Archive for the 'Game Reviews' Category

30
Sep

Game 1

By Daniel Closed
Categories: Ducks, Game Reviews, Hockey and Players

I was mulling over my thoughts on what I thought about the first Ducks game of the year. I must say, they looked lost. This looks like a team looking for an identity, they did not look composed at all. I know everyone on the roster will battle for each other, every single player would step in and fight (except Andy Mac, sorry Andy…). So that is big positive that should work out the kinks after a few games.

Kunitz pounced on Brad Stuart’s face after he gave Perry a cheap shot. This is a nice new addition for Kunitz, that new “A” is going to really pay off and the team will get a little more from him this year, and he wasn’t too damn bad last year.

I liked what I saw from Todd Bertuzzi, he looked better than he did in Detroit. With him dropping the weight and taking care of himself, you have to be a happy Ducks fan. Bertuzzi is a bad man, he is a serious player. The Steve Moore incident is very bad, that is something that should never happen. But the league let him back in, so I will take that stand too. A good Bertuzzi will be something like 25 goals. That isn’t 48, but you can’t expect that.

I have learned that Shane Hnidy is very good at getting penalties for being a douche or generally bad play, he might be sent down when Schneider comes back, one can only hope. Bobby Ryan looks like he is 15 and taking his driving test and by that I mean he just looks very wide-eyed and excited. He knew to go to the backhand on that goal though, so he has that finishing touch. Then you have Getzlaf…I already have a post dedicated to him in the works, but he looked good in this game.

While the team searches for who they are, looking for Scott Niedermayer, they should struggle in the first few games. You know it is like the General has left the tent and the soldiers think they can slack a little. Pronger needs to whip everyone around, we need Giguere back and we need Pahlsson back so we can balance the lines.

While I am still here, I say trade George Parros for a bag of hammers and get us a real fighter. Those mustaches are like the stupid rally monkey across the 57. He wastes a roster spot where we can have a 7th defenseman or better forward.

05
Jun

You Got One, Now You’re Done

By Daniel 2 Comments
Categories: 07 Playoffs, Ducks, Game Reviews, Hockey and Stanley Cup Finals

You know what this series reminds me of? The WCF of the NBA playoffs between San Antonio and Utah. Why? Well because Utah had no business being in the series. One of the ESPN analysts said it best when he said the series would go to five games. The Spurs would abuse the Jazz at home to go up 2-0, then Utah would play an inspired game three at home, then come back down and lose to a superior team. The Ducks lose game five on Wednesday when hell freezes over. Ottawa will see the best Ducks team game it has seen in the series, zero doubt!

emery_dive Ottawa pegged the hell out of Giguere in the first period on Monday night, but as usual, could not finish. Sure they got one with 0.3 seconds in the first, then followed that up by showing up flat in the second. Ottawa had a whole bunch of calls go their way as well. Chris Neil is a pansy, Emery deserves some kind of acting award and Alfredsson will be lucky to survive game five to shake hands at the end.

Ottawa laid a huge egg and has no business being on the ice tomorrow. What were they thinking after the first, did they really think Anaheim wasn’t going to give everything they had? It was the biggest game of their lives, at home with the Canadian drowd, no Pronger. It was like a perfect storm of bad for the Ducks and good for the Senators. Good teams step up when they are faced with adversity, the Ducks are that team.

penner_gwg As for Chris Pronger, his presence was missed on the powerplay and in the corners. The Senators were banging Huskins and DiPenta around, jarring pucks loose and forcing them to make perfect passes to Ottawa’s point men. The forecheck also made Ric Jackman look downright scary, how many times did he hand the puck off? Does the coach bench him on Wednesday in favor of the defensive minded DiPenta who really didn’t look all that bad last night? Tough call, but I say you do it, because he doesn’t usually make those kind of mistakes in his own end and wont shoot enough from the point to get shots blocked like Jackman did. Plus, Joe D. has been on the team from the start of all this and simply deserves to be on the ice.

Another player who deserves to be on the ice for game five is Shawn Thornton. Why was he scratched for game four? Motzko and Carter? I am all for playing the right guys in a game, but I think that Thornton should be on the ice when the Ducks clinch. He has been a nice depth forward all season and has played his best hockey of the year in these finals, that fourth line was out of their mind in the first two games.

Come on boys, end this so we can stick it right up in the Kings face!

02
Jun

Pitter Patter - They Got One

By Daniel 10 Comments
Categories: 07 Playoffs, Ducks, Game Reviews, Hockey and Stanley Cup Finals

First off, Chris Pronger shouldn’t be suspended. This hit by Alfredsson was more vicious then Pronger’s “elbow”, but I don’t expect anyone to agree with that. Did Pronger even extend his arm or did the guy just duck and run into it? Jesus, Ottawa fans are such babies. I don’t want to start to get a Sen’s fan complex, but if you want something to be looked at, how about some of those penalties called on the Ducks in the third, talk about larceny. It is unfortunate that he went down like he did, but it was hardly an infraction, quit being such tools, you won the game. A more obvious head shot was Neal on McDonald, though I am sure you all happened to turn your head right as he went in, surprisingly there was no call as well.

