Ducks vs Phoenix Coyotes

Yours truly had been originally planning to race home after work today, and plant myself in front of my computer to type up this post as I listened to the radio feed of the game. Neither team is televising this game, and it would have been interesting to write a picture-less post without a visual reference.

But I'll have to save that experience for a different day, as a Duck buddy of mine came up huge with an extra ticket only a few hours before the game.

You've probably guessed that the Phoenix Coyotes are one of my significant other teams (the Pittsburgh Penguins being the other), so any matchup between a significant other and my spouse team is sure to be met by mixed feelings. But my Ducks severely need points right now, and the Phoenix Coyotes have a few to spare (I'm doing a double take just typing that sentence).

So, let the anthem of this game be "Let's Go Ducks!!"


'Stach power!

As the game is starting, it's noted that Kyle Calder is out with a bloody eye injury obtained during practice when he took a puck to the face. His vision is intact but he's expected to be out 2-4 weeks. Consequently, Matt Belesky is back out with the boys.

As a whole, our boys don't seem to be playing with as concerted an effort as they did in Friday's remarkable contest against the Chicago Blackhawks, but they putting in some good effort. I thought our defense looked a little clumsy out there against one of the Coyotes' top lines (consisting of dynamic duo Lombardi and Upshall), and that could potentially be a big mistake.


Faceoff at center ice on the Ducks "D"

Nevertheless, J.S. Giguere got the start again in this game, and looks quite excellent with his sharp saves.

We go into the first intermission without any points for either side.


Ducks with some good offensive plays, keeping the Yotes on their toes

Ducks improve their game in the second, possessing the puck for extended periods of time. The forecheck looks strong. Phoenix loses a man on a hooking penalty call, and Anaheim's lethal power play takes advantage. It's Ryan Getzlaf with the goal, Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer get the assists.

Speaking of Teemu, that second line is really coming together. You can literally see the chemistry smoking on the ice!


How old is that Finnish Flash again? 29?

The zebras are liberal with their penalty calls tonight, with both teams taking turns in the sin bin. However, there are no goals during the second period, and we go into the third leading 1-0, but with 53 seconds of penalty time left to kill.

The Coyotes came back for the third, but our Ducks took a little too long to get back into the game. Not sure if they lost their focus or if they were tired, but it looked like a team that had checked out 20 minutes too early.

One of Anaheim's best defensive highlights occurs when James Wisniewski decides to try his hand between the pipes for a spell. Jiggy is out of position after a puck bounces straight into the air off of him. As it falls back to the painted ice behind our netminder, Wiz is seen flying through the crease to bat the puck safely away. Amazing play, and the fans scream their approval as the replay is shown in glorious slow motion on the big screen.

Jiggy continues with some great saves, but so does ex-Duck Ilya Bryzgalov at the opposite end. Lack of a tight defense forces Jiggy to make some sprawling saves that leave him horribly out of position for rebound bids. It's just a matter of time before the Yotes tie things up.


Hey Wiz, don't let guys like Upshall camp out in your goalie's crease!

Running on that momentum, the Yotes continue to come on strong. Unfortunately, the extended space between our Ducks defense and the Yotes top lines that I noticed in the first period comes back to bite us. Lombardi does some skillful skating through the crease, leaving a puck behind Jiggy as the dust settles.


Captains Niedermayer and Doan battling for the puck

Anaheim ends up taking a questionable penalty five minutes later as Teemu and Yotes' Upshall exchange words after a play. Somehow Teemu gets a 2-minute roughing penalty and Upshall skates away with nothing. Tough call for the Ducks, but they manage to kill it and build on that momentum to bring the equalizer with less than two minutes left in regulation.

Corey Perry gets the puck to Nick Boynton who fires at the net from inside the blue line. My boy Bobby Ryan gets his stick on it to tip it in. HUGE goal for the Ducks, and another assist for Perry who has now officially broken Teemu's record for longest franchise point streak.

We take this baby into overtime.

But only a little over one minute into overtime before the Yotes manage to strike first, and steal the two points. It'll be an overtime loss, and a single point, for our Ducks who have one game remaining in this seven-game homestand.

Ducks vs Chicago Blackhawks

This is a big one, folks. Our hometown heroes have managed to string two wins together, but can they even hope for a third? The Chicago Blackhawks team that has rolled into Anaheim is a scary one. Touting their own line of red-hot young guns, a newly-healed Marian Hossa, and bigtime goaltender Cristobal Huet, it's important that our boys show up strong in this one.

And they do, but not before some sloppy play by both teams in the opening minutes. A number of turnovers and odd-man rushes have J.S. Giguere and Huet pulling the big saves.

Yours truly is elated to see Jiggy absolutely rocking between the pipes.

