Survey Results, Game Analysis and Preview
AZ 3 – Ana 2 S/O
In the NHL any team can beat any other. The Ducks should have beat Arizona Friday night, but didn't. In between the first and second periods it felt like someone flipped the Ducks switch to the off position. Leading 2-0 Anaheim let up two goals in 58 seconds early in the second period to tie the game. Any team can have a lapse, but the Ducks let Arizona carry the play for the entire period. In addition Coyotes goalie Mike Smith was outstanding after the first 10 minutes. On the bright side, the Ducks keep getting points even in losses. That's a good way to separate themselves from the pack in the standings.
Ducks Fan Survey Results
Ducks fans take their team seriously It was interesting to see how much in common many of the answers were. I'll add my answers to the questions in addition to the guest expert. I thought it would be interesting for the first survey to get someone from “the dark side…; Jason Lewis, the HockeyBuzz Kings blogger, joins the fray. The fans answer will be a consensus of the replies from our readers.
Q1. Frederik Andersen has established himself as an NHL starting goalie, ideally how many regular season starts should he make?
Ed – 55 Jason – 40 to 50 Fans – 50 to 60
Q2. Who do you think is the best fit on the first line with Getzlaf and Perry?
Ed – Maroon Jason – DSP Fans – Maroon Comment Ed: Maroon is the Energizer Bunny when he plays with the big two. To me, he does the little things like chasing loose puck behind the net or back-checking the opposition which gives his linemates more room to work with
ilikeoatmeal: Patrick Maroon's size and stickhandling abilities make him the clear choice for the time being. His skating isn't the best, but then again Getzlaf is no Cogliano in terms of speed. Their size and presence allow that line to maintain possession and get scoring chances.
Q3. Which rookie has impressed you the most so far?
Ed, Jason, Fans – William Karlsson.
Q4. Who makes up your ideal Ducks power play unit; LW, C, RW, P1, P2 (P is short for point)?
Ed and Jason – Kesler, Getzlaf, Perry, Fowler, Vatanen Fans - Maroon, Kesler, Perry, Getzlaf, Vatanen
Comment To be fair here, almost everyone surveyed had Getzlaf, Perry, Kesler and Vatanen. The difference of Maroon or Fowler is more a preference of style than ability.
Q5. Who in the Ducks organization is most likely to be traded this season?
Ed – Etem or Allen Fans – No consensus, players include Fistric, Heatley, Rakell, Allen and Etem.
Comment yzermaneeley: You can call Dany Heatley Dustin Penner II if you want, but Penner had a little game at least. Not only can't Heatley skate, but he looks like he has no idea where he's supposed to be on the ice. Mind you, this is a guy who made $7,500,000 average over the past 5 years. Based on his on-ice attitude, I'd say Getzlaf and Company will recommend dumping this pylon for a bag of pucks or a 6th round pick, if anyone is stupid enough to give up that much to pay him the remaining portion of his $1,000,000 for the year.
Q6. What role on the team needs the biggest upgrade?
Everyone agrees the Ducks need another defenseman. Some answered top pair, others replied top 4. It was clear no one was happy with the sum of the current group. There was one contrasting opinion and it came from Jason Lewis. His answer is a good indication as to what the opposition sees.
Comment No offense to Karlsson and Thompson but they aren't of the same caliber of center depth as other Western conference contenders. Sharks, Blues, Kings, Hawks, and Nashville all have exceptional depth at center, that which surpasses the Ducks by quite a ways. In the playoffs when minutes on the bottom 6 start getting very important they might want a more stabilized 3C than Thompson/Karlsson.
Q7. Based on the match-up who is the opponent that worries you the most?
Ed – Kings Jason – Sharks Fans – Kings
Comments duckscup07: Despite the addition of Stoner, I don't think Anaheim's D corps is big enough to go up against the Kings forwards.
ZackSmeg: LA. We came up short against them last year, got to do better.
Canucks at Ducks Tonight
Lots of storylines in this one. More importantly for the Ducks, Corey Perry will miss his third consecutive game with the flu. Francois Beauchemin also has the flu and is listed as doubtful tonight. Can Fowler, who left the Coyotes game midway through with a lower body injury, will try to play tonight.