Ed Stein: Heartbreak Yesterday, Rivalry Game Today

Rakell...wow.

Yeah. The other gear has been missing for most of the season. The ducks have been showing more scoring lately. But the defence continues to get beat. It's the lack of a physical presence in thenback end that's hurting this team. Hopefully stoner comes back. If he replaces bieska it will be an upgrade. Otherwise they need to continue pushing the puck up the ice as fast as they can. I mean playing offensive to cover up defensive issues down low isn't the best idea. But it's one of the few tactics that will work.

Yea last night was a real bummer - CP just when you think he is gonna snap out of it he goes all thumbs - plus at least 5 or 6 other golden chances that they could not finish - tonight - Montour has to stay in - he brings good speed and he is very active on the offensive side while making solid D plays - let us hope Boll rides the pine - I think you have to go with the Bern B2B - just don't have the faith in JE right now

I'm also thinking Jonathan Bernier will get the nod. Throwing Jhonas Enroth in with the Sharks seems unreasonable. We'll see.

I too have kicked tires over the offensive woes. During Bruce Boudreau's tenure here, the second and third years were fantastic offensively. Then there were the struggles of the 15-16 season, which has once again been a story line this year. Are we asking too much of this group? Is there more in the tank? Are our expectations too high? These are questions that I think are just to ask after watching the past 2 years of Ducks hockey.

Getzlaf, Perry and Kesler are all older, and I have a feeling the drive to push and push and push during the regular season isn't what it was. This is the NHL. It's a very competitive league. The difference between winning and losing in this league is as close as it gets. Moreover, it's probably difficult for aging players to get amped up for the 800th game of their career, as opposed to when they were rookies. This group doesn't have a superstar, and division titles don't mean anything at the end of the day. Greatness is measured by who raises the Cup. It's that simple. They're on the home stretch of the season. They're looking like they're going to make it into the playoffs as a decent seed. That's an OK place to start at when the post season rolls around.

I've written about it in prior posts, and I'll write about it here too. Peaking in February was a common occurrence under Boudreau, but IMO they spent their emotional energy too early. Either this team is a sleeper or they're just going to flop. The players and the coaching staff have their work cut out for themselves.

Where can there be improvements? The amount of penalties this group has drawn has been pathetic, and that needs to change. There are three stages of what can be called when the ref is assessing to call a penalty. First off, there is blatant embellishment that the player gets away with. Secondly, there is a blatant penalty by the defending player. Those are the opposite sides of the spectrum. In the middle of all that is where this team has been lacking. Has this team ever heard the phrase, "Earn a penalty." Seriously. Bear down, out work the guy, and get a franking call. The biggest play of my entire athletic career was digging deeper and out working the guy next to me and drawing a big, fat 4th quarter ejection in the biggest game of my life. That ejection slowed the game down, and gave my team a chance to capitalize, which we did, and we went on to win. Where has the effort been to outwork the guy next to you? And Perry, the offensive minors are a horrendous example for all other 19 guys.

I don't know what we're going to see tonight, but this group is too smart not to be finding a way to draw penalties consistently. Silfverberg and Manson are both fantastic at drawing calls, but it seems like this entire group hasn't been trying to draw penalties. Draw some franking penalties!

I'm also thinking Jonathan Bernier will get the nod. Throwing Jhonas Enroth in with the Sharks seems unreasonable. We'll see.

I too have kicked tires over the offensive woes. During Bruce Boudreau's tenure here, the second and third years were fantastic offensively. Then there were the struggles of the 15-16 season, which has once again been a story line this year. Are we asking too much of this group? Is there more in the tank? Are our expectations too high? These are questions that I think are just to ask after watching the past 2 years of Ducks hockey.

Getzlaf, Perry and Kesler are all older, and I have a feeling the drive to push and push and push during the regular season isn't what it was. This is the NHL. It's a very competitive league. The difference between winning and losing in this league is as close as it gets. Moreover, it's probably difficult for aging players to get amped up for the 800th game of their career, as opposed to when they were rookies. This group doesn't have a superstar, and division titles don't mean anything at the end of the day. Greatness is measured by who raises the Cup. It's that simple. They're on the home stretch of the season. They're looking like they're going to make it into the playoffs as a decent seed. That's an OK place to start at when the post season rolls around.

