(Page 3 of 3)
Kinglove1, the Devils' schedule is tougher and they are going to have major issues this year. ESPN.com posted a nice article on how the possibility of them finally missing the playoffs may become reality this year. I placed them as 7th in the East for my preseason prediction for the regular season, but I wouldn't doubt that they have the possibility of slipping off the playoff map. Is Lou Lamoriello going to fire Brent Sutter and take the bench back like he is famously known for doing? We'll have to wait and see. But, thanks for the compliment on the blog, and thank you for reading. Yes, not many people post about the Ducks. Traditionally, it's usually about the Eastern Conference teams more than the Western Conference it seems on this site and in the NHL overall, I believe.
We'd like to send you the most entertaining Anaheim Ducks articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
Interesting analysis, but is comparing two teams from two different years very scientific? True, everyone knows about Selanne and Niedermeyer. But what you bloggers arent pointing out is that the Ducks are playing without their #1 goaltender JS Giguere, they're second best (active) defenseman in mathieu Schneider, and their starting checking line center, Samuel Pahhlsson (who was the Ducks *real* MVP last year.) Forget Selanne and Niedermeyer for a moment. Could any team (Vancouver, Dallas, etc.) go on a 5 game roadtrip that included two games in London and 3 east coast home openers without thier best defensive forward and starting goaltender and expect to do well? The Ducks were a goaltender away from being 3-1-1 on this trip. They'll be fine when Pahllsson, Schneider, and Giguere return. And if Selanne and Niedermeyer return before January, watch out.
My response: You gave a retort response to my blog in a very mature way. Your argument sounds more like a debate instead of an attack on my observations made in the blog post. I understand your views here, and my response to your points can be seen in my response to duxcup07 (the statistical argument I gave in return; not in the confrontation with his approach). There are a lot of X factors here on this Ducks team that need to confront the issues that the team is experiencing right now. If the issues of production of goals, solidity on the defensive end of the puck, and goaltending are not addressed by the end of this month, the team can easily fall into a 5-5-3 scenario. This may not impact the team as much considering there still remains five and a half months of solid regular season play, but the way you start your season can be indicative of how you will finish a season. There are kinks in the system, and if they are not fixed in a quick fashion, then they will become exploited. The Ducks need Giguere back. They need Pahlsson back. They need Selanne and Neidermayer to make suprise comebacks. Who knows whether or not the impact of the team's opening record will be inspiration enough. What does remain is the fact that the stats match up between Anaheim and Carolina TO THIS POINT early on in the season. Considering their upcoming games, it CAN continue, but whether or not it does is left in the hands of the team and coaching staff. That's all I meant by the blog posting.