Welcome to the newest feature on the Ducks page, the Op-Ed section. Op-Ed has traditionally been a reference to the editorial pages of a newspaper, in this case it stands for the Opinions of Ed. The items in these commentaries represent my thoughts and ideas. You may agree or not. In most cases you will have your own opinions about the topics and I strongly encourage you to use your own voice in the forums.
The Ducks - A Tale of Two Teams
The Ducks currently have 20 points, tops in the NHL. That makes them the best team, right? I don't think its that simple with this group. Let's break down both sides.
Side A – Best team in the league
To quote Bill Parcells, “You are what your record says you are.…
The Duck's record says first place. They have won at home and on the road. The teams they should beat were beaten. 10 wins in 13 games is awesome.
Goalies Frederik Andersen and John Gibson have been lights out in just about every game they have played. With seven wins in eight starts and a miniscule 1.60 goals against average, Andersen is among the league's elite so far this season. Gibson, since his rough debut, has won two of three starts while allowing only five goals in that span. Additionally, each has posted a shutout against a Stanley Cup contender. You can't ask for more from these guys.
Defensemen The Ducks are ninth in the league in shots against. In their past two games against Dallas and Colorado, the D has been particularly stingy allowing a total of 37 shots. Sami Vatanen has proved to be as dynamic on the power play as originally advertised. Hampus Lindholm has played solid in all facets of the game. He is +8 and leads all the teams defensemen in shots. Cam Fowler is tenth in the league among defensemen in scoring. He is on pace for 53 points, which is 33% better than anything he has done before. Even when injuries have struck the defense corps, this group has dug in and worked harder.
Forwards What more can you say about the dynamic duo of Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. After a while you run out of superlatives. They are currently third and sixth respectively in NHL scoring this season. Even more impressive, they have shown on ice leadership and a willingness to stand up for their teammates despite their star status. Ryan Kesler has been everything the Ducks hoped for when he was acquired this off-season from Vancouver. The centers on this team Getzlaf, Kesler, Nate Thompson and William Karlsson have been dynamite in the faceoff circle. The group is fourth in the league, winning 53.2% of their draws. The fourth line has outplayed their opponents on many occasions and have given the team a spark when needed.
Side B – The Ducks have been very fortunate to have gotten this far.
Of the 13 games the Ducks have played, eight were decided by two goals or less, including one OT win and another in the shootout. The Ducks have a +12 goal differential, but in games against teams that are not Columbus (28th overall) and Buffalo (29th overall) the differential shrinks to +3 over 10 games.
Goalies There isn't much to harp on here. Hopefully the Ducks won't have to play LaBarbera and dress 45 year old Dwayne Roloson ever again.
Defensemen The defensemen overall have been sloppy with the puck in their own end. They make basic mistakes and good teams take advantage of them. Look no further than last Thursday. Fowler actually whiffs on the puck in his own end and Ryan Reeves not only gets the puck, but has enough time to beat Gibson with a wrist shot, glove side high.
Injuries have taken their toll as well. At the outset of training camp the question was, “what are we going to do with eight defensemen?… Since then, Bryan Allen started the season on Injured Reserve and is yet to play a game. Ben Lovejoy broke his hand beating down Joe Pavelski's helmet and will be out for six weeks. His replacement, Marc Fistric, is now out with a back injury. Anaheim had to call up rookie Josh Manson. He is on the third pairing with Clayton Stoner, who has done nothing to justify his big off-season contract.
Forwards Sure Perry and Getzlaf are doing well. They are among the league's best and they should be leading the way. Unfortunately, secondary scoring has been harder to find. Other forwards have stepped up in spots, but aside from Kesler with eight points, no other forward has more that five points. Dany Heatley, has been non existent. He started the season on the injured list, played two games and has been a healthy scratch the most recent two games. So far this season, Emerson Etem has not scored a point and Jacob Silfverberg has not scored a goal. Things aren't getting better, the offense seems to be getting bogged down lately, scoring only seven times over the last five games. The power play is a pedestrian 17.6%, good for 18th overall and is 1 for its last 19, including goalless in the past four games.
Conclusions
On one side you have a team with the best record in the league, wins tight games, has outstanding goalies and fights through injury issues. On the other side is a team that makes bad mistakes and gives away the puck to often, a lack of secondary scoring, a low yield power play and has been in way too many close games that could have gone against them.
What is the answer, are the Ducks good or are they very fortunate? I believe this is a very good team, and possibly the best in the west. However good they are, they can be beat. This team needs to eliminate needless turnovers, put some power in the power play, and find more secondary scoring. Those are problems that get good teams beat in the playoffs.
What is your take?
-Ed