I've written about it in prior posts, and I'll write about it here too. Peaking in February was a common occurrence under Boudreau, but IMO they spent their emotional energy too early. Either this team is a sleeper or they're just going to flop. The players and the coaching staff have their work cut out for themselves.

Where can there be improvements? The amount of penalties this group has drawn has been pathetic, and that needs to change. There are three stages of what can be called when the ref is assessing to call a penalty. First off, there is blatant embellishment that the player gets away with. Secondly, there is a blatant penalty by the defending player. Those are the opposite sides of the spectrum. In the middle of all that is where this team has been lacking. Has this team ever heard the phrase, "Earn a penalty." Seriously. Bear down, out work the guy, and get a franking call. The biggest play of my entire athletic career was digging deeper and out working the guy next to me and drawing a big, fat 4th quarter ejection in the biggest game of my life. That ejection slowed the game down, and gave my team a chance to capitalize, which we did, and we went on to win. Where has the effort been to outwork the guy next to you? And Perry, the offensive minors are a horrendous example for all other 19 guys.

I don't know what we're going to see tonight, but this group is too smart not to be finding a way to draw penalties consistently. Silfverberg and Manson are both fantastic at drawing calls, but it seems like this entire group hasn't been trying to draw penalties. Draw some franking penalties!
- IGotTheMemo

I counted three slewfoots, at least, one caused a turnover...the high stick on Perry that was uncalled, the slash that broke Rakell's stick causing a turnover, and tons of other plays. They called that broken stick for San Jose earlier in the game. I even saw Sharks waterskiing tonight. How do you draw penalties when the officials hate your team? Come on, how many icing calls were waived off for no reason on the Ducks tonight? I saw at least two. The last one went the other way and was almost identical, but icing was called. For that matter, how many icings did Shandor call off the night Vermette slashed him? I guess it's the playoffs already. You can do anything you want as long as you're the team the league wants to advance to the next round.

Good on the boys, and especially Getzlaf, for mostly keeping their mouths shut tonight.I'll call that a miracle.

that was a good game..i like the way their back up is playing! Cant wait for the playoffs !!!!!

That was one hell of a victory - when you have to play 5 x 9 - just blatant penalties go uncalled and even worse not even an admission that they were missed - I doubt these clown refs even receive any kind of demotion - really impressed with the way the boys fought through that on the B2B -

Bern again just amazing - the more work this guy gets the better he is playing- at this point I can't see RC going back to Mr broken down even when he comes back - the way they are playing D in front of Bern and with his game right now - this team is just closing the door on teams goal wise -

Also looked very dangerous on many offensive chances - with great breakouts and some nifty passes - Montour continues to make Sami expendable - and Hampus what can you say Wow - what a player - he with Manson is just tremendous -

That was one hell of a victory - when you have to play 5 x 9 - just blatant penalties go uncalled and even worse not even an admission that they were missed - I doubt these clown refs even receive any kind of demotion - really impressed with the way the boys fought through that on the B2B -

Bern again just amazing - the more work this guy gets the better he is playing- at this point I can't see RC going back to Mr broken down even when he comes back - the way they are playing D in front of Bern and with his game right now - this team is just closing the door on teams goal wise -

Also looked very dangerous on many offensive chances - with great breakouts and some nifty passes - Montour continues to make Sami expendable - and Hampus what can you say Wow - what a player - he with Manson is just tremendous -
- dozerD10

We aren't going to be calling our franchise goaltender "Mr. Broken Down."

