Anaheim Ducks Prepare For Reunion With Bruce Boudreau

The Anaheim Ducks reunite with Bruce Boudreau after letting him go last season in the aftermath of a Game 7 loss for the fourth straight year.

During his five-year tenure with the Anaheim Ducks, he has brought 208 wins in 352 games.

Now the head coach of the Minnesota Wild, his formula of success has worked for the State of Hockey as they are in second place in the Central behind the Chicago Blackhawks.

He told the NHL website ahead of the California road trip that he was looking forward to the challenge ahead.

"“I don’t know how other people act but I think I’m a pretty average person. It’s always nervous seeing guys. When you get let go, you don’t know behind the scenes if they liked you or really liked you or hated you or what the thing was.”"

Sunday will mark the first of the three meetings between the two clubs this season.

The game is schedule for a 5 P.M. Pacific start on NBCSN and AM 830 KLAA for the radio call.

Anaheim Ducks (21-12-8)

PATIENCE IS VIRTUE:

Anaheim finally won a game in overtime, already fulfilling one wish in 2017.

It came against a struggling Phoenix group that lost eight in a row.

With 36 seconds left in OT, Ondrej Kase strips the puck from an unsuspecting Mike Smith  to cash the no doubter.

The Czech Republic skater has three points in his last two games.

WITH RISK COMES REWARD:

Very few get to do what they love for a living. So much so that sometimes it doesn’t feel like a job.

For Anaheim Ducks rookie Joe Cramarossa, reaching the NHL was all but certain. 167 games spent in the minors without a single call-up.

But now, fast forward to 2017, he has 29 games with the big club on his belt and has played well with Perry and Rakell.

Playing with high caliber players has boosted his confidence and his positioning in front has presented some timely goals along with his hustle for 50/50 along the boards.

Minnesota Wild (24-9-5)

NO PARTING THE GREEN ‘C’:

Much like the case of Phil Kessel being a Stanley Cup champion, sometimes seeing is believing.

The top three scorers are centerman (Mikael Granlund excluded, listed as C but plays RW) with the leader of the pack being Eric Staal.

No, you are not being punked. Instead of being the middling player he was in New York, Staal is at a level higher than his former self during his days in Carolina.

CAME IN LIKE A WRECKING BALL:

No one ever saw him becoming a Vezina Trophy finalist until he did. And with Carey Price back from injury, many thought no one will give him a run for his money.

But. Here. We. Are. Devan Dubnyk leads the league in GAA (1.82) and save percentage (.939)

Talk about never falling so hard in love.

Additional Notes:

It is unclear when Captain Ryan Getzlaf will make his return from a lower body injury, hence a two-game absence.

Next: Troy Terry Holds His Own

But there are some encouraging signs. Per OC Register’s Eric Stephens, he skated on his own on Friday.