After a dominant 4-0 victory for the Anaheim Ducks over the Toronto Maple Leafs–the first time the Ducks had won by a margin greater than one goal since December 13th, 2014–the Ducks look to be more consistent in all facets of the game. One aspect the team needs to work on (and has seemingly needed to work on for the past several years) is discipline, in terms of staying out of the penalty box, and starting off games “the right way.”
Penalty troubles, a pervasive problem for the Ducks, have lent themselves true recently, when last night against the Maple Leafs, when Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen elbowed Maple Leafs forward and nine-year veteran David Booth, who sustained a broken nose after the play. While Vatanen was not penalized on the play, the play was representative of the careless errors that have contributed to the Ducks being ranked in the top 10 in penalty minutes this season.
Another more alarming issue for the Ducks is the club’s overall sloppy play, having won 21 of their 28 victories by a margin of one goal, including 11 of their previous 12.
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Ultimately, what the Ducks need to work on is discipline in order to curb their bad habits. Quite simply, this starts with starting off games on a good note. Too many times in recent years have the Ducks been plagued by poor starts. Often times, the team finds itself having to come back for the most of the game, making up for their inconsistent efforts early on.
Yet somehow, someway, the Ducks manage to claw themselves out of the holes they dig, which has earned them the nickname “The Cardiac Kids”, for the team’s late game heroics. But the Ducks can’t continue to wait until (in many cases) the last period, or even the last minute to earn their wins. A little past the halfway point into the 2014-2015 season, the Ducks, the 2nd best team in the NHL in the standings, have just a 0.11 goal differential, having scored 2.70 goals per game while allowing 2.59 per contest. This meager goal differential, combined with injuries to vital players may be some of the reasons why the Ducks have flown under the radar in the NHL’s weekly top five power rankings.
If the Ducks want to firmly close out the second half of the season, they will need to tighten up their game, according to coach Bruce Boudreau:
"“We’re looking for a more consistent effort. We were winning games, but they were sloppy wins.”"