...and we're back
Finntastick Finnish
Kudos to the Ducks for putting on a top notch celebration in honor of Teemu Selanne. Number 8 will be forever enshrined in the rafters of the Honda Center. The ceremony was outstanding but the game was a thriller. How fitting that the Ducks shootout winner was scored by a fellow Finn, Sami Vatanen. PS – Four points from Rickard Rakell wasn't bad either.
Left Wing Roulette
Patrick Maroon opened Sunday's game on the top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. He had his moments. Rene Bourque started in that slot prior, he had his moments as well. Devante Smith-Pelley, Dany Heatley and Emerson Etem have also played along side the Ducks two top offensive. Maroon seems to be the best fit. The Ducks are at the midpoint of their season, it could be time to stop the revolving door.
Trade Rumors (or Lack Thereof)
A cursory check of Ek's rumor chart shows that the Ducks are not players in the trade market at this time. There are some enticing candidates on the rumor chart that would look good in an Anaheim uniform. Of the players listed, Keith Yandle, Tyler Myers, Marc Staal, Joffrey Lupul and Tomas Fleischman are the most intriguing from an acquisition standpoint.
There's Only One?
Congratulations to Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf on his selection to the NHL All-Star Game. It is a well deserved honor due to his outstanding and consistent play so far this season. It's hard to believe that he is the only representative from the team that had the best record when the announcement was made.
Leafs at Ducks
Tonight's opponent for the Ducks are the Toronto Maple Leafs. For some reason the Ducks historically not played well against the “Original Six… team from Toronto, including a 6-2 defeat at the Air Canada Centre last month. The Ducks enter the contest surprisingly healthy. They should lineup as follows:
Forwards Maroon-Getzlaf-Perry Beleskey-Kesler-Palmieri Cogliano-Rakell-Silfverberg Some combination of Bourque-DSP-Jackman on the wings of Nate Thompson
Defensemen Fowler-Lovejoy Lindholm-Beauchemin Stoner-Vatanen
Goalies Andersen Bryzgalov
Personal
I appreciate your patience with my spotty posting lately. Things should be resolved by next week.