Anaheim Ducks Expert Panel: Who Takes the Fall for the Ducks 0-3 Postseason Start?

1 of 4

The Anaheim Ducks find themselves down three games in their best of seven series with San Jose. We asked our experts “Who is to blame for the Ducks 0-3 start to the

The Anaheim Ducks have been beaten pillar to post by San Jose. Where does the buck stop? As you can imagine our experts, Ciara Durrant, Ed Stein, Redan Lopez, and Greg Johnson have some very strong opinions.

Ciara Durrant – Contributor, Pucks of a Feather

Before I get into answering this question, I have to address what is bothering me most about this series. That is all of these penalties Anaheim has picked up throughout this round of the playoffs. The Anaheim Ducks ended Game Three with 21 penalties in the series. Six of which resulted in Sharks power play goals, that’s too many. So, who is to blame? I think it all comes down to the leadership, or lack thereof, of the Ducks.

Randy Carlyle

First of all, as a coach, you are hired to keep your team grounded and accountable. If your team is constantly getting penalties, most of which were easily avoidable, there is an issue. If there is an issue with your team, you have to address it and do something to change it.

I don’t get to hear what Coach Randy Carlyle (RC) says to the guys during intermissions, but a simple, “Come on, no more penalties” isn’t going to fix anything. Carlyle has all of the power in the world to say his players, “get one more penalty and you’re getting benched!” or something along those lines. If RC is not willing to step up and make a change, even if that means making an example of someone, then how is he going to expect his players to stay out of the penalty box?

In my opinion, Carlyle’s switch of Corey Perry and Ondrej Kase on the first and third lines in game two was a poor decision. Playoff hockey is more intense than it is in the regular season. The coach has to give his players a hot minute or so to find their chemistry together. Throwing them on a new line is pretty much a guarantee they won’t.

Lack of Positive Veteran Leadership

Additionally, veteran players like Ryan Getzlaf and Perry are a big part of this team. They are leaders both on and off the ice. Their attitude and their gameplay are going to be an intrinsic part of how the team carries itself. So far they have not provided a good example.

Taking nine penalties and missing 24 minutes of penalty time between the two is not acceptable. Especially the ten-minute misconduct penalty bestowed upon our Captain. As the leadership of this team, you need to put your pride aside and be part of finding the solution and not be part of the problem.

Next: The Enemy

Ed Stein -Editor, Pucks of a Feather

My colleagues have very strong opinions, and they should. We all love the Anaheim Ducks. I had to step back a little bit, put my emotions aside, and come at this logically.

Eliminated Suspects

Anyone who thinks this deep hole was dug by John Gibson, is way off base. He has been hung out to dry more times than a pool towel at a Hilton. Also, the defense has been bad. Without the injured Cam Fowler‘s strong two way game, the unit doesn’t have the talent to keep up.

You can also eliminate the Anaheim Ducks General Manager Bob Murray. He set expectations at the deadline when he said this team wasn’t worth a serious upgrade. Its almost like he knew this was coming. His plan going forward had better be good, so the villagers don’t go for the pitchforks and torches.

Possible Accessories

More from Pucks of a Feather

Ryan Getzlaf – The Captain has been a disappointment through the first three games. He isn’t scoring, he’s having a hard time finding the open man, and he’s in the sin bin too much. He is a much better player and leader than he has shown so far in the series.

Corey Perry – If he wasn’t doing things that are counter-productive, you would never hear his name called. Perry has missed shots that would have been a gimmie for the old number 10.

The Perpetrators

Who is to blame for the Anaheim Ducks 0-3 Start? The San Jose Sharks (SJS)

Facts are facts, three games into the series and it’s clear to see that San Jose is the better team. Not just better, they are dominating all facets of the game.

Goalie Martin Jones has been red hot. The SJS transition game looks to be a ta championship level. Their penchant for odd-man rushes has killed Gibson. Sharks defenseman have done a great job of reducing close in scoring chances. Last but not least, San Jose has proven to be outstanding finishers. As evidenced by 14 pucks put in the net in three games.

It’s plain to see the Sharks want it more than the Ducks do.

Next: Look in the mirror

ANAHEIM, CA – Anaheim Ducks Right Wing Corey Perry (10) is sent to the penalty box

Redan Lopez – Contributor, LA Sports Hub

There isn’t one person that I would single-handedly blame. Collectively, it’s everyone. This includes the players, coaching staff, and even GM Bob Murray.

The Players

The players themselves have not performed to the standard that I know they can perform at. When you only score three goals in three games, you are not going to win many games. Coupled with the numerous penalties (at least four in each game), the Ducks have looked like a fragile group. They need to play more effectively as a cohesive unit; that is the only way they are going to be this Sharks team that seems to be firing on all cylinders.

