The Anaheim Ducks begin the second road trip. It is a a short one with only two games, but it is an important test of the Ducks fortitude. They kicked butt at home and we will see if they can continue that over the next two games. Today's news has a review of the upcoming road trip, an update on Schneider, a review of last nights Fan Night and some great picks from the Wild game have been posted to Flickr.
The Anaheim Ducks have a look at their upcoming road trip and the article has an update on the status of some of the injured players.
After an early morning practice at Honda Center Friday, the Ducks packed their bags and headed for the road, where the team will play two games beginning with Saturday’s matchup against Pacific Division rival Dallas.
The road has not been friendly to the Ducks early on this season, as the team sports a 0-3-1 record away from Honda Center.
But the team has reason to be a bit happier hitting the road for the second time this season, as a successful homestand yielded three victories in four games to even the Ducks record at 4-4-1 on the season.
“I think we feel pretty good about it,” Ducks defenseman Sean O’Donnell said. “We wanted to get back to have a good homestand, get back to .500, we did that. We like the direction our game’s going.”Also during the homestand, the Ducks lineup got a boost from the returns of Samuel Pahlsson and Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who were each previously out while recovering from with sports hernia surgery. Unfortunately, as two Ducks returned, two also went down. Against Minnesota on Oct. 14, Todd Bertuzzi suffered a concussion, and a slap shot by the Wild’s Kurtis Foster bruised Todd Marchant’s right ankle.
“That’s the life of a hockey team. Injuries, sickness and personal family matters are going to affect your ability to have your team together all the time,” coach Randy Carlyle said after Friday morning’s practice.
The good news is that for the second consecutive day, Marchant practiced with the team and was moving well out on the ice.
Read the rest here - Link
MVN has a look at the road trip
Wasn’t it just a week or so ago that the Ducks came home from a long road trip to start the season? Time to head back out again. The Ducks left for Dallas this morning after a brief practice. They have a game in Dallas tomorrow night and a game in St. Louis on Tuesday night before coming back home to the Honda Center again.
The Ducks leave with a 4-4-1 record and hope to do better on the road than their last trip. Dallas is 3-2-2 and second place right behind the Ducks in the Pacific Division. Saturday’s game will be the first of eight meetings between the teams. Last year the Ducks went 4-2-2 against the Stars, but only one of those wins happened at the American Airlines Center. Dallas is coming off a 3-2 shootout win in Columbus on Wednesday, while the Ducks are coming off a 3-1 win over Nashville at home.
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The LA Times has an update on Schneider and Marchant
Mathieu Schneider felt so good about having the protective boot removed from his left foot that he found a way to celebrate the occasion.
"I feel like I've lost my ball-and-chain," Schneider said, beaming. "I'm going to run over it with my car. Maybe I'll have my kids do it."It has been a mostly solitary existence for Schneider thus far with the Ducks.
The 38-year-old defenseman broke a bone in his ankle in his first appearance with his new team -- during in an exhibition game against the Kings on Sept. 15.
Schneider signed a two-year, $11.25-million contract on July 1, ostensibly to fill the skates of Scott Niedermayer, who is still contemplating retirement.
Considered one of the more productive NHL defensemen over the last decade, Schneider would like to show the Ducks he was worth the investment.
"It's certainly no fun," said Schneider, who has 200 goals and 663 points over his 17-year career. "Especially when you're coming to a new team. You want to fit in right away and get on the road and kind of bond with the guys.
"It's going to happen. For me, the nice thing in it happening this early is everyone's still finding their stride. We're not sitting here in January when the league's going at full speed."Read the rest here - Link
Girl With a Puck has posted her Face Off Fest adventure
My mission, since I chose to accept it, was to obtain more autographed pucks from current members of the Anaheim Ducks. My preparation included purchasing 5 pucks in advance, and bringing along 1 Western Conference Champions puck for players to sign. I entered the premises, purse laden down with the weight of 6 unsigned Ducks pucks, and set about the Honda Center carefully plotting out my course.
First target: Chris Pronger. After standing in line, sporting my Shane O'Brien jersey -- worn specifically in case I was tempted to have my jersey signed; wearing O'B's jersey was a deterrent from being distracted from my mission -- I got up to the front of the line, where I placed my Western Conference Champions puck into the hands of the assistant. He handed it to Pronger, who signed it and handed it back after looking curiously at the puck for a few seconds. I'm not sure what was so fascinating, but I suppose he was picking out the best place for his signature. He found it: right on top of the Anaheim Ducks logo.
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MVN has a look at the Fan Fest
Last night at the Honda Center the Ducks treated their 15,000 season seat ticket holders to a fan fest. Activities were going on both inside and out. Outside, fans could enjoy the kids zone, test their hockey skills and get their picture on the Zamboni. Inside, fans had the opportunity to skate on the ice (skates provided) and get a taste of what the players see from the bench. They could get their picture in the sin bin.
If that wasn’t enough, you could also make a hockey card of yourself, support the Ducks Care charity with their silent auction and talk to the broadcasters in the club level bar. When you were hungry, there was free food handed out as well - hamburgers, hot dogs, popcorn, chips, drinks, red vines, and drinks. Considering the cost of buying these items on a game day, this was a huge perk.
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Donald Duck's Pics posted their Wild vs Ducks game photos
See the rest of the photos here - Link
