Ducks rolling at right time
The Anaheim Ducks were a popular pick to win the Stanley Cup in 2016. Anaheim has been one of the perennial powers over the last decade in the National Hockey League, winning its only title in 2007 against the Ottawa Senators.
However, the Ducks got off to a rancid start in both October and November. Anaheim could not score a goal, sinking to the bottom of the Pacific Division and looking like one of the biggest flops in recent seasons. Then, the Ducks began to heat up and are currently steamrolling their way to the top of the proverbial heap.
As of the Feb. 20 action, the Ducks are 8-1-1 in their previous 10 games and sit only four points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the Pacific. Anaheim also has a game in hand, giving it a chance to pull within two points should that contest result in a win.
While the Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars and Kings are the favorites at this point to represent the Western Conference, Anaheim has to be terrifying to any team it faces in the playoffs. The Ducks are a team with ample postseason experience with a gritty defense, ranking seventh in goals against per game with 2.4.The special teams are also fantastic, with both the power play and penalty kill sitting in the league’s top 10.
Still, the offense remains a significant concern. Anaheim ranks 24th in scoring and only has three players who have scored more than 10 goals this season. The main production has come from Corey Perry, who easily leads the team with 23 goals. Oddly enough, Ryan Getzlaf leads the Ducks in points with 46 despite only scoring seven goals. This is a shocking level of output considering Getzlaf has scored 31 and 25 goals in each of the past two years, respectively.
Outside of Getzlaf and Perry, the offense has been left to Rickard Rakell and Ryan Kesler, who respectively have 15 and 11 markers. Anaheim needs to get more production and perhaps goes looking before the Feb. 29 trade deadline. At some point, the offense needs to wake up, or the defense has a herculean task on its hands.
All that said, the Ducks are starting to play the brand of hockey we all expected. This is a tough, rugged team that can bang on the board and create chances by counter-punching. If Anaheim can get into the playoffs – and with the weak state of the Pacific Division, that should not be an issue – it remains one of the more dangerous squads in the dance.
