Good morning, Anaheim Ducks fans! Well, outside of the result, but there’s more to life than one bad hockey game or showing. The Ducks dropped a dud to the San Jose Sharks last night, losing 6-3 in a game that saw the team’s defensive play essentially evaporate, as the team surrendered six unanswered goals as the Sharks crushed the Ducks. However, in a long 82-game season, a team cannot expect to win every game. The Ducks got outplayed and really had no business winning the game: once it got out of hand, the goal was to shift towards focusing on the next game and trying to win the final period.
The Ducks scored two goals in the third, while Frederik Andersen stopped all seven shots he faced in the final 20 minutes (and all eight overall after coming in relief of Ilya Bryzgalov). But the turnaround has to be quick, as the Ducks return from a lackluster performance at the SAP Center, only to have to face the Chicago Blackhawks at the Honda Center tonight in a matchup of two of the Western Conference’s premier matchups.
The Blackhawks are coming off a tough loss on Wednesday to the Los Angeles Kings, where they squandered leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 before falling 4-3 in regulation to Los Angeles in a rematch of the previous two Western Conference Finals. Despite the loss and their place in the standings (the Blackhawks, with 62 points, are only third in the Central Division behind the Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues), Chicago is seen by many as the strongest team in the Western Conference and the most likely to emerge from a crowded field.
The Ducks and Blackhawks will have their rubber match, with each team taking a regulation win in the other’s building. John Gibson posted a monstrous 38-save shutout on October 28th, as a Devante Smith-Pelly shorthanded goal on Scott Darling ended up being the difference, while the Blackhawks ran over a depleted Ducks squad on November 28th in a 4-1 loss. The Ducks were outshot 38-24 by Chicago in that game and 38-25 in the first matchup.
Chicago is one of the best teams in terms of puck possession and shot differential (they lead the league in Corsi For % at 54.4% and are third in the league in Fenwick For % at score-close, at 53.8%). Chicago also leads the NHL in shots per game (35.2), while their shot-differential per game of +5.4 is second only to the New York Islanders. The same defensive effort in San Jose will most likely mean a game the Ducks cannot readily afford to get into, as the Blackhawks offer major scoring firepower and solid defensive structure on the back-end.
Of course, there was plenty of news in the league. Here are some Ducks and NHL news to get the morning started.
More from Ducks News
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- 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?
Anaheim Ducks look like a near playoff-lock this season (LA Times)
Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry part of tremendous 2003 Draft Class that keeps on giving (NHL)
Anaheim Ducks’ new AHL affiliate will play in San Diego Sports Arena (FOX Sports)
Johnny Gaudreau has finally arrived for the Calgary Flames (NHL)
The Toronto Maple Leafs need to trade Tyler Bozak (Editor in Leaf)
Jacob Markstrom quickly becoming hot commodity for Vancouver Canucks (TSN)
It’s time for the Colorado Avalanche to trade Ryan O’Reilly (Mile High Sticking)
The Mike Richards situation brings back memories for Wade Redden (ESPN)
Adam Larsson has excelled in the post-Peter DeBoer era in New Jersey (Pucks and Pitchforks)