The Chicago power play isn't something you want to see very often, but our Ducks flirt with it twice in the first period. Luckily, our PK is looking strong tonight. They've improved nicely over the last couple of games. In similar fashion, they prevent the 'Hawks from scoring both times.

The Blackhawks do a little penalty killing of their own, but not quite as successfully as our Ducks. Ducks strike first with a power play goal, a beautiful display of Corey Perry skills. Ryan Whitney at the blue line tosses a puck towards the net, and it hits Perry in the gut. The puck then drops to the ice, with Perry waiting patiently. In one motion, he sweeps the puck to Teemu Selanne on the other side of the crease, and Teemu pops it in.

Perry's assist on that Selanne goal ties him with none other than Teemu Selanne in the franchise high 17-game point streak (set back in 1999).

Ducks go into the first intermission leading 1-0.

Our hometown heroes burst into the second period with energy, taking advantage of Chicago's turnovers in the neutral zone to get the puck in deep.

Again, I'm impressed with Evgeny Artyukhin on our Finnish line. In one instance, the whistle blew as Saku Koivu knocked a puck that was easily covered up by Huet. A 'Hawk takes the liberty of pushing Saku while he's following up near the crease and Tuuk, coming to the aid of his linemate, converges on the guy and gives him a good shove back.

I'm liking that opponents will think twice before pushing around our veteran Finns because they'll have all of 6'5", 270-pound Tuuk to answer to. Way to back up your mates!

Capitalizing on another Blackhawk penalty, Selanne comes up big again. Captain Scott Niedermayer gets the puck to Getzlaf who streaks up the slot and backhands it towards Huet. Stick battling with a 'Hawk defender right in front of the crease, Selanne gets a piece of it, bounces a carom off his stick, and sends it into the net.

I can't believe it, Ducks lead 2-0.

"This team would not be the Ducks without Teemu."--Giguere

Blackhawks take yet another penalty, with Byfuglien taking an uncalled for liberty on Jiggy, falling all over him, knocking his mask off, and sending a forearm and a knee into the back of Jiggy's head. In anger, Jiggy rushes him and gives him a good shove, but nothing that will get him a neutralizing penalty. Byfuglien gets two minutes in the box and our boys take advantage once again.

This time, it's a simple slap shot from the point by Nick Boynton. Clean path for Nicky's rocket of a shot, which is screened by Kyle Calder. Nicky's first goal as a Duck brings big smiles from the D-man, and yours truly is very happy to see Nicky rewarded for all of his hard work thusfar on the blueline. An assist point goes to my boy Bobby Ryan.

Despite the three goals, I have to hand it to Huet for keeping the damage to only three goals. Our boys are coming on hard, and Huet has had to make some great saves.

Ducks take the 3-0 lead into the second intermission.

The third period sees more good play from our boys. Blackhawks fight feverishly for a goal, but Jiggy denies their every bid. No additional goals (but lots of close calls) for our Ducks in this period, but they don't need any. Jiggy gets his first shutout of the season, and our boys snap the 'Hawks 8-game winning streak.

Another interesting factoid, this is Jiggy's 32nd career shutout. Incidentally, Miikka Kiprusoff (whose team our boys played earlier this week) also had his 32nd career shutout today, in a game against the Detroit Red Wings.

Great job, guys! Arguably your best game of the season to date. Let's keep climbing!

Ducks vs Carolina Hurricanes

"Please, please... don't let our Ducks be the first road win for the Candy 'Canes! Please don't let it be like the Leafs all over again!"

I'm sure I wasn't the only Duck fan thinking/praying our hometown heroes wouldn't slip up a win against fellow bottom feeder, the Carolina Hurricanes. The 'Canes have been fighting against a number of injuries, and we should consider ourselves lucky to not have to deal with goaltender Cam Ward.


Manny Legace, the backup's backup, would start between the pipes for the Hurricanes. The man has an astounding 11-2-2 career record against the Ducks.

As the first period unfolds, our worst fears felt like they might actually be realized. Our boys were slow and sluggish, lacking any kind of assertive presence, and fumbling a number of turnovers in the neutral and defensive zone. Very bad. 'Canes score an early goal less than two minutes in, as the stomachs of Ducks fans everywhere drop.

Kudos to J.S. Giguere for showing up at this game while the rest of his mates continued their pre-game naps, at least through most of the first period.

The only saving grace was the fact that the 'Canes weren't exactly connecting their passes either, nor did they minimize their own turnovers. It was kinda like watching a game of peewee hockey, except without the adorable roly-poly goalies.

Yours truly is a bit irked that Kyle Calder always seems to find the penalty box at every game. What's the deal, Calder? Too good to sit with your mates on the bench and you'd rather sit by yourself in the box for a breather?