As for the game, sure the Senators played better and had a little bit more fire, but face it, that was the best Ottawa had to offer. On the flip side, that was hardly the Ducks best effort and still had a whole lot of chances, Emery (and the post) to the rescue. The right call was made on the Alfredsson goal, it hit his skate and went in, he swung his foot well after it was away from him, good goal. Another off of Pronger’s foot, another deflection, some throw-it-to-the-net goals.

Now about the Ducks goals. Emery better clean up his act, because all three of those were his fault. He is really bad at controlling rebounds, Getzlaf’s goal cements that. My bet, this only pisses off the Ducks players. They didn’t play a great game, took some bad penalties and for the most part were matching Ottawa from the drop of the puck. They won five games in a row, linking back to the previous series against Detroit. They will look at this as one that got away after leading and they let it go with poor sixty minute intensity. Time to start another streak of wins, two to be exact.

Congratulations to Ottawa, they deserved the win tonight, they wanted it more then the Ducks did. Should be a different team on Monday, I am willing to bet the team that shows up will be the cocky team that thinks it can tie a game up with only :30 seconds left in the third. Good luck in game four Senators and your fans, I think you are really going to need it.

PS: Bone head move for dressing Kunitz, I don’t care what a doctor says, he wasn’t healed. He wasted a bench spot for someone who could have played the entire game. What was wrong with sitting him one game, especially if they won tonight, you can afford to lose a game when you are up 3-0, not 2-0. Do you think he is done for the series NOW eh?

31
May

Ottawa, Be Yourself

By Daniel Closed
Categories: 07 Playoffs, Ducks, Game Reviews, Hockey and Stanley Cup Finals

I was unable to watch the first period of this game do to unfortunate DVR malfunctions, but I heard it was a really good period, lots of hits and chances. I can talk about the rest of the game though because I watched that live.

You know what, it looked a lot like game one did. Physical from both sides, good chances in front of the net and turnovers from the Senators. Another thing I noticed is how I didn’t notice the Ottawa gunners when the shut down line was on the ice. The contrasting styles between Buffalo and Anaheim are pretty obvious. Team defense can stop a run and gun team, but doesn’t do as good when a team tries to go through you instead of around you.

This season is no different from the 2003 run in the sense of media coverage. I remember the praise that Steve Rucchin was getting for playing the same role Pahlsson is in this year. Even with a Selke nomination, people still couldn’t point out Sammy Pahlsson. I guess all it really takes is a finals appearance to garner some attention. Articles about Joe DiPenta and Kent Huskins were also floating around, Joe D. isn’t even playing. When you see Snoop Dogg in the crowd, you know we know hockey, give us oblivious-to-anything-outside-Orange-County citizens some credit.

This post really has nothing to add, it was a game one clone. My previous post about physicality also relates to this game. Ottawa does not want to get in to that and prove how tough they are, they took bad penalties for that stuff. Not that the Ducks can score on the powerplay though, so if you want to give a guy a two minute rest, tell him to take a penalty. The “faster ice” in Ottawa should help you guys skate more right? Well, then you can really open it up on the Ducks then and use some of that speed and short passing we have been hearing about. Don’t waste your energy proving you can take the bumps, you need that to finish periods or games.

How about this scenario. Ottawa is up by a goal or two with about ten minutes left in the third, but they have been banging with the Ducks all game long. Too tired to mount any kind of physical presence down low, the PPG line cycles the puck for a good minute or so, walks out in front of the net and pounds away until they chip one over a sprawling Emery. Your hearts sink and your will to continue playing are all but lost. Stick to skating and standing up for yourselves, don’t initiate anything. Did being really physical get you guys to this point or was it skating and scoring?

30
May

Feels Like the First Time

By Daniel 3 Comments
Categories: 07 Playoffs, Ducks, Game Reviews, Hockey and Stanley Cup Finals

This doesn’t look good for all those people picking Ottawa in six, hell, even seven. Much like the previous series the Ducks have played in, the opposing goalie has stood on his head to keep his team close, only to break his teams heart when something goes in, like it’s Emery’s fault. The goal was not the best to let in, but he did bail his team out of about nine other times. Sure Ottawa came out and banged some more, the hit on Scott Niedermayer was solid, but you know it only riled the Ducks up. I think Ottawa has this whole thing twisted, they aren’t really playing their tempo and then they try to match the Ducks. Cute. You don’t bang with this team, it does not work like that. The Senators were tired at the end of the second and third and it was easy to see. Goes to show you how rolling four tired lines doesn’t match up well against a team that takes away your will and actually wants to go in to corners to get pucks when it counts.

On to Saturday, where we can have some real ice and then stop all these complaints about how bad it is in Anaheim and that is why Ottawa can’t get going. And the refs, yea they were absolutely horrible. Both sides of the ice fellahs. Score on the 5 on 3, then you have nothing to complain about.

