So here is everything not related to the game. The Ducks have the next podcast interview featuring Corey Perry, Drew Miller gets profiled in the OC Register, a preview of Carlyle's breaking up of the Pahlsson line, and a few other things.....
Duck Cast featuring an interview with Corey Perry - Link
Ducks have a new game notes feature, check it out here - Link
The OC Register has a great profile on Drew Miller
The Ducks had just lost, their third consecutive loss, and one of them was crying.
And not just a little bit. Drew Miller was sobbing, buried in the arms of the team's head trainer, Tim Clark.
It was only the first week of October, just five games into the new season. The Ducks hadn't even played at home yet.
Crying?
Miller had joined the team in Pittsburgh that morning, recalled from the minors because of injury. It was just his fourth career NHL game.
Crying?
It was a tough loss, sure, 5-4, the Penguins scoring twice in 19 seconds of the third period.
But crying?
The scene in the visiting locker room was so extreme a few of the Ducks thought Miller was joking.
Soon, they found out he wasn't. This week, they found out more about the forward with the hands of a rookie but the grip of a veteran.
"A lot of people do things for one or two days or do one or two events a year," Angela Howard says. "They all say the right things. But Drew's different. He lives it."
Read the rest here - Link
The Sporting News has a look at the Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks really hope their second month as defending Stanley Cup champions goes better than their first.
The Ducks (4-7-2) will try to snap a four-game skid and avenge a shutout loss earlier this season to Columbus when they meet the streaking Blue Jackets (7-3-1) on Thursday night at the Honda Center.
The Ducks already have matched their longest losing streak from last season, which ended with them being the first California-based team to win the Stanley Cup. Anaheim hasn't lost five in a row since an eight-game slide from Nov. 3-20, 2005.
Fatigue and injuries could be why the Ducks have gotten off to a rocky start. They opened with a two-game set in London, goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere has played in just five games following offseason sports hernia surgery, and veteran defenseman Mathieu Schneider is recovering from a broken foot and has yet to make his debut as a replacement for Conn Smythe Trophy winner Scott Niedermayer.
Forward Ryan Getzlaf has missed three straight games with an injured wrist and hard-nosed right wing Todd Bertuzzi has sat out six straight due to a concussion.
Anaheim also is winless in six road games, and in fourth place in the Pacific Division with just 10 points. Perhaps the only good news for the Ducks is they're only three points behind first-place San Jose.
Read the rest here - Link
Coverage of Carlyle breaking up the checking line (game note - this changed in the latter part of tonights game)
The checking line of Samuel Pahlsson, Rob Niedermayer and Travis Moen, which proved itself an imposing presence for the Ducks in the Stanley Cup playoffs last season, might be disbanded -- at least for one game.
Moen skated with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry on Wednesday and Coach Randy Carlyle said he might use that new line Thursday night against Columbus. Rookie Drew Miller filled Moen's spot on the checking line."We're going to explore all our options and that's one of them," Carlyle said. "Read into it whatever you will. If it stays that way, it might stay that way for one shift, two shifts, 10 shifts. It could be that way for the rest of the year."
Carlyle also said his line combinations aren't set in stone. But the Niedermayer-Pahlsson-Moen trio has been together the longest under his tenure.
"That's not an easy decision to make, to take that line apart," Carlyle said.
Niedermayer said he planned to play after sitting the last three games because of a groin strain. Getzlaf will be back after sitting out two games because of a sprained wrist.Read the rest here - Link
Earl from BOC has a look at the start of the season for the Pacific Division, a hilarious graphic and pays my blog a great a compliment by mentioning my blog in the same breath as Kukla's Korner (Thanks!).
I know my Ducks writing of late has been pretty pessimistic in nature, so I thought today I'd talk about one positive about the Ducks' crummy start to the season: at least it didn't happen last year. To illustrate, here's the 5 Pacific teams and their start thus far, along with how they started last season in the same number of games:
Read the rest here - Link
1. San Jose Sharks 12 GP, 6-5-1 (.542), 13 pts. 29 GF, 28 GA. PP 17.5%, PK 88.1%
Start of Last Year 12 GP 8-4-0 (.667), 16 pts. 40 GF, 28 GA. PP 28.0%, PK 85.9%
Key Metrics: Pts down 19%, GF down 28%, GA even, PP down 11%, PK up 2%
2. Dallas Stars 12 GP, 5-5-2 (.500), 12 pts. 33 GF, 33 GA. PP 19.2%, PK 87.0%
Start of Last Year 12 GP, 10-2-0 (.833), 20 pts. 38 GF, 22 GA. PP 15.7%, PK 89.5%
Key Metrics: Pts down 40%, GF up 15%, GA up 50%, PP down 4%, PK up 3%
Trade speculation at The Fourth Period
As the Ducks struggle to score goals, GM Brian Burke is finding it difficult to pull the trigger on a move, reports the Los Angeles Times.
"You look at the paucity of trades in the NHL. It's cap-related," Burke told the paper. "It's hard to make deals now in this system. If you look at the number of deals in a cap system, it's down dramatically from three and four years ago.
"When you're talking to everybody about a deal, it's not only got to line up for your money, it's got to line up for his money too. It's not just us having a hard time making a deal. It's everybody.
Read the rest here - Link
More trade speculation over at AnaheimDucks.info
First of all, this rumor comes from my own friend, a Caps fan who often follows the team on road games and hangs with some Washington players. It shouldn’t be taken as any more than that; my friend wouldn’t qualify as any kind of professional source. While sharing drinks with Matt Pettinger, he was told that Matt thinks Ducks’ GM Brian Burke is looking to acquire him. How would he know this? Who knows. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, hehe.
Read the rest here - Link
A couple of articles on the Junior Ducks (Portland Pirates)
The Portland Pirates made a couple of roster moves on Thursday as they reassigned Bobby Bolt and Ryan Dingle to the Augusta Lynx, Portland ECHL affiliate.
Bolt, 20, has yet to play a game for the Pirates this season after suffering a hand fracture during a pre-season game against Manchester.
Selected in the 5th round (127 overall) of the 2005 Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks, he played five games with the Pirates in 2006-07, scoring two points (1G,1A). In 62 games with the Kingston Frontenacs, he scored 22 goals, 28 assists from 50 points.
Dingle, 23, played seven games with the Pirates this season season, scoring two points (2A). Last season, Dingle played four games with the Pirates after finishing his junior season with the University of Denver.
Read the rest here - Link
Portland Pirates do some charity work
Jason King, Colby Ames (age 3), Tyler Bouck, Brendan Segal and Clay Wilson
Portland, Maine - Today the Portland Pirates team visited the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital at Maine Medical Center in Portland. The players were involved in the annual Halloween parade as part of the Halloween celebration at the hospital. During the appearance, the Pirates players handed out candy, signed autographs and took photos with the kids at the hospital.
Today marked just one of the many visits the team will make to the hospital this year. Later this season, the Pirates will host "A Day of Hockey" on February 24th at the Cumberland County Civic Center as the Pirates host the Norfolk Admirals (Tampa Bay Lightning) at 4:05 p.m. This will be the fourth year in a row the Pirates have held an event to benefit the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital at Maine Medical Center.See the rest here - Link
