Anaheim Ducks: Three Keys to Clipping Detroit’s Wings

Game two of the Anaheim Ducks five-game road trip kicks off tonight against the Detroit Red Wings. A lot of challenges lie ahead if they hope to break their losing streak tonight.

The Anaheim Ducks enter the faceoff circle with the reality of an eleven game losing streak fresh in their minds. Not only are the fans not happy, but management is not happy either. Bob Murray has made it clear that he is holding his players to higher expectations.

After he lit a fire under his roster, he made sure his message was heard by trading veteran left wing, Andrew Cogliano, to the Dallas Stars. His point was made. Make a better effort, or no one is safe.

Tonight, the Ducks face off against one of their oldest rivals. Although the rivalry is nowhere near as ruthless as it was in years past, it’s always fun to relive the good old days with the Detroit Red Wings.

The Wings are fresh off a 5-2 win against the Minnesota Wild. However, they too have had their own hoard of issues this season. Their current season record is 17-23-7. Nevertheless, they’re going to make tonight’s game as challenging for the Ducks as humanly possible.

Many challenges lie ahead if the Anaheim Ducks want to break their losing streak. Are they up to the task? Only time will tell.

Game 47: Anaheim Ducks vs Detroit Red Wings

Season Record: 19-18-9

Location: Little Caesars Arena — Detroit, Michigan

Time: 4:30 pm PST

TV: Prime Ticket

Radio: AM 830

Anaheim Ducks News: The Anaheim Ducks have traded Andrew Cogliano to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Devin Shore.

Anaheim Ducks Injuries: Ryan Miller (Sprained MCL), Corey Perry (Knee), Patrick Eaves (Broken Rib/Back Spasms)

Detroit Red Wings Injuries: Trevor Daley (Foot), Danny DeKeyser (Hand), Michael Rasmussen (LBI)

Don’t Stop Playing the Game

 The Anaheim Ducks most recent game against the Winnipeg Jets was a step in the right direction. They took one of the best teams in the league to overtime. However, the fact is, they still lost. Now is the time for them to push themselves harder than ever.

The Ducks have a tendency to play ten minutes of good hockey here and another five minutes of good hockey there. All the while, playing horrible and quite frankly, boring hockey, in between. That has been a huge reason for their string of recent losses.

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Although the Ducks have gotten by making a resurgence in the third period, that doesn’t always work. A hockey game is won by giving it 110% in all three periods. No more resting when they have the lead, no more going into the second period with their gas tanks empty. Breaking this habit needs to start tonight!

Leadership Needs to Step Up

The Anaheim Ducks need someone to step up and lead this team. During their game against the Winnipeg Jets, I preached that it started and ended with Ryan Getzlaf. I stand by what I said.

Getzlaf’s attitude sets the stage for the rest of his team. If he walks into this game feeling defeated, the rest of the team follows suit. Nevertheless, he cannot lead this team by himself. He is a great captain but try as he might, he still needs reinforcements.

Players like Rickard Rakell and Cam Fowler need to step up and stand by Getzlaf. Even the younger guys need to step up. Being a team means supporting one another and encouraging each other to do your very best.

Communication is Key

 It seems as though the Anaheim Ducks are going to see some odd changes to their roster tonight. Jakob Silfveberg has been moved to the first line alongside Getzlaf and Rakell. Daniel Sprong and Devin Shore are spending some time on the fourth line. The biggest surprise of all, Brian Gibbons is playing alongside Ryan Kesler and Keifer Sherwood.

While the defense and the second line remains the same, the roster tonight looks like Randy Carlyle threw everyone’s name in a hat and drew at random. So, as they face off against the Red Wings, one of the most important keys for the entire team is going to be communication.

If they don’t communicate, they’re They need to be able to read one another, even if they aren’t communicating verbally. Change can sometimes be a challenge, but the Anaheim Ducks have seen change far worse than this before. As long as they stay consistent in communicating, things should go smoothly. Fingers crossed.

Do you think the Ducks break their losing streak tonight? Let us know in the comments below!