Duck calls: Week 12 recap for the Anaheim Ducks

In their most recent game, the Anaheim Ducks lost to the Minnesota Wild, by a final score of 5-2. Needless to say, the Ducks have had a rough start to their New Year, going 0-2-1 for the week with losses to the aforementioned Wild, Tampa Bay Lightning, and San Jose Sharks. The Ducks have a record of 2-6-2 in the last 10 games; their last win was against the Columbus Blue Jackets, in overtime, on December 20th. This recent stretch of bad play has the Ducks season careening off the rails.

Biggest concern

Everything. On a surface level, the team is trending in the wrong direction. Although the Ducks still remain in a playoff position, they have a -7 goals differential. While the Ducks are near the top of the NHL in goals for per game with 3.29, their goals against per game is a horrendous league worse, at 3.56.

Special teams are just as putrid too. The power play is at 16.9%, for 24th in the league. The penalty kill is even worse, at 75.6%, which is 28th.

The defense consistently misreads plays and gives up too many odd-man rushes or high-danger scoring chances. The offense cannot finish like they did earlier in the season, either not capitalizing on odd man breaks or ringing shots off crossbars. Ryan Strome is sitting in the press box and is accompanied by Drew Helleson, from time to time. The backbone of the team, Lukas Dostal, has gone from superhuman to human.

The once surprising and ahead of schedule Ducks have transitioned from early season success story to a rerun of seasons past. Not where fans hoped the team would be at nearly the halfway mark of the season.

Three stars of the week

Let's try to be positive for a minute.

Third Star: Ross Johnston

With only one point for the week, the fourth line winger gets the nod just for this play alone.

Second Star: Beckett Sennecke

Sennecke is still sitting in second for the rookie scoring race and added two more goals to his total, which included this one from the slot against Minnesota, off of a faceoff win.

First Star: Troy Terry

Olympic snub? Future USA Olympian? Either way, Terry had a solid week offensively, posting four points (3 G, 1 A). None was more emblematic of the Ducks recent stretch of play, than his goal against Minnesota in the final minutes of the game.

What's next?

The Ducks now head out on the road, for an East Coast road trip, that kicks off with a game against the Washington Capitals on Monday night. The Ducks then head to Philadelphia, Raleigh, and Buffalo for the rest of the week. While the upcoming games do not carry the same weight as divisional matchups, the Ducks desperately need to get their season back on the track.