Ducks vs Boston Bruins

Teemu Selanne, classy team player that he is, says he doesn't mind playing on the fourth line. He doesn't get nearly as many ice minutes, but he does get to skate on the power plays. "When the team is playing this well, you don't want to change anything."

Right on, Teemu.

Ducks haven't played since the back-to-back over the weekend, and now they have another back-to-back starting tonight against the Boston Bruins. Collectively, Ducks fans everywhere are holding their breath, praying the winning streak continues.

It's Jonas Hiller in net again tonight, his first game since winning accolades all the way up from the league itself. Hiller was awarded the second star of the week for his excellent play last week. Only six goals given up in the last four games. That's the Hiller we know and love!

Tuukka Rask, the current league leader in goals against average, is in net for the Bruins.

Already a fight in the first five minutes of period one! Troy Bodie and Adam McQuaid exchange some huge hits and get the crowd into the game.

Geezus, can I just say that Zdeno Chara is really frickin' huge?? Mike Brown looks like a toddler trying to get the puck away from him. Well, not really, but you know what I mean.

After a seemingly slow start for our boys, the pace quickens to see our Ducks with a number of scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, Rask is as good as we feared he'd be. Hiller's mates ask him to come up huge a few times, and he delivers. It looks like it's going to be a battle of the goaltenders.

Just as the period, and the Ducks' second power play of the game, winds down, Dany Sexton gets his 7th of the season. My boy Bobby Ryan receives a pass from the blue line that he can't quite direct into the net. The puck bounces through the crease to the right side, where Dany is Johnny-on-the-Spot to chip it in.

Another fight erupts right off the center ice faceoff. It's Kyle Chipchurra and Bitz, getting in a good fight for their money. The energy level is sky high going into the first intermission, Ducks up, 1-0.

Our boys started off the 2nd looking good, but then James Wisniewski took an awkward slide hard into the boards. His face twisted in pain while he was down on the ice and the Bruins scored.

Call me a homer, but c'mon. That play should have been whistled dead. We had a man down for at least three seconds, with a zebra standing right there, and no whistle. Wiz had to be helped off the ice. Yours truly doesn't know which to be more concerned about... the no-call or the loss on our blue line.

Our Ducks begin a downward tailspin as the Bruins score again, mere minutes later. Angry, frustrated, the physical factor amps up about 200% as guys take shots at each other after the whistle.

Thank God, Wiz is back out on the ice. Unfortunately, Bobby and Ryan Getzlaf aren't. They're sitting in the sin bin (but so are two Bruins) after that post-whistle altercation. Wiz is the good luck charm, as Matt Beleskey pots his fourth goal. It's from Petteri Nokelainen who's centering in place of Getzy. The change in momentum sees our boys spending time in the offensive zone. The Bruins score again before the end of the second, and this game is officially a rollercoaster.

The score is 2-3 as we start the third, and we've got Getz in the box for slashing. But once he's out, he's straight down the slot, taking a beautiful pass from Wiz streaking up the right wing. Getzy converts the puck at lightning speed, and the next thing you know, it's behind Rask.

It's Getzy's 100th career goal. Sometimes, an angry Getzy is a goal-scoring Getzy.

Ducks tie it up 3-3!

The boys are energized and keep the pressure on the Bruins, who are also fighting hard. Bobby dodges and weaves with the puck to get a good shot on Rask, and nobody notices Steve Eminger sneaking up the right wing. He's rewarded big-time, as Bobby's bid rebounds up and over the netminder, dancing just in front of the goal line before Eminger pushes it in.

And then, more bad luck for our Ducks. Teemu takes a slapper from Ryan Whitney, which redirects off Bruins' Miro Satan, bounces off the ice, smack to the left of his face. He's writhing on the ice, later getting up and is able to leave the ice on his own, but there is an awful lot of blood. Again, the Duck energy deflates.

C'mon boys, hang in there, we have to get this!

There are some very precarious moments in front of the Duck crease, but Hiller holds strong! This game seriously has me nauseous at this point. No more blogging, all I can do is watch with my hands over my face! The Bruins were never able to net that equalizer and our Ducks are rewarded with two hard-earned points.

Our Ducks fought so hard, and the Bruins did too... excellent playoff-hockey-style game by both teams. This game is an excellent example of why I love hockey!

Final pieces

Anaheim Ice was this afternoon's location for the start of the Ducks rookie camp. Ryan Getzlaf participated in some of the early drills, testing his skates on the ice after sports hernia surgery earlier in the summer. Even if he doesn't play in the preseason games, I'm hoping Getzy will be back in top form by opening night.

Some notables graced today's rink, including Matt Belesky, Peter Holland, Luca Sbisa, Matt Clark, Nicolas Deschamps, Mike Mitera, and Timo Pielmeier. Yours truly didn't see enough of the camp to make any assessments on our Ducks' future prospects, but those with something to say about Sbisa echoed my previous Fedorin sentiments: The kid looks great out there. Can't wait to get him out on the ice with our Ducks.



Just when you thought GM Bob Murray had finished his offseason moves, he goes and pulls a few more. Most likely, to answer the Ducks' lack of left wingers, Murray traded Ducks right wing Jason Bailey for Ottawa Senators' left winger Shawn Weller. I don't know anything about either of these players, except that neither has broken into the NHL yet.

The Ducks might also pick up left winger Kyle Calder of the LA Kings. Calder signed a pro tryout agreement with the Ducks which will allow him to attend practices and prohibition games. Hmmm... a King in Duck Country, eh?

Lastly, Murray signed defenseman Steve Eminger to a two-year contract. According to the Ducks big wigs, Eminger is a good player..., despite the fact that he spent the duration of the 2009-09 season in three different jerseys. Sounds a little like a guy nobody wants. I hope I'm wrong about that.

How many defensemen do we now have competing for only a handful of slots? And how many of these guys have ever played together before?

Competition at training camp is going to be fierce, and after the dust settles, there had better be a lot of gelling between the players who make the roster. I don't want to jinx anything, but I'm thinking this is going to be a good year for our Ducks. And based on the crowds that were present today at rookie camp, I don't think I'm the only one!

Next stop: Training camp starts next Sunday at 9:45 at Anaheim Ice.