Anaheim Ducks – Upon Further Review – WCQF Game 2

Another Anaheim Ducks playoff game, another Anaheim Ducks playoff game loss. Last night’s 3-2 put them in a 0-2 hole in the best of seven series. Unfortunately, the game didn’t have to go down the way it did, Anaheim could just as easily have won game two.

The Good

In my Game One Upon Further Review, I wrote that the Anaheim Ducks needed to keep a body on San Jose Sharks (SJS) left wing Evander Kane because if he’s hit hard enough it will take him out of his game. The Ducks did hit him early and often, even causing Kane to cut his lip open with his own stick. When he returned to the ice, didn’t look like the same player. Kane had a few chances, but couldn’t get any results.

The Ducks came ready to play. Only 40 seconds into the game, Anaheim scored on their first shot when Jakob Silfverberg beat SJS goalie Martin Jones from long distance. Not only were the Ducks shooting, they were laying hard hits on San Jose. They wanted to set a tone early in the game and they did.

More from Pucks of a Feather

• 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?

John Gibson was solid again. I’ve seen several message boards where fans are trashing Gibson. Without Gibby in this series, the Ducks would be a far cry away from a decent chance to come back at all. That isn’t a slap at Ryan Miller, its a fact. Gibson has been very good, just not Herculean and that’s where the animosity comes from.

The Very Bad

Penalties, bad penalties, and dumb penalties. If there is one thing all Anaheim Ducks fans can agree on is that these guys take way too many penalties. None of them can be classified as “good penalties.”

It started with Brandon Montour‘s first-period hooking call, which led to an SJS power play goal. It happened because the Ducks defenseman was caught flat-footed. It was either hook Karlsson or let him break in on Gibson.

That was nothing compared to the bad penalty Nick Ritchie took 1:26 after the Ducks scored a power play goal to cut their deficit to one. Even Ritchie’s offense wasn’t as egregious as what Corey Perry did. The alternate captain took an unnecessary and outright stupid penalty with 3:43 left in the game. His infraction greatly cut down the Ducks chances to tie the score. Perry was fortunate not to have a five minute major for charging called against him.

As Knute Rockne would say, yesterday “the breaks beat the boys.” Almost everything that could go wrong did. The first was when SJS’ Marcus Sorensen (who?) tied the game in the first period of a weird carom from behind the net. The last was when Corey Perry missed on a game-tying opportunity in the final minute. What happened between those instances was equally as frustrating.

Martin Jones was every bit as good and often better than Gibson was. A hot goalie can make all the difference in the postseason. Two games into the series and Jones is SJS’ number one difference maker, even if he flubbed Silfverberg’s opening shot last night.

Next: Ducks Tales: The first ever Ducks - San Jose series

Up the Intensity

The Ducks have been criticized by many, including me, for lacking a sense of urgency on the ice. I’d say urgency is the keyword Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle is stressing today and tomorrow. Without it, the keyword will change to “fore!”