Gibson, and LaBarbera combined. Andersen isn’t ceding the job, unless he self-destructs down the job, but Bryzgalov hasn’t proven that he is a reliable backup. Yes, the defense has done him no favors, but he’s been poor with bad defenses (Philadelphia, Edmonton) while having his best success on more structured clubs (the Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger Ducks, Dave Tippett‘s then-Phoenix Coyotes, and last season in Minnesota). Backup or not, the Ducks don’t realistically have a chance when their goaltender is giving up six unanswered goals and five in one frame.
More from Ducks News
- Who could the Anaheim Ducks consider presenting offer sheets to?
- Is Pierre-Luc Dubois on the cards for the rebuilding Anaheim Ducks?
- Making the case for the Anaheim Ducks to trade with the Edmonton Oilers
- Anaheim Ducks might benefit tremendously by trading John Gibson
- How close are the Anaheim Ducks to becoming contenders again?
The Chicago game was not much better for the Ducks, if at all. Andersen played well and gave the Ducks a chance, but the team couldn’t generate any sustained pressure against a very talented Blackhawks team. The Ducks had a controversial call go against them, which gave Chicago a 2-0 lead, but they need to be able to battle through adversity. Bad bounces and calls happen in the game, and they happen on both ends. It’s up to the players to do what they can to right the wrong, and it starts with the star players.
That, beyond the defensive struggles and goaltending, has been the issue. The Ducks’ three best players are Getzlaf, Perry, and Kesler, but they did not play like it. In those three games, Getzlaf was scoreless with a -5 rating and was under 50% in the faceoff circle in all three games. Perry had one power-play assist and just three shots on goal with a -2 rating. Kesler had just two assists, a -1 rating, and four shots on goal. That isn’t enough. Depth, as mentioned above, is important, but against the best teams, it starts with the best players being the best players. The Ducks’ struggles against San Jose and Chicago start explicitly with these three.
Fast forward to Tuesday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Ducks faced a 4-2 deficit in the third period before completing a comeback and winning the game in overtime 5-4. Getzlaf, Perry, and Kesler recorded eight points, and all three had multi-point performances: their first since the All-Star break. Getzlaf recorded the game-winning goal and an assist on Perry’s first goal. Perry netted two goals an assist on Getzlaf’s game-winner. Kesler scored a goal of his own on the power-play and netted an assist on Perry’s third-period equalizer. Those three combined for four of the five goals and eight of the 14 possible points. When the stars are playing well, the rest of the things fall into place.
It’s the beginning of February, and the Ducks are in a great spot in the standings. If a piece needs to be added that can bolster this team and make sense from an organizational standpoint, it will probably be made. But no team is perfect, and this team, like any great team, can overcome its weaknesses with strong performances from its stars. The Ducks begin a tough road-trip, but now isn’t the time to panic. It’s time to believe that the stars will get back on track and continue to turn in consistent, strong performances.