Adam Henrique saves the day once again. On his 28th birthday, the Anaheim Ducks MVP came through with the overtime game winner to help his team escape Buffalo with two points.

The Ducks had to fight back from two one-goal deficits to grab a 3-2 lead in the third period. At that point, a desperate Anaheim club should have stepped on the throats of a bad Sabres team.  And for the, what seems like 100th time this season, they failed to reach that next gear and it nearly cost them an extremely valuable point.

Ryan Miller made 30 saves for his seventh win this season. He bounced back nicely from the previous night in Toronto when he gave up six goals on 39 shots.

The win concluded an otherwise brutal road trip. The Ducks went 2-2-1 on the five game trip that I felt they should have swept. Instead, they find theselves falling farther back in the standings and as much as we want to believe they have time - it's rapidly running out. With 55 games in the bank, Anaheim is tied for the most games played in the league.

At 26-19-10 and 62 points, the Ducks would need to win 17 of their final 27 games to reach 95 points.

I'm befuddled by this team. Are they good? Are they bad? Does anybody know?

After the way they looked on this trip I'm not convinced this is a playoff team. John Gibson's health is a major concern going forward. Miller is not a starter in this league anymore. He's fine in spot starts, but not as a number one or 1A. 

Additionally, the defense is a joke. They are rattled way too easily. They iced the puck three times in the closing minutes of the third period with a one goal lead? That's hockey's version of Russian Roulette.

Which leads me to my next point - is there anybody besides Antoine Vermette that can win a faceoff on this team? His absence played a huge roll in that game tying goal last night. If they win just one of those faceoffs that game never gets to overtime.

Despite all the bad we've seen recently they are still hanging around. The Ducks are tied for third in the Pacific with home games coming up against Edmonton and San Jose. I'm not going out on a limb by saying those two games are near must wins.

What's up? Are you still thinking playoffs or did this road trip tell you all you needed to know?

Thanks for reading,
Steve

Join the Discussion: » 20 Comments » Post New Comment

» Avalanche Stay Active On The Trade Market

» Red Hot Avalanche Trade For An Old Friend

» The Colorado Avalanche Are Stanley Cup Champions!

» Avalanche On The Verge Of Hockey's Pinnacle

» Stanley Cup Final: Avalanche Take Thrilling Game One In OT