We aren't going to be calling our franchise goaltender "Mr. Broken Down."
- yzermaneely

Franchise what ??? at this point he is the poster child for the can't stay healthy team -

A great win! The defense of this group has been top notch for two years now, and you got to look no further than Ryan Kesler as the reasoning as to why this team has been so stingy defensively. He’s improved everyone’s defensive game since being traded for, and is the exact type of leader grit guys like Lindholm and Manson need, as they head towards the 400 and 500 GP mark. It’s just tough to score against Anaheim, and really, outside of a few tough stretches, this team has been good all year.

Moving along, it was refreshing to see Getzlaf not participate in the referee’s game. My biggest criticism of the Captain has been he’s let the refs be too big of an emotional factor in years prior. Sometimes there are tons of calls, other times there are no calls, then there are make up calls. It’s not going to be perfect, and it’s not going to be fair, for this team, more often than not. I’m just going to say this one time, but this roster is essentially any refs nightmare. Every player is capable of being a nuisance of unfathomable proportions. That’s the type of player that this franchise believes they can win with. However, at a certain point there is diminishing returns where the TOI investment isn’t worth the risk. Hence, Ryan Garbutt. I think Randy Carlyle knows this, and has been helping Getzlaf, and this group as a whole, refrain from making brash decisions. As far as the Perry call that was uncalled. You got to think he said something he shouldn’t of said that made the ref decide to just make it a wash. Perry has a mouth on him, and getting bonked in the nose probably made him say some things. At least this team didn’t fester on that one play like I’ve seen them do in the past.

Then there is the goaltending that’s done a complete 180. Bernier is making the coaching staff’s life tough. The guy is playing like a top tier goaltender. Zero soft goals, and timely saves. That’s the requirement for being a #1 guy, and he’s continuing to prove himself. I want to say this team has gone from a #1, #2 tandem to a 1A, 1B scenario. While I’m talking about this, you gotta throw some kudos to general manager Bob Murray. The two part Andersen trade has netted this team a goalie who’s playing phenomenal, Sam Steel, who’s too big for the WHL, and the best rental on the market in Patrick Eaves. Moreover, he covered his basis for the expansion draft. If there are any sports management college professors out there looking for a case study, look no further.

Right now the team is on their final break before the homestretch. They have 3 days off before facing Edmonton on Wednesday at the Honda Center. I think it's safe to say power plays will be a focus for practice. Nevertheless, the Getzlaf unit needs more game time opportunities. I harped on this extensively in my previous post. Outside of that, I presume it’ll be shoot drills with continued emphasis on breakouts. I think what’s been the catalyst for this team's good transition game has been area passes to uncovered areas of the ice that’s been winning Anaheim the neutral zone. That, in conjunction with tape-on-tape passes (when applicable), is a postseason requirement.

In closing, there are areas where this team can be better, but also this group has a lot of strong suits. This is always an exciting time of year for hockey fans. Hopefully the break serves this group well.

A great win! The defense of this group has been top notch for two years now, and you got to look no further than Ryan Kesler as the reasoning as to why this team has been so stingy defensively. He’s improved everyone’s defensive game since being traded for, and is the exact type of leader grit guys like Lindholm and Manson need, as they head towards the 400 and 500 GP mark. It’s just tough to score against Anaheim, and really, outside of a few tough stretches, this team has been good all year.

Moving along, it was refreshing to see Getzlaf not participate in the referee’s game. My biggest criticism of the Captain has been he’s let the refs be too big of an emotional factor in years prior. Sometimes there are tons of calls, other times there are no calls, then there are make up calls. It’s not going to be perfect, and it’s not going to be fair, for this team, more often than not. I’m just going to say this one time, but this roster is essentially any refs nightmare. Every player is capable of being a nuisance of unfathomable proportions. That’s the type of player that this franchise believes they can win with. However, at a certain point there is diminishing returns where the TOI investment isn’t worth the risk. Hence, Ryan Garbutt. I think Randy Carlyle knows this, and has been helping Getzlaf, and this group as a whole, refrain from making brash decisions. As far as the Perry call that was uncalled. You got to think he said something he shouldn’t of said that made the ref decide to just make it a wash. Perry has a mouth on him, and getting bonked in the nose probably made him say some things. At least this team didn’t fester on that one play like I’ve seen them do in the past.