I believe the early goal was a good kick in the pants for our boys. They brought on the pressure and offensive presence for the tail end of the first and were literally all over Legace and the 'Canes crease. Ducks go into the first intermission 0-1, but looking determined to grab this one back.

Ducks keep it going into the second, and have a number of strong bids on goal. Credit to Legace for some great saves. Ducks continue to pour it on through the second with lots of aggressive play, grinding in the corners, and forechecking in the neutral zone.


Apparently, it was Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne's idea to get Evgeny Artyukhin on their line, and Arty sounds extremely appreciative to be there

The penalty kill is looking much stronger too. Having a spot-on defensive team in front of you automatically makes a goaltender look that much better. And in Jiggy's case, he's feeding off the energy of his mates to come up strong in between the pipes. You'd better believe it, as soon as Jonas Hiller is back out there and this team shows up to play in front of him, he'll be stellar too.

A high-sticking penalty on 'Canes Eric Staal sends our boys on a power play at the tail end of the second. Two 'Canes defenders chase Corey Perry to the corner, but he manages to get the puck out behind him to Selanne near the crease as he's run down. Selanne makes a neat pass to the Captain across the paint. He's undefended, and winds up for a one-timer, but whiffs and turns it into a knuckler that flips over Legace and flutters into the net.

Either way, it's a goal! Ducks take a tied game to the locker room for the second intermission. Perry also extends his career-high point streak to 16 games, one short of the franchise record.

Ducks apply more heat going into the third, both of our two scoring lines coming in waves. Keep throwing those pucks at the 'Canes' net, just a matter of time, right? At least it keeps some of the pressure off our defense, which could be looking a tad better tonight.


My boy Bobby Ryan gets robbed yet again by Legace

Finally, the tide turns with the tie-breaker off a simply beautiful goal by Petteri Nokeleinen. It's initially a chippy play, as Nokie gets pushed off the puck near the boards. Kyle Calder manages to wrangle it near the back end of the circles and flip it blindly towards the wall. Nokie is magically there, after recovering from a big hit and acquiring the inside position on his 'Canes defender. He chops at the puck and sends it into the net behind a stunned Legace.

That's Nokie's second for the season and Calder's first assist as a Duck. Okay Calder, maybe I forgive you for all the time you spend in the box. Maybe. In the excitement of their celebration, the boys topple into a heap of smiles on the ice.

With only a minute and a half left in the game, Ducks net an insurance goal. You could see this one unfolding from the Ducks defensive zone. Tuuk controls the puck for a split second as he's challenged at the defensive blue line. His linemates take off on a rush, as if in anticipation that Tuuk will somehow get them the puck. And he does, chipping it quickly off the glass. Saku is there when it lands, already in full stride. He knows Selanne must be somewhere near the crease, so he sends the puck towards the net and Selanne neatly tips it in.


Tuuk to Saku to Selanne, perfect second line production with goals and assist points all around

The nightmare last-minute opponent goal unfolds yet again, second game in a row, as the 'Canes manage to bounce a fluky goal into Jiggy's net with only 53 seconds left. Thank goodness for insurance goals. Ducks snuff out any other signs of life from the 'Canes to bring a win, and two points, 3-2.


The insurance goal would become the game-winner


Thanks guys, for not giving the Hurricanes their first road win

Rinks Tour - Goalie vs Shooter

The Anaheim Ducks Rinks Speaking Series continued with installment #2 this past Tuesday at the 949 Roller Hockey Center in Irvine.



This particular speaker series would focus on the shooter/goalie relationship, and would feature special guests Brian Hayward (hosting), Corey Perry, and Pete Peeters.





There was a modest crowd for a Tuesday night and, as the clientele were primarily youth hockey players and their parents, the discussion was geared towards the play of the game. Hayward did most of the talking, explaining the unique relationship between the shooter and the goaltender, and how that relationship has changed drastically over the decades.

Pete Peeters shared his experience as a goalie, but also as a goalie coach. However, he didn't reveal too much about his strategies for coaching J.S. Giguere and Jonas Hiller.


Peeters did say he wanted to see our goalies being more aggressive in their creases

Hayward opened the floor to questions from the audience. This is always amusing, especially in audiences largely comprised of kids. A few highlights (quotes are approximated as I didn't have a recorder on me):

Question for Corey Perry: "How many fights have you been in?"
Perry paused, then looked at Peeters: "Pete, you start." After the laughing subsided, he smirked, "Probably ten in a year."

Question for Perry: "What's your favorite shootout move?"
Perry's answer: "Going really wide with the puck, almost all the way out to the boards, and then coming in at an angle. I like it because it increases the number of possible moves you can make as you approach the net."


