Besides the injury bug, the Anaheim Ducks' biggest bugaboo this seasons remains overtime and the shootout. The Katella comandoes dropped another one via the shootout on Thursday against a shaky Edmonton team.
The good news is the Ducks left Edmonton with another point in the bank. The bad news is the puck luck was not with them all night long, including Jakob Silfverberg cleanly beating Cam Talbot in the SO only for the puck to ring harmlessly off the pipe.
Oh well...we move on.
Tonight the Ducks have a chance to successfully close out their Western Canada roadie. A win in Calgary earns them five of a possible six points before they head into the much needed bye week.
It's the third meeting between the clubs this season. They split the first two games in Anaheim with the Ducks winning the last game 2-1. This is their first meeting in Calgary this season.
It's a big game for both clubs. Just three points separate them in the standings and Calgary has two games in hand. BTW, if you think the games in hand thing sounds redundant - get over it. It becomes vitally important this time of the season, especially since this playoff race is very tight and the Ducks have played more games than most of the teams they are battling with. So, yeah....
What to watch for...
- The Ducks offense sputtered in the loss to Edmonton. Anaheim had scored 22 goals combined in the previous six games (3.67 GPG). It will be interesting to see which team shows up tonight.
- Calgary shutout the Ducks in their first meeting and only allowed two goals in their last meeting (Ducks W). These clubs always play a tough, tight game. I expect more of the same tonight.
- Rickard Rakell's goal-scoring streak ended at six games. He leads the Ducks in goals and points. He's clearly the most danger weapon Anaheim has right now. Everytime the puck is on his stick he makes something happen. Watch for him to have a big impact tonight.
- The Flames coach ripped his team a new one recently. Look for them to play an inspired game and watch out for that dangerous top-line duo of Johnny Gaudreau (13g 32a) and Sean Monahan (17g 19a). If they have a big night, it's going to be a long night for Anaheim.
- The Ducks have earned at least a point in 13 of 16 games since 12/2. They need to keep that going and hopefully sprinkle a few more two point games into the mix.
Thanks for reading, Steve