Then there is the goaltending that’s done a complete 180. Bernier is making the coaching staff’s life tough. The guy is playing like a top tier goaltender. Zero soft goals, and timely saves. That’s the requirement for being a #1 guy, and he’s continuing to prove himself. I want to say this team has gone from a #1, #2 tandem to a 1A, 1B scenario. While I’m talking about this, you gotta throw some kudos to general manager Bob Murray. The two part Andersen trade has netted this team a goalie who’s playing phenomenal, Sam Steel, who’s too big for the WHL, and the best rental on the market in Patrick Eaves. Moreover, he covered his basis for the expansion draft. If there are any sports management college professors out there looking for a case study, look no further.

Right now the team is on their final break before the homestretch. They have 3 days off before facing Edmonton on Wednesday at the Honda Center. I think it's safe to say power plays will be a focus for practice. Nevertheless, the Getzlaf unit needs more game time opportunities. I harped on this extensively in my previous post. Outside of that, I presume it’ll be shoot drills with continued emphasis on breakouts. I think what’s been the catalyst for this team's good transition game has been area passes to uncovered areas of the ice that’s been winning Anaheim the neutral zone. That, in conjunction with tape-on-tape passes (when applicable), is a postseason requirement.

In closing, there are areas where this team can be better, but also this group has a lot of strong suits. This is always an exciting time of year for hockey fans. Hopefully the break serves this group well.
- IGotTheMemo

Could you expand on this a bit? I feel like this post was a little brief.

I'm also thinking Jonathan Bernier will get the nod. Throwing Jhonas Enroth in with the Sharks seems unreasonable. We'll see.

I too have kicked tires over the offensive woes. During Bruce Boudreau's tenure here, the second and third years were fantastic offensively. Then there were the struggles of the 15-16 season, which has once again been a story line this year. Are we asking too much of this group? Is there more in the tank? Are our expectations too high? These are questions that I think are just to ask after watching the past 2 years of Ducks hockey.

Getzlaf, Perry and Kesler are all older, and I have a feeling the drive to push and push and push during the regular season isn't what it was. This is the NHL. It's a very competitive league. The difference between winning and losing in this league is as close as it gets. Moreover, it's probably difficult for aging players to get amped up for the 800th game of their career, as opposed to when they were rookies. This group doesn't have a superstar, and division titles don't mean anything at the end of the day. Greatness is measured by who raises the Cup. It's that simple. They're on the home stretch of the season. They're looking like they're going to make it into the playoffs as a decent seed. That's an OK place to start at when the post season rolls around.

I've written about it in prior posts, and I'll write about it here too. Peaking in February was a common occurrence under Boudreau, but IMO they spent their emotional energy too early. Either this team is a sleeper or they're just going to flop. The players and the coaching staff have their work cut out for themselves.

Where can there be improvements? The amount of penalties this group has drawn has been pathetic, and that needs to change. There are three stages of what can be called when the ref is assessing to call a penalty. First off, there is blatant embellishment that the player gets away with. Secondly, there is a blatant penalty by the defending player. Those are the opposite sides of the spectrum. In the middle of all that is where this team has been lacking. Has this team ever heard the phrase, "Earn a penalty." Seriously. Bear down, out work the guy, and get a franking call. The biggest play of my entire athletic career was digging deeper and out working the guy next to me and drawing a big, fat 4th quarter ejection in the biggest game of my life. That ejection slowed the game down, and gave my team a chance to capitalize, which we did, and we went on to win. Where has the effort been to outwork the guy next to you? And Perry, the offensive minors are a horrendous example for all other 19 guys.

I don't know what we're going to see tonight, but this group is too smart not to be finding a way to draw penalties consistently. Silfverberg and Manson are both fantastic at drawing calls, but it seems like this entire group hasn't been trying to draw penalties. Draw some franking penalties!
- IGotTheMemo

Holy (frank) is this Jabroni long winded.

Holy _ is this Jabroni long winded.
- Larsson_fan

Take a number.