The Anaheim Ducks Must Focus on Becoming Playoff-Ready

Ten games: that is all that remains between the Anaheim Ducks and the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The regular season can be a grind; a grueling 82-game stretch with major ups-and-downs that, if things go well, the team can then qualify for the next stretch of games which is even more difficult.

The Ducks got off to a torrid start and have sat atop the Pacific Division virtually from October to the present day. There have been terrific wins and monster performances, but in the last month or so, there have been more than a fair share of lackluster performances as well. The team is not dropping games because they went up against a better team or because they are lacking in talent. Instead, the Ducks are failing to match the oppositions’ compete level.

Anaheim Ducks

Make no mistake: this team has the talent and skill to win the Stanley Cup. However, it is possible that the torrid pace that has put (and to an extent, kept) the Ducks in first place is having effects on the team at this point in the season. It also does not help that the Ducks have a near-insurmountable lead at the top of the Pacific Division (they lead the Vancouver Canucks by 13 points). The Ducks are a team that is a near virtual-lock to win their division and expected to contend in the postseason. In those circumstances, it is easy to not treat the games down the stretch with importance or urgency.

Every team hits a rocky stretch over the course of 82 games: one of the toughest things to maintain in sports is consistent excellence. That said, the Ducks have to elevate their level of play: a bump in the road is fine, but the Ducks have had struggles with consistency all season, and now is not the time for those issues to be showing again. The Ducks have ten games left, but only three are against teams that are either in a playoff spot or realistically have an opportunity to get one (against the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, and New York Islanders, all of which come on the Ducks’ next five-game road-trip).

A great game to show the Ducks’ capabilities is the one from last Sunday against the Nashville Predators. Nashville has one of the best goaltenders in the game in Pekka Rinne, and he alone can steal games and, by extension, entire playoff series when on his game. The Ducks peppered Rinne with shots in the opening frame but came up empty-handed. However, the Ducks seemed to take the entire second-period off (as has been the case in many games), ceding two goals while being outshot 15-3. The Ducks turned the tables in the third period though, outshooting the Predators 15-4 and scoring four unanswered goals from different players (Ryan Getzlaf, Kyle Palmieri, Nate Thompson, and Cam Fowler) to win 4-2.

How the Ducks can seem to be so dominant and so inept in the same game is baffling, but they have the ability to be an incredible team: that capability does exist. The second period lull needs to be corrected: that goes without saying. But this team, in most circumstances, has no reason to believe they are out of a game. The Ducks currently have 12 wins this season when trailing after two-periods, which leads the NHL. That love for comebacks, never-say-die mentality, and belief that they can win any game can take them far. However, there is much room for improvement, and that should be embraced: achieving excellence takes high standards. Cleaning up the issues, or at least addressing them and working towards eliminating them, must be done in these remaining ten games. If that can be done, there is no reason why the Ducks cannot bring the Stanley Cup to the city of Anaheim for the summer of 2015.

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