So much for Sunday being a slow news day......
Pahlsson will be out again
Ducks center Samuel Pahlsson said he likely will miss his seventh consecutive game Monday night.
Pahlsson has an abdominal strain and is trying to strengthen the area. He does not have a target date for his return.
"I don't know when I'm playing," Pahlsson said. "It's gotten a lot better. It's just a matter of when."
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2008 All Star Balloting Results
The fan balloting for the NHL All Star Game has concluded and the results were released today. The Ducks had four players on the ballot, but none of them made the starting line up. Chris Pronger came closest, finishing 3rd in balloting for defensemen. Fellow d-man, Francois Beauchemin, finished a respectable 5th place. Jean-Sebastien Giguere finished in 4th place for goaltenders. Ryan Getzlaf came in 8th place among forwards.
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Varius has a look at Ducks forward situation
With ever-growing rumors that Teemu Selanne is on his way back to the Ducks this season, I figured we should take a look at the potential logjam at forward this presents Anaheim.
Scoring Line 1
Without a doubt, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry have cemented their statuses this season as first-liners. The problem is, their coveted left-wing spot has seen a revolving door of guys who just haven’t been the perfect match.
In my opinion, I would leave Chris Kunitz there. He brings energy and grit to an already feisty line and complements the others well. While Perry is agitating and dangling his way off the boards or out of the corners to the front of the net, Kunitz can install himself in perfect deflection position in front of the net. This frees Getzlaf to roam behind the net or to the high slot, where his rocket shot is best used.
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Bobby Ryan is profiled on the Ducks official site
From the moment his name was called as the second overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, right wing Bobby Ryan has had immense expectations to live up to.
Along with being the highest draft pick in Ducks history, Ryan was Brian Burke’s first selection as Anaheim’s Executive Vice President and General Manager. One pick prior to Ryan’s selection, Pittsburgh drafted Sidney Crosby, who was already being dubbed “The Next One” and has since won the Hart Trophy as the NHL MVP during the 2006-07 season.“Oh yeah, there are expectations,” Ryan said. “I’m sure there always will be. You hear what people say and what people think.”
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Playoffs will be a close race like last year
Warning: Objects might be closer than they appear.
The Ducks, rejuvenated and stabilized by the return of Conn Smyth Award-winning defenseman Scott Niedermayer, are now looking ahead as they drive toward the playoffs.
But this season there are no guarantees of reaching the postseason, not even for the defending Stanley Cup champions.
A 6-2-1 surge in their first nine games after Niedermayer ended his flirtation with retirement thrust the Ducks back into playoff contention and boosted their confidence, but it would behoove them to check the traffic in their side-view mirror, too.
After holding on for a 2-1, good-to-the-last-stop victory against Chicago on Friday night at Honda Center, the Ducks were just three points behind Pacific Division co-leaders Dallas and San Jose as they headed to Phoenix for Saturday's universally dreaded finale of back-to-back, home-and-away contests.
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