"I've always played that kind of game, right in front of the net."

For the record, Perry says he was indeed pushed into Miikka Kiprusoff during the third period of the Ducks vs. Flames game last night. The incident ended in Kipper angrily whacking Perry with his glove. Yours truly doubts there isn't a goalie in the league (besides Hiller and Giguere) who doesn't hate Corey Perry.


Question for Perry: "Do you like starting fights?" Hayward: "Of course he does!"

After the Q&A session, Perry, Peeters, and Hayward hung around to take pictures and sign autographs for all of the fans in attendance. The next installment of the Rinks Speaker Series is next month.

Ducks vs Calgary Flames

How about it, Ducks?

Based on prior track records for the Calgary Flames here at the Ponda, you'd think our boys would have a good chance at nabbing two points. But this is hockey, and these are our Anaheim Ducks. So you never know.

Yours truly watched Flames captain (and all-around great guy) Jerome Iginla net a hat-trick against the Los Angeles Kings during their last game, and I'm understandably worried. The Flames are playing Miikka Kiprusoff (another personal favorite) in net, while our Ducks will put their faith in J.S. Giguere. Not to take anything away from my Ducks, but I have to give credit where credit is due. Kipper is a huge goaltender, arguably the best in the league currently. To say it'll be tough to get pucks past him is an understatement.


New headgear for Jiggs

One thing is certain, it was set to be a great game from the very start, as most games between Ducks and Flames tend to be.

Our hometown heroes came out looking good. Lots of grinding in the corners put pucks on Ducks' sticks, I'm liking how our boys are winning a majority of their battles along the boards. Strong forechecks and aggressive play sets the stage early on for this game.

An already physical start got even more physical as big George Parros drops gloves with monster Brian McGrattan. This guy is scary. But the fight's a good one, and fans are treated to a relatively equal exchange of punches.


Parros and McGrattan doin' the tango

I'm happy to note that Jiggy is holding his own nicely between the pipes. Of course, it definitely helps when the rest of your team, especially your defense, decides to suit up at the same time you do. But confidence is contagious on the rink, and Jiggy is a big piece of that tonight.

Our boys are on the penalty kill first, with a hooking call on Kyle Calder, and soon after that again, with an unfortunately questionable hooking call on my boy Bobby Ryan. Since Jiggy is the one in net, Ducks penalty killers take a different approach. Hanging back towards the middle of the ice, they allow Jiggy a clean look at the puck at all times. It's been reported that Jiggy prefers his mates stay out of the way through long bids on goal from the offense.

Some goalies want all shots blocked as best as possible, others prefer clean, deflection-less paths between puck and glove.

We do a good job on the penalty kill, but the Flames still net the first goal of the game as ex-Duck Glencross neatly evades d-man Nicky Boynton and challenges Jiggy one-on-one. The puck pops the water bottle and the Flames take the early lead.

But our big line answers back. Ryan Getzlaf pressures the puck away from behind the Flames' net, right to Corey Perry waiting in the slot. He fires the puck towards Kipper, who blocks the shot but leaves a rebound in the crease that Bobby is able to knock into a nearly open net.


Another goal for the Bobby Ryan goal tally

And again, a Ryan Whitney slap shot from the point (assisted by James Wisniewski from down the blue line) makes it through to the Flames' net. It rebounds off Kipper's shoulder, and Getzlaf is there when it lands to hammer it home.


That assist for Perry gives him a 15-game point streak, second longest in franchise history

Joffrey Lupul is still out with back spasms, so coach Carlyle has kept Evgeny Artyukhin on the second line with Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu. There are some coordination issues still needing to be worked out, guys needing to connect passes and match strides, but those get better with practice. I'm still liking the potential of this second line combo.

The game goes without a goal all the way until the final 18 seconds of the third period. Playing 6-on-5, Iginla comes up big for the equalizer. On one hand, I'm happy our boys all but shut him down for most of the game. On the other, it's just heartbreaking to watch the regulation win slip through our boys' fingers with 18 seconds to go.

The ensuing five minutes of OT go at a draw, and we move to the shootout. Ducks shooters are Perry, Getzy, and Selanne. I still believe Bobby should get the shootout opportunity over Getzy, if anything, because Bobby puts 500% more shots on goal than Getzy does. But tonight, it's Selanne that comes up big with a Finnish finish.


Blurry, but this is the Finnish Flash with the game-winning biscuit in the basket

Win or loss, our boys should be proud of their play tonight. Even better, they have something to show for it in the standings. Two points for our hometown heroes, and yet another reason for the Flames to loathe the Ponda.


Ducks celebrate a win with Jiggy