The Ducks have lost two of three, including the first home regulation loss of the season the other night against the Winnipeg Jets.
Losing is a part of any sport and when you win more than you lose good things usually happen. I had become so accustomed to Anaheim winning that I had almost forgotten how much it stings to lose. (Insert Devils' jokes here)
That said...the 37-10-5 Ducks are in a great spot and what happened the other night in the Honda Center was simply a trap game with a perfect storm of miscues, a hot opposing goalie and bad puck luck.
The Ducks scored first and then went all sloppy on us. A turnover at center ice led to the Jets first goal. It didn't help that Hiller was very "old' Hiller and not-so-much the the 'new' Hiller we have been enjoying through the first half of hockey this season. He whiffed on the first goal and never seemed to look settled from that point on. He was pulled for Freddie "stonewall' Andersen and the rest is history. It was only the second time all season Hiller has been yanked and I chalk this one up to an 'off' night and nothing more.
The whole team had an 'off' night. Evander Kane's shorty was the icing on Anaheim's cake of loss and frustration.
These things happen. We move on.
Anaheim is a comfy 20-1-2 at home, but with the Stadium series on the horizon, the Anaheim player's heads may been in another place. Something Ryan Getzlaf eluded to after the loss to Winnipeg.
From NHL.com...
"There are a lot of distractions going on this week with the outdoor game," Getzlaf said. "Everyone wants to talk about it, and they have been talking about it for the last two weeks. It's hard to focus in on what you need to do and on the points at the end. That's an excuse, and it's nothing that our group hasn't been a part of before or will be part of again. When there are distractions, we've got to learn to play through them."
Well, tonight won't be any easier because their opponent in the outdoor game limps into town.
The Los Angeles Kings are floundering. L.A. is 4-8-2 over the last 14 games, have loss three in a row and trail the Ducks by 15 points in the standings. With that said....
Expect the Kings best tonight and moving forward.
Never underestimate a Kings/Ducks game and what it means to both teams and the fans. This game has huge implications on the standings and should help set the tone for this weekends much-anticipated game at Dodger Stadium.
A win tonight over the Ducks would be massive for the Kings and their playoff positioning. Another loss for the Ducks and that evil beast..."doubt"... may start to creep into peoples minds.
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