Not So Fast: Anaheim Ducks Start Strong, End Weak

The Ducks step out on a road trip.

Time for some team building and a chance to restart this season on a positive note.  Time to show the league that you have one of the top lines in the NHL.  Time to show your fans that Saturday night was just a fluke, a game to forget.  Time to give the fans something to CHEER about (other than a few lousy shots on goal)!

Tonight, the Ducks did all of that...and then some.

I was immediately impressed as the first shifts looked calm and collected.  They were moving the puck confidently and for all purposes, playing safe, smart hockey.

Then, just minutes into the game, Ryan Getzlaf makes a silly pass in the defensive zone to a waiting Koivu, MIKKO Koivu (wrong Koivu, Getzlaf!)!  Little did we know, Getlzaf would make a similarly stupid pass late in the game.

However, the Ducks would pull through the first period taking only one minor penalty (I know, I was shocked too), a respectable, but safe, seven shots on goal as well as keeping the Wild off of the score sheet.

JS Giguere looked solid for the first two periods of play.  I was impressed by his positioning, his lack of rebounds and his very obvious composure in the net.  He was seeing the puck well and he was challenging shooters like the Jiggy we remember from two seasons ago.

PROGRESS!

The second period explosion was enough to get the blood pumping and the Ducks on the right track.  I was excited.  I could feel the victory coming our way.  A 3-0 lead with only 20 minutes left to play...the Ducks were off to the right start on this road trip!  YAY!

NOT. SO. FAST.

The worst part of this game, the Ducks did exactly what they needed to do to win, then...THEY STOPPED PLAYING.  Ahhhh!!  We've seen this too many times before! 

Stupid penalties would expose the Ducks' weak defensive core and terrible penalty killing unit in the final moments of the third period when Minnesota was finally able to break through.  Overtime lead to a lack of common sense for James Wisniewski who decided to take the bait and two minutes in the box.

Two shots later, Minnesota would win in the overtime session.

SHAME.

With the game on the line, great teams know how to pull through.  They find a way to get the win.

I don't know what this says about the Ducks.  I don't really understand how they allowed this game to get to that point...

The Ducks have offense.  We KNOW this.  We've seen it, we saw it tonight.  They aren't clicking just yet, but they are there.  The top line has yet to produce (yes, this is 2009...we're not watching replays of 2008).  The second line is finding their way, slowly, but surely.

But you know what would HELP the Ducks a lot?  TAKING MORE THAN TWO SHOTS ON GOAL IN A PERIOD!  This is the third time we've seen this happen this season.  Yes, preseason included, this is the third time the Ducks have had a period with only two SOG. 

One of those times was against Phoenix in the preseason and ended up a thrilling OT win for the Ducks.  We saw the Ducks struggle terribly in the second period on Saturday night against San Jose, and again, we witnessed the Ducks lazy play in the third period here against Minnesota.

SHOOT THE PUCK!  Get it to the net!  Get it NEAR the net if you must!

What have we learned?

The Ducks have offense, but aren't using it.  This doesn't help the fact that the Ducks' defense is clearly lacking. The penalty killing unit is in serious despair and the Ducks are still taking stupid penalties during key moments in the game.

We see the problem here, right?

Yeah, yeah, yeah...this is only the second game of this very young season...I shouldn't be so angry already. I can hardly imagine that I'm the only one who's feeling a bit frustrated after watching the Ducks hand that victory to Minnesota tonight.  That's right, they put a pretty little red and green Christmas bow on this game, and handed it to Minnesota.

On a positive note, because there is one...Corey Perry played very well tonight.  He had some great plays, a few opportunities of his own, and made a beautiful pass to the wide open Evgeny Artyukhin for his first goal as a Duck. 

Saku Koivu is one heck of a player, and Ducks fans are being treated to a guy with a lot of skill and passion for this game.  He's not a big man, listed at 5'10" 178 pounds, but he doesn't shy away from physical play along the boards and he isn't afraid to get to the net. In addition, we saw tonight that he has a killer shot and the ability to read plays well.

There is so much promise to this team if they can get their defensive rear ends together and stop taking stupid. untimely penalties.

Angry?  Yeah, I am too.

GO DUCKS!!