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Anaheim Ducks Blogger •
Tonight’s game in Anaheim was the most important game in the NHL today for the standings. Everyone in the race for the playoffs in the west was paying attention and the rest of the teams in the race are certainly happy that the Oilers polished off the Ducks in regulation, since the worst case scenario would have been three points being given out.
The Oilers started with two goals in the first 1:48 of the game (37 seconds apart) against the Ducks’ Giguere. Edmonton’s two goals were scored in their first two shots of the game. At that point, Giguere’s save percentage was zero and most of us weren’t surprised to see Hiller put into goal. What did surprise us was that Giguere didn’t remove his mask and was put back into the game a couple seconds later when Parros & Jacques dropped the gloves. (The move was made so quickly, that some of the reporters I talked to during the first intermission hadn’t even noticed the announcement about Giguere being put back in net or that he played almost all of the 1st period. I pointed out that the very reflective Ducks D on the top of Hiller’s goalie mask is a dead giveaway for future reference.) By the end of the first period, Giguere was up to a 50% save percentage. Still horrible, but Randy Carlyle’s move had seemed to calm his team down and get them back on track. They’d outshot the Oilers 15-4 and were only down by one goal at the end of the first period.
In the second period, the Ducks tied the game and fans were surely feeling better about the way things were going. Then, disaster struck again. The Oilers scored two goals (9 seconds apart this time, at 2:40 and 2:49 in the 2nd period). In case you were wondering, this wasn’t the fastest two goals against the Ducks in their history. The Kings still hold that record from scoring two goals 6 seconds apart on April 15, 1999 (Bodger & Robitaille). This time when Carlyle pulled Giguere for Hiller, it was a permanent change, but it was too little too late. The Oilers had scored 4 goals in 7 shots against Giguere. Even though they couldn’t get one by Hiller in 12 shots against him, it didn’t matter. They won the game 5-3 with an empty net goal at the end to solidify the win. Dustin Penner (former Duck) scored two of the goals against the Ducks. Getzlaf was also one goal away from a hat trick.
I respect Carlyle for not throwing Giguere under the bus and pointing out all the other things his team had done poorly tonight. It’s great that he stands by his team and says they win and lose as a team and that it’s not any one players fault. However, I can’t imagine not questioning the decision to leave Giguere in the game after 2 goals in 2 shots and again after the 3rd goal. True, he only had a split second to make the decision in the 2nd period, but if he’d pulled Giguere after the 3rd Oilers goal, the game could have gone very differently.
At the moment, the Ducks are in 9th place behind the Oilers in 7th and the Predators in 8th, but if the Predators lose their next game, the Ducks would be in the 8th and final playoff spot, since they’re tied in points and have more wins. The Ducks are only listed in 9th place now, since the Predators have the same amount of points and a game in hand on the Ducks. St. Louis & Minnesota (10th & 11th place, 1 & 2 points behind the Ducks) also have a game in hand on Anaheim. The Ducks’ 5 game winning streak put them right back in the middle of the playoff race, but a losing streak could knock them right back out of contention. The western conference race is still so tight that only 2 teams have clinched playoff spots and no teams have been mathematically eliminated.
Kat
Contact Kat
To read more of my thoughts on the NHL and other sports, check out Press Box Perspective.
The Oilers started with two goals in the first 1:48 of the game (37 seconds apart) against the Ducks’ Giguere. Edmonton’s two goals were scored in their first two shots of the game. At that point, Giguere’s save percentage was zero and most of us weren’t surprised to see Hiller put into goal. What did surprise us was that Giguere didn’t remove his mask and was put back into the game a couple seconds later when Parros & Jacques dropped the gloves. (The move was made so quickly, that some of the reporters I talked to during the first intermission hadn’t even noticed the announcement about Giguere being put back in net or that he played almost all of the 1st period. I pointed out that the very reflective Ducks D on the top of Hiller’s goalie mask is a dead giveaway for future reference.) By the end of the first period, Giguere was up to a 50% save percentage. Still horrible, but Randy Carlyle’s move had seemed to calm his team down and get them back on track. They’d outshot the Oilers 15-4 and were only down by one goal at the end of the first period.
In the second period, the Ducks tied the game and fans were surely feeling better about the way things were going. Then, disaster struck again. The Oilers scored two goals (9 seconds apart this time, at 2:40 and 2:49 in the 2nd period). In case you were wondering, this wasn’t the fastest two goals against the Ducks in their history. The Kings still hold that record from scoring two goals 6 seconds apart on April 15, 1999 (Bodger & Robitaille). This time when Carlyle pulled Giguere for Hiller, it was a permanent change, but it was too little too late. The Oilers had scored 4 goals in 7 shots against Giguere. Even though they couldn’t get one by Hiller in 12 shots against him, it didn’t matter. They won the game 5-3 with an empty net goal at the end to solidify the win. Dustin Penner (former Duck) scored two of the goals against the Ducks. Getzlaf was also one goal away from a hat trick.
I respect Carlyle for not throwing Giguere under the bus and pointing out all the other things his team had done poorly tonight. It’s great that he stands by his team and says they win and lose as a team and that it’s not any one players fault. However, I can’t imagine not questioning the decision to leave Giguere in the game after 2 goals in 2 shots and again after the 3rd goal. True, he only had a split second to make the decision in the 2nd period, but if he’d pulled Giguere after the 3rd Oilers goal, the game could have gone very differently.
At the moment, the Ducks are in 9th place behind the Oilers in 7th and the Predators in 8th, but if the Predators lose their next game, the Ducks would be in the 8th and final playoff spot, since they’re tied in points and have more wins. The Ducks are only listed in 9th place now, since the Predators have the same amount of points and a game in hand on the Ducks. St. Louis & Minnesota (10th & 11th place, 1 & 2 points behind the Ducks) also have a game in hand on Anaheim. The Ducks’ 5 game winning streak put them right back in the middle of the playoff race, but a losing streak could knock them right back out of contention. The western conference race is still so tight that only 2 teams have clinched playoff spots and no teams have been mathematically eliminated.
Kat
Contact Kat
To read more of my thoughts on the NHL and other sports, check out Press Box Perspective.
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