Glass half full vs. Glass half empty. It's all a matter of perspective. Anaheim has just three wins in the last 10 games following the latest setback in the Big Apple. I could also say the Ducks have points in seven of 10 games. Again, it's all a matter of perspective.
The bottom line is...no matter how you spin it...the Ducks need points and they need to start collecting them two at a time (four of last seven loses in OT.)
After the loss in New Jersey I said it could be the first game of an extended losing streak and it still feels that way.
Tonight they face the Islanders and that just might be a blessing in disguise. New York's defense and goaltending has been atrocious. They are bleeding goals and at this point not even Santa Claus himself could bring a bandaid big enough to stop it. Check out these numbers.
- Opponents have scored four or more goals in seven of 10 Islander games in the month of December. It gets worse. In five of those games the other team scored SIX goals!
- New York is 1-3-0 in the last four and have been outscored 20-13.
- Islander goalies, Thomas Greiss and Jaroslav Halak have a combined save percentage of .892. That is bad enough for dead last in the NHL.
A healthy Ducks team can take advantage of that. Right?
There is a catch though.
The Islanders are among the top scoring teams in the NHL and show no signs of slowing down. They have three goals or more in seven of 10 games this month. Forward Anders Lee has 10 of his 21 goals in the last 10 games. While Josh Bailey and John Tavares each have 11 points in the last six games. Yep, told you there was a catch.
Looks like it could be the first one to four or five goals wins.
Anaheim needs this game and they need it in a big way. The Ducks have relied heavily on defense and goaltending to stay alive. Its escaped them the last two games by allowing nine goals in the two regulation defeats. Better get that corrected tonight or it could get very embarrassing.
Then Ducks are 1-2-1 on the current six-game road trip with NYI and Pittsburgh on Saturday. They need to win both and finish the trip with points in four of the six games. Remember, it's all about perspective.
Thanks for reading, Steve