The Ducks are in the midst of two days off which are book-ended by their 3-0 shutout win on Sunday and tomorrow's game against Buffalo. It's a good time to catch up on a few things.

John Gibson

John Gibson returned to the team after almost a week at Norfolk. He was 1-1-0 with a 3.05 goals against average for the Admirals. While those numbers aren't stellar, he still faced live action and his second start there was better than the first. It was Gibson who asked to be sent to the minors.  “If I have an opportunity to play, I might as well take it. That’s the way I look at it,” he told Ducks.com. “It wasn’t too crazy. I saw an opportunity to get a couple of games in.”

“D”

When the defense played poorly to start the season, they were the focal point of criticism. During their five game winning streak, the team has allowed only seven goals. Much of the success is due to the outstanding play of goalie Frederik Andersen. He has been stellar. The defense corps however has don a better job of controlling the puck. Since the 4-3 win at Philadelphia nine days ago they have also been better about limiting sloppy play in the defensive zone and center ice.

Defenseman Sami Vatanen is off to a red hot start. He has five points so far, all earned on the power play. Vatanen looks very comfortable quarterbacking the top power play unit. He is also disproving the notion he's a one-dimensional player. Defensively, he is a respectable -1 and has 17 blocked shots, which is fourth in the NHL.

On the Comeback Trail

Both Bryan Allen and Dany Heatley participated in practice yesterday. There is no timetable on either's return, but at this point the team can afford to let them take all the time they need to recover. Allen is at best the seventh defenseman and unless there is an injury, the Ducks will be giving him token appearances to showcase him for other teams. Heatley must be chomping at the bit to return. Since his injury, Patrick Maroon, Matt Beleskey and Devante Smith-Pelly have all played well in his spot on the top line.

News and Notes

Frederik Andersen was named of the NHL's Three Stars for his performance last week.

Sami Vatanen is second in the NHL in power play points this season behind only Sidney Crosby.

The Ducks top three leaders in hits, DSP, Nate Thompson and Matt Beleskey each average less than 16 minutes of ice time per night.

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