Well I still am savoring last nights game. It was a fun game to watch, and best of all we won. So here is some coverage of Schneider, a look at the Pacific Division a new Ducks TV and a few other interesting articles. On a side not I will not be able to post tomorrow, so look for all the news and coverage of the Yotes game on Sunday.
A new Ducks TV has been posted - Link
Photos from the Ducks visit to CHOC - Link
The Ducks have posted a new wallpaper here - Link
An article covering the return of Getzlaf, Niedermayer and Schneider.
In Thursday night’s much-needed win over Columbus, the Ducks got the closest they have all season to seeing their full roster on the ice, and it couldn’t come at a better time. The team starts a 10-game stretch against Pacific Division opponents beginning Saturday at Phoenix.
Ryan Getzlaf, Rob Niedermayer and Mathieu Schneider all returned to action Thursday night, leaving Todd Bertuzzi (concussion) as the lone Duck out with an injury. Their returns paid immediate dividends, as Niedermayer scored the Ducks’ lone goal in regulation and Schneider netted the only goal in a shootout to defeat the Blue Jackets 2-1.
“I think from a coaching point of view, it’s nice to finally get 90 percent of our lineup back,” Carlyle said after Friday’s practice. “When you have parts of your lineup that come back in and make a contribution in their first game, that’s always encouraging.”
Niedermayer believes the fusion of players back into the lineup can get the team building in a position direction.
“Last night was the building and we’re getting better. We’re getting our game where we want it to get to,” Niedermayer said. “I think we know every game is important right now because we want to get that (winning) feeling back.”
Read the rest here - Link
An article on Schneider's return from the Daily Breeze
Over the stadium loudspeakers, the Honda Center crowd heard "We're going to a shootout!" And like a knee-jerk reaction, most of the 17,174 patrons booed.
Victory had slipped away from the Ducks four days earlier in a shootout loss to Edmonton. But against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, the difference was Mathieu Schneider.
In his season debut, Schneider thought Coach Randy Carlyle was joking when he tapped Schneider to shoot second. But Schneider's attempt on Columbus goalie Fredrik Norrena was the only one of the six shots that trickled through in the shootout, and the Ducks' four-game losing streak came to an end with a dramatic 3-2 victory.
"I would have never imagined that finish," said Schneider, who said he had never attempted a shot in a shootout during his 19-year career.
Read the rest here - Link
An article on Schneider's return from the LA Times
Mathieu Schneider thought Ducks coach Randy Carlyle was kidding.
Schneider, 38, has experienced a lot in 17 NHL seasons, but until Thursday night, other than one brief exhibition appearance, he had never appeared in a game with Carlyle pulling the strings behind his bench.
"I wasn't kidding," Carlyle said.
That would explain Carlyle's unexpected decision to call upon Schneider in a shootout against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Honda Center. All the veteran defenseman did with his first career shootout opportunity, in his season debut no less, was rip a shot between the pads of goaltender Fredrik Norrena to give the Ducks a 2-1 victory that snapped a four-game losing streak.
"I would never have imagined that finish," Schneider said.
After missing the season's opening 13 games because of a broken left ankle suffered in his exhibition debut, Sept. 15 against the Kings at Staples Center, Schneider played 25 minutes, 25 seconds, third most among Ducks skaters, behind only blue-line mates Chris Pronger and Francois Beauchemin.
Read the rest here - Link
The OC Register has a look at the next Pacific Division games
The brutal trip to start the season and the injuries that infected the Ducks over the first month of the season wipes clean with one look at the standings.
Despite a rough start, the Ducks have hardly fallen into a deep hole in the Pacific Division. They entered Friday tied with Dallas and the Kings for second place, one point behind leader San Jose. Now the Ducks have nearly their full lineup available and begin a stretch of 10 consecutive divisional games Saturday at Phoenix.
Players weren't calling it a new start, but it is a reminder that points earned in November are just as valuable as those in April.
"This is a challenge," Brad May said. "There are certain points during the season that are very important. You can see them. You can actually feel them, and this is one of them."
During this stretch the Ducks will play Phoenix and the Kings three times each and Dallas and San Jose twice. San Jose, considered the biggest contender to overtake the Ducks in the Pacific, started 6-5-1 and Dallas was a pedestrian 5-5-1.
Had either gotten off to a hot start, the Ducks might be staring at a big gap after their 4-7-2 start. Coach Randy Carlyle attributes the bunched pack partly to the new NHL that gives teams a point for overtime losses and therefore creates more three-point games.
Last season the Ducks earned points in their first 16 games but won the division by just three points.
Read the rest here - Link
The LA Times has a look at the upcoming Pacific Division games
For all their issues with injuries and inconsistency as they experience life as a defending Stanley Cup champion, the Ducks awoke Friday morning only one point out of the Pacific Division lead.
Despite a 5-7-2 record, the Ducks entered the day one point behind San Jose and tied with Dallas and the Kings. Although all three teams have played fewer games than Anaheim, each has had its own problems coming out of the gate.The Ducks, feeling comfortable about their position after a 2-1 shootout win Thursday over Columbus, look ahead to 10 consecutive games against division opponents beginning tonight at Phoenix.
Read the rest here - Link
MVN has a look at how the Ducks feel after last nights victory
The Ducks practiced very briefly today after winning last night’s game against Columbus in a shootout. The Ducks have not had much success at all with the shootout since it was implemented two years ago. Defenseman Mathieu Schneider had the game winning goal with the only shot that went into the net for either team. Schneider had never been in a shootout before and thought coach Randy Carlyle was kidding when he told him he was going to be one of the first three shooters. It is likely that we will see him again in that situation when the Ducks go to the shootout in the future.
Read the rest here - Link
Some lucky kid got a ride on the Zamboni and her dad took pictures. See the rest here - Link
