Anaheim Ducks: Three Keys to “Running with the Bulls”

Running With the Bulls

If this were 2017-18, I may laugh off the fact that the Anaheim Ducks were playing the Buffalo Sabres right before Christmas. Buffalo finished 8th in the Atlantic Division last season. Then, they won the lottery and walked away with the number one draft pick, Rasmus Dahlin.

Now, it’s the 2018-19 season and I’m not laughing anymore. A series of smart offseason moves, including the acquisition of Jeff Skinner from the Carolina Hurricanes, has completely turned this team around. For the first time since 2010-11, they look like serious playoff contenders.

The last time these two teams met, the Anaheim Ducks blew a critical two-goal lead, allowing four unanswered goals in the last half of the game. They eventually lost 4-2 on Paul Kariya night. Nevertheless, since then, the Anaheim Ducks have had a lot of time to work out their kinks and find their connection again.

One of the Ducks biggest hang up’s going into tonight’s game is their third line. The shutdown line has been the most inconsistent line for them so far this season. Aside from Jakob Silfverberg, Ryan Kesler and Andrew Cogliano have not been pulling their weight.

In the past month, Kesler has put up one point and Andrew Cogliano has two. Jakob Silfverberg has five points, but most of those are goals. Plus, he’s been consistently producing the way we’d expect him to most of the season aside from maybe a few scoring droughts. Compare his 15 points with Kesler’s 6 and Cogliano’s 8, and you see what I mean.

It might be time for Randy Carlyle to mix things up on the third line a little bit. Whether that mean’s one or more of them spend some time in the press box or he sends one or more of them down to the fourth line, that’s up to him. Something, however, needs to be done.

The Ducks biggest obstacle tonight is going to be their penalty kill. Lately, something seems to be amiss with both their power play and penalty kill. The power play is to be expected, but the problems with the penalty kill have come as a slight surprise, seeing as how they barely below the league average.

During their last faceoff against Buffalo, the Sabers scored two power-play goals, which gave them what they needed to devastate the Ducks on what should have been one of the most incredible nights of their season.

The Ducks biggest advantage going into tonight’s game is not only the fact that the Buffalo Sabre’s are playing their second game in a back to back, but that they have John Gibson in the net. It would have been an incredible “homecoming” for Ryan Miller, but the unfortunate events that took place in October would have left me slightly concerned.

The Anaheim Ducks top line is also equally as dangerous at Buffalo’s. Ryan Getzlaf has been his extraordinary self yet again this season. Pontus Aberg and Ondrej Kase have risen to the occasion and stepped in. Their chemistry together is electric and even if the rest of the team is struggling to generate anything offensively or defensively, they make watching hockey enjoyable.

Anaheim Ducks Player to Watch: John Gibson

John Gibson is the Anaheim Ducks player to watch tonight, and for obvious reasons. So far this season, he has been one of the most consistent players in a Ducks sweater.

Despite being between the pipes in their loss against the Boston Bruins on Thursday, he has been outstanding on this road trip. He even went as far as debunking the myth that he cannot win in Pittsburgh after he allowed only two goals in a 4-2 win in the Steel City.

So far on this road trip, he has posted an impressive .936% save percentage in his last three games. This included a phenomenal performance against the Columbus Blue Jackets where he saved 36 SOG, only allowing one goal, for an outstanding .973 SV%.

Aside from the difficulties in Boston, Gibson still had a decent performance. A goaltender can only do so much when the team that is playing in front of him looks tired and unprepared. Of the 31 shots he faced, he only allowed in three.

If the Ducks had even an average goaltender between the pipes that night, the loss would have been crippling. I can only hope that the rest of the team has figured out how to fix their offensive and defensive woes of late. Nevertheless, we can rest easy knowing they are in the very capable hands of John Gibson.

Buffalo Sabres Player to Watch: Jeff Skinner

I never thought I would see Jeff Skinner in anything other than a Carolina Hurricanes jersey. Nevertheless, here we are and I can assuredly say, Skinner, is one of the best things to happen to the Sabers roster this year.

Since coach Phil Housley decided to put Jeff Skinner, Jack Eichel, and Sam Reinhart on the Sabres top line, the three of them have been a powerhouse for Buffalo. Combined, the trio has 67 points in 19 games.

Skinner is an excellent two way forward and his shooting skills are something the Ducks should be envious of. He is second in goals throughout the entire league, just four goals shy of Alexander Ovechkin’s 29 goals this season.

What sets Skinner apart from a lot of NHL players, aside from his skills, is his optimistic attitude. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him without a smile on his face. The way he carry’s himself translates to his game, making it very enjoyable to watch him on the ice.

Three Keys to Tonight’s Game

Shoot and then Shoot Again: How do the Ducks expect to generate anything offensively when they have games like the one against the New York Rangers where they have 15 shots on goal. 15, that’s right, you didn’t read that wrong.

Although their total shots on goal look slightly better in Boston, it didn’t help in the slightest. This team really needs to focus on getting in close to the net and shooting the puck. More importantly, they need to be ready for the rebound. Catching Buffalo’s goaltender off guard during a rebound is going to be the best way for the Ducks to rocket a puck into the back of the net.

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As the “Great One”, Wayne Gretzky, always says, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take!” I’m pretty sure that’s one of the simplest yet most profound pieces of advice any hockey player can take to heart.

Be Strong on the Penalty Kill: I’m done saying that the Ducks should focus on taking fewer penalties because obviously, they refuse to listen to me. So, instead, the best thing for the Ducks to do tonight is to focus on their penalty kill.

Get to the puck as quickly as possible, clear it down the ice, and hey, maybe Andrew Cogliano will score one of those beautiful shorthanded goals we’ve been expecting from him all season. If the Ducks take penalties, they need to generate good defense on the PK. No more playing half-heartedly on special teams. That has to stop.

Finish Strong: Hockey isn’t always about losing, especially when the team has taken two steps back. However, the Ducks are notorious for giving it their all in the third period. Now, this isn’t to say they should play awful in the first two periods.

The Ducks still need to be strong in the third period and give it 110%. The break for Christmas is right around the corner, and I know they’re tired. Nevertheless, finishing strong, even if they lose, will be a great way to go into the break and the perfect motivation to go into San Jose on Thursday with their guns blazing.

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