UPDATE: Per ESPN's Pierre LeBrun, Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf has appendicitis and we'll have an appendectomy performed on Wednesday.
Update II: Per the Ducks, Getzlaf will have surgery tomorrow in Anaheim. He is expected to miss 8-12 days.
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The current run of (pick an adjective: unbelievable, unfathomable, implausible, preposterous, etc) results continues for the Anaheim Ducks. They were shutout yet again last night. The best I can say is that they looked a little better in this one, going to overtime before losing 1-0. The Ducks had several opportunities to put the puck in the net and failed to do so. Anaheim wasted another solid effort from goalie Fredrick Andersen. If he would have played the same way in the WCF against the Blackhawks, the Stanley Cup may have would up in SoCal.
The Ducks have converted six of 232 shots on goal, which is 2.59%. For the past several years the NHL average is about 9% (per sporting charts). Anaheim is almost three and a half times worse than the average. The only thing I can compare this futility to is the amount of times I'm right divided by anything I say to my wife (in her opinion).
Coaches get canned for less, and the fact the Bruce Boudreau is still running this team says tons about the loyalty General Manager Bob Murray has for his employees. There has been rampant speculation about who would replace Boudreau, if a change is made. Many suspecting it would be one of the current assistants, Trent Yawney or Paul MacLean. I'm not sure either one of them has done anything this year to earn that slot. I could see one of them as an interim, but Murray should look at some other candidates before naming a permanent successor.
Ducks @ Stars
The Ducks are in Dallas tonight as they continue their Magical Mystery Tour of Ineffectiveness. Defensman Kevin Bieksa left last night's game in Chicago early, due to a deflected puck that hit him in the face. He has been cleared and will be back in action tonight. Fredrick Andersen, owner of the best goalie stats without a win, will start in goal. Patrick Maroon may be the odd forward out of the lineup tonight. If so, he will join Joe Pikula in the press box. Here is tonight's lineup:
Forwards Hagelin-Kesler-Perry Sekac-Rakell-Silfverberg Cogliano-Horcoff-Santorelli Jackman-Wagner-Stewart
Defensemen Lindholm-Bieksa Fowler-Holzer Stoner-Vatanen
Goalies Anderson Khudobin