Good afternoon, Anaheim Ducks fans! I know it’s probably an even worse morning, after the Ducks put together another lackluster team performance in a 4-1 shellacking to the Chicago Blackhawks, but that’s the nature of the sport. No team has ever gone 82-0-0 in the regular season or 16-0 in the postseason: losing is in the nature of the business. What is crucial, however, is that the Ducks not wallow in their two losses: instead, they have to use them as a learning experience.
These past two games proved that the Ducks, despite their record and place in the standings, are going to have a lot of competition in the postseason. However, this was already known. A lot will change across the league between now and March 2nd, when the trade deadline comes. The Ducks may make a move or two: “splash” or minor, nobody knows. But other teams will also make their moves in the revolving chess-match of the NHL. Teams will also then look different from the trade deadline to the regular-season finale of April 11th, as players will (sadly, but inevitably) get hurt and teams try to find chemistry and balance with new teammates.
The Ducks still have 32 games left to play this season. Teams will change, and barring a miracle and extremely good luck (meaning better luck than the 22-0-6 record in one-goal games), the Ducks will have their share of losses in those games as well. It’s up to the team to use those losses as lessons and improve.
The Ducks have quickly found out that their record does not dictate who the best team is. Play on the ice does, and the Ducks have not played to the level of some other clubs. If that is to change, then the team has to accept these losses and improve. It starts with effort, which has been lacking the past couple of games: after all, in a league with all professional players and loads of talent, it is compete-level and hustle that differentiates clubs.
The play of the defense has dipped tremendously as well. The Ducks have ceded 33 shots apiece in their previous two games, and outside of a 14-shot first period against San Jose, they have 36 total shots in their previous five periods of play. While the consistency is appreciated (their shot-totals in the previous five periods are eight, seven, seven, seven, and seven), that is not going to cut it. The Ducks have not dictated the game on their terms in either of the previous two games, as both Chicago and San Jose effectively negated the Ducks’ size advantage by trying to get the team into a “run-and-gun” type of game.
If the effort improves, the results should improve. From there, the team should assess its options. Yes, the team could use defensive help or a better backup goaltender in net (no offense to Ilya Bryzgalov, but it hasn’t worked as well as the team had hoped). But the team cannot make a trade just to say they made a trade: blindly reaching for a move will most likely hurt the team more than help.
There was still a fair share of news across the league. Here are some Ducks and NHL news for the day.
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?
Anaheim Ducks Jubilee – “A Night with Gatsby” set for Saturday evening (Ducks)
Looking into the Anaheim Ducks’ success in one-goal games (CBS Sports)
Anaheim Ducks building SoCal hockey from the ground up (San Diego Union Tribune)
Brendan Witt delivering “Angel Mail” through smartphone app (ESPN)
The New Jersey Devils’ shooting woes are painfully apparent (Pucks and Pitchforks)
Ottawa Senators unlikely to reunite with Antoine Vermette (TSN)
Toronto Maple Leafs apparently interested in Rob Blake as next general manager (Editor in Leaf)
Alex Ovechkin set to join elite company with his next goal (NHL)
The Dallas Stars offense could beat any opponent in the league right now (Blackout Dallas)