I know the Anaheim Ducks blew another lead. I know they lost another overtime game. I know they squandered a shot at one more precious point. I know all this and yet I'm still feeling good about this team.
Somehow the Ducks are still relevant. Somehow the Ducks are still grabbing points on a nightly basis. And somehow, the next man up, no matter who it is, continues to come through.
One night it's Logan Shaw or John Gibson or Derek Grant or Josh Manson or (insert player here.) Two games ago, a recently recalled Kevin Roy potted two goals in place of the freshly banged-up Corey Perry. In last night's OT loss in Washington it was Grant again, along with a rejuvenated Jakob Silfverberg. Does't matter the night, the opponent or the situation, the Ducks find a way. Because of this, Anaheim is creeping closer and closer to a wild card spot.
At 14-11-8 with 36 points, they trail Minnesota by one point for the second wild card position and they are only two point shy of San Jose for third place in the Pacific Division. Keep in mind, the Ducks are in the top 5 in both man games lost to injury and point lost due to injury.
NHL top 5, points in standings lost due to injured players (Lost-ps metric)
— Man-Games Lost NHL (@ManGamesLostNHL) December 14, 2017
1 VEG 15.1
2 ANA 11.7
3 BOS 6.4
4 BUF 5.4
5 ARI 4.9https://t.co/nFv5WlsbwE
NHL top 5 teams, man-games lost. Number in brackets is their league ranking when injuries are quality adjusted (Lost-ps metric). Vegas is 1st in Lost-ps.
— Man-Games Lost NHL (@ManGamesLostNHL) December 14, 2017
ANA 189 (2)
BUF 160 (4)
STL 127 (7)
BOS 126 (3)
MTL 121 (6)https://t.co/nFv5WlsbwE
It's frustration to lose game they way the did in Washington, but the good news is - this team is something to proud of and are currently riding a seven game streak of earning at least a point (3-0-4.) Depth is a real Christmas miracle. Chin up lads.
Thanks for reading, Steve