I am really disappointed in how the top six have performed – namely Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler, Jakob Silfverberg, Andrew Cogliano, and Rickard Rakell. They have created some scoring chances, but have not finished enough of them. The Ducks have also played too much on the perimeter this series – something that needs to change if they are to win Game 4.

The third line of Adam Henrique, Ondrej Kase, and Nick Ritchie has also been underwhelming, to say the least. The unit has no points through the first three games of this series and has seemed invisible. Ritchie has also been undisciplined at the wrong times – leading to the Ducks allow two goals while he was watching from the penalty box.

The Head Coach

The team in general though has been undisciplined and unhinged when things are not going their way. Their lack of discipline needs to be corrected. This is where I find fault with the coaching staff, specifically the Randy Carlyle.

When a team allows quick goals in succession (think Game 1 where 2 goals were multiple scores happened within minutes, followed by the same thing again in Game 3), the coach needs to step in and settle down the team. This can come with a timeout; or by bringing his team to the bench during a TV break. He should also work with his captain and alternate captains to calm the team.

Yet, it seems that none of that has been done. No settling down on the parts of the coaching staff mid-game; at least I haven’t seen any impact. Sometimes, the players need to be reminded that even though they are down, it is not over.

Just because things may not go your way, it does not mean you stop fighting and giving up on the system you have used to get to the playoffs. To this point, Coach Carlyle has failed in rallying his team together despite the adversity they have faced in each game this series.

The GM

When I think back to the trade deadline, I think Murray could have done a little bit more to improve the group on the ice. I look at how the Sharks got winger Evander Kane from the Buffalo Sabres, and they did not give up very much to get him (conditional first round pick, conditional fourth-round pick, and a prospect).

I really was looking for an additional winger on the top 9, especially a young left-handed left shooting scorer. More could have been done than additions to the fourth line, which is not on the ice as much as other lines.

With the exception of Rickard Rakell, the other left wings on the Ducks are not consistent enough scorers. I really think that a scoring winger would have helped the Ducks a lot and added a little more dynamic and speed to the third line. This is where the loss of Patrick Eaves (though he is right-handed) really hurts.

Overall, the blame for the Ducks 0-3 series deficit runs deep through its players, coach, and GM.

Next: Old Faithful

LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 17: Jeff Carter /

Greg Johnson – Contributor, Pucks of a Feather

There is plenty of blame to go around for the Ducks’ lackluster performance so far in the playoffs. I’ve heard many fans blame John Gibson. With a 4.17 goals against average and a .882 save percentage, it’s hard to argue against Gibson’s culpability by the statistics.

If you watched the games, you probably noticed the Ducks’ defense has left Gibson completely exposed to breakaways and odd-man cross-ice passes. Gibson is an all-world talent. He’s not to blame.

Defense

That porous defense has been lacking. Let’s be realistic. If Francois Beauchemin is one of your top four defensemen in 2018, you’re in trouble. In game 3, he let not one, but two cross-slot passes happen on a 2-on-1. That’s unacceptable.

The entire defense has suffered in the absence of Cam Fowler. When your bottom pair has very little NHL experience and you’re in the playoffs, you’re in trouble. It’s hard to blame the defense for being who they actually are.

Offense

It would be nice if the team could score more than an average of a goal a game. Who do these Ducks think they are, the Kings? The forwards don’t have enough speed. And the team plays a slow game in an era when speed is king.

The defensemen are forced to press forward because of the forwards’ lack of offense, leaving them exposed to odd-man rushes. Picking just one forward to blame would be tough, even though many fans seem to want to blame Corey Perry.

Perry is who he is. If any forward should be blamed, it has to be the combustible captain, Ryan Getzlaf. He needs to control this team and his emotions better.

Front Office

Head coach Randy Carlyle has his detractors. But he did somehow steer this mess of a team into the playoffs. Ultimately, the blame has to go to general manager Bob Murray. If you know me, you know I am a fan of Bargain Bob. But he’s the one who put this slow team together. Murray is the one who staffed the defense with a razor-thin margin of error. He’s the one who put Randy Carlyle back behind the bench. But I don’t want to blame him, basically on principle.

Familiar Foe

Instead, I want to blame the real culprits for the Ducks 3-0 deficit. It’s the dreaded Los Angeles Kings. You heard me. The Kings did not want to face the Ducks in the first round. Their fear of the Ducks was so bad, they let the Dallas Stars score four unanswered goals in the first 14 minutes of their final regular season game.

Next: Three Ducks fixes after Game 3

Had the Kings won, they would have been tied in points with the San Jose Sharks. And they owned the tiebreaker, regulation and overtime wins, 43 or 44 to 40. The Ducks would be kicking the Kings around the ice rink right now if LA wasn’t so scared of Anaheim. Instead, the Kings got what they wanted. And they got swept by the Vegas Golden Knights. Let’s hope their karma doesn’t sink the Ducks in a similar fashion.

Home / Ducks News