Catching Up
On the bright side, if I had to miss a few games, the holiday weekend was a good time.
11/28 Blackhawks 4 – Ducks 1
Before the game Francois Beauchemin and Clayton Stoner were placed on IR; Beauchemin with a broken finger and Stoner with the mumps. The Ducks entered this game missing half of their starting defense and couldn't match up to Chicago's talent. Replacement defenders Mat Clark and Jessie Blacker looked over-matched by the Blackhawk attack. Duck goalie Frederik Andersen played a fantastic game even though he yielded three goals. His sparkling effort and 33 saves weren't enough to offset the one goal scored by Anaheim's Hampus Lindholm.
11/30 Sharks 6 – Ducks 4
Anaheim GM Bob Murray went out and acquired a veteran defenseman to off set the recent losses. He traded for Eric Brewer in exchange for a 2015 third round draft pick on Saturday. Brewer arrived in time for Sunday's contest in San Jose. Unfortunately, the Ducks lost his debut. They went into a 5-1 hole six minutes through the second period and even a heroic rally couldn't overcome the deficit. Andersen didn't have his A game and was pulled after allowing San Jose's fifth goal. His understudy, Jason LaBarbera, came in and stopped all 15 shots he faced. His relief appearance coincided with a three goal rally by the Ducks.
Coach Bruce Boudreau separated Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry on Friday. He reunited them halfway through Sunday's contest and they responded with three goals in just under five and a half minutes. Getzlaf's goal at 4:20 pulled the Ducks to within 5-4. It turned out to be too little too late.
Analysis
Despite their injuries, the Ducks dug deep and showed plenty of character after Boudreau's wake up call. The unfortunate combination of injuries and penalties were too much for the Ducks to beat a pair of good teams. Maybe if Anaheim had played Carolina or Edmonton the results could have been different. They didn't and lost.
Hopefully, this two game losing streak will spark something within the Ducks players. At the NHL level, the margin for error is very slim. Despite making some big mistakes, turning over the puck and blowing third period leads, they were able to best Arizona and Calgary in the previous two games. The Ducks learned a lesson over the weekend. This team can't get away with playing carelessly against better competition and expect to win. Additionally, the Ducks must better capitalize on their opportunities and put away opponents when they have the chance.
Logjam
The addition of Eric Brewer will eventually lead to an interesting dilemma for management when the four defensemen currently on injured reserve return. Brewer's arrival more than likely signals the end of Mark Fistric's tenure as a Duck. He will probably be traded or waived when he returns to health. Josh Manson has played well since his call up last month, but he is the eighth defenseman on this team and will be sent back to Norfolk when the team is back to full strength.
On the surface, it looks like Brewer was a curious pick up. His contact status and age are very similar to the recently departed Bryan Allen. At this stage of Brewer's career, he is bottom pairing defenseman at best. His contract is up at the end of the season, so he is not in Anaheim for the long term. Consider GM Bob Murray was in a no-win situation, he made the best deal available to help the Ducks. He couldn't stand pat and he didn't want to pay the price for a big time player at this time in what will be a temporary situation.
Goalie Injuries
LaBarbera is now listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury. At this time, his status for tonight is uncertain. Should the Ducks need to recall someone, Igor Bobkov or Yann Danis would be the choices. Bobkov, has been utterly terrible this season and Danis' deal is with Norfolk, not Anaheim; so the Ducks would have to sign him.
It might not be a good idea to give Danis a contract because John Gibson is nearing a return. According to Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register, Gibson should be back on or before Christmas. He will probably need a rehab stint, but he should return to the Ducks around the new year.
-Ed
Updated 13:11 PST
Jason LaBarbera will not dress tonight. The Ducks have recalled Igor Bobkov from Norfolk. Here is the expected lineup for tonight's game against the Boston Bruins:
Forwards Beleskey-Getzlaf-Perry Bourque-Kesler-Palmieri Cogliano-DSP-Silverberg Maroon-Thompson-Jackman
Defensemen Fowler-Manson Lindholm-Clark Brewer-Vatanen
Goalies Andersen Bobkov
Second Guessing
Its puzzling how the Ducks are using Rickard Rakell. When the Ducks sent Emerson Etem and William Karlsson to the minors last week, they elected to keep Rakell in Anaheim. He is a healthy scratch tonight (the second time in three games). Why keep him with the big club if he is used intermittently. His replacement at center, Devante Smith-Pelly has won 5 of 17 faceoffs. That is slightly better than Rakell who has won only 6 of his last 24 draws. Maybe its time to bring back Karlsson and let DSP and Rakell move to the wings.