28
May

Same Old Song And Dance

By Daniel 5 Comments
Categories: 07 Playoffs, Ducks, Game Reviews, Hockey and Stanley Cup Finals

Bad penalties, a couple power play goals, nothing 5-on-5, 5-on-3 chance, just enough goals to win. The Honda Center was rocking and game one was a damn good matchup. I was suprised to see how good the Senators were, but it wasn’t enough to win on this night.

The Ducks had seven penalties, one or two weren’t all that bad, but some were just plain stupid. Getzlaf’s cross-checking penalty that helped the Senators get the lead was plain useless. He got away with all of them except the last one, but he kept pounding away and that is what happens. The Jackman “clothesline” on Comrie was a stupid penalty as well, but Mike sure went limp pretty easily. And how about that 5-on-3? They sure make it interesting huh?

The Ducks shutdown line erased “those three” guys from the stats, only Alfredson had a point. They were also held without a shot in the first period, despite the first five to seven minute flurry by the Senators. Out scored them by one point and had a -3 to +3 +/- ratio, that isn’t a good stat.

For the Ducks goals, they were created by a turnover, a quick transition game from the Ducks defense and hard work down low with bad slot coverage. Drew Miller created the first goal with a great hit on Redden as he tried to chip the puck over Selanne who gloves the puck and gets it to McDonald for the quick wrist shot. Ric Jackman moved the puck up to Perry at the blueline who hit a gliding Getzlaf and squeked a weak backhander through Emery’s legs. (Why wasn’t he down?) Then the game winner from Travis Moen, from Rob Niedermayer from behind the net, skipping even.

Ottawa was by far the most physical team the Ducks have faced in the playoffs, but it was really only in the first period. The Ducks did the same thing and wore the Senators down as the game went to the third, very visible as Alfredsson and company kept fumbling the puck later in the game. This is what every game will look like for the Senators, the Ducks wont change their style no matter what the situation is and finishing checks is one of their keys

The PPG line was as advertised in this game, proving to be too much for Ottawa down low and the fourth line was as good as any line for the Ducks and played the best game of the season perhaps, Brad May actually contributed! Ryan Getzlaf is primed to take off in this series, he looks like he wants to shine on the brightest stage and boy do I hope he does.

As I said in one of my comments, I don’t think Anaheim has played its best yet. Tonight was one of their best all around games all year long, every line played great and gave the other team fits. There were only a couple shifts that looked bland and not very physical. Mainly the play of Teemu Selanne who had some odd choices of shots and pressure, but even he played pretty good over all. Once the Ducks can figure out how to slow down the Senators power play, much like they did for Detroit, then we can see how well Ottawa can play with some adversity. There were positives for Ottawa, but when your team combines for a -15 +/-, you have to be worried down the line. Not one Ottawa player was a plus and not one Ducks player was a minus. Can’t wait for Wednesday.

And can’t wait for the excuses…

22
May

Was It Good For You Too?

By Daniel 5 Comments
Categories: 07 Playoffs, Conference Finals, Ducks, Game Reviews and Hockey

Damn that looks sexy!

I know I need a cigarette, how about anyone else? I am down to my first knuckle since finger nails do not grow that fast. It was an absolute gem of a game if you are a Ducks fan, other then the last couple minutes, what more could you ask for from a team? Detroit brought it at the end, but they couldn’t put it in the net when they needed it the most, and THAT was the biggest difference in the series. Both goalies stole games for their teams, the Ducks simply put it behind Hasek when they needed to. Whine, throw a fit, bitch at the refs. Again, Detroit had a couple powerplays to tie it up, a big fucking goose egg…AGAIN.

The PPG line hounded Detroit’s defense, made them look down right silly when they cycled and over matched them down low. McDonald actually had chances and made things happen, Selanne finished out the series on a high note and the shutdown line did everything except take someones virginity. Todd Marchant was absolutely key in this series, he pretty much replaced Chris Kunitz and made it very transparent that he wasn’t dressing.

Everything about this series screamed inconsistancy, but that doesn’t really matter now does it? I got it right with Ducks in six, but I sure didn’t invision it happening like this. This is the team you will see against Ottawa on Monday. Congratulations to the Ducks, I was very humbled tonight by this team, I thouhgt they down right sucked in every game except the first one. You saw the best and the worst of this team and I hope Ottawa took some notes, because it wont be pretty, hell I don’t even think it will be close. More to come tomorrow, sleepy time. I get to use the Stanley Cup Finals category soon, yes!

20
May

Obviously He’s Thinking…

By Daniel 12 Comments
Categories: 07 Playoffs, Conference Finals, Ducks, Game Reviews, Hockey and Players

I don’t know what the hell he’s thinking.

I am kind of lost in this whole mix of Randy Carlyle’s coaching strategies these last couple games. Who is Ryan Carter and Joe Motzko? I would much rather have a swift Ryan Shannon and a tough Shawn Thornton who have actual games under their belt instead of two rookies who haven’t even played five regular season games let alone Stanley Cup conference finals experience. Especially since the AHL team didn’t make the playoffs, which means they haven’t played a game for a while. I think we need to bring Bobby Ryan up too, why not, he needs the experience.

The top line is useless in this round, Selanne’s OT winner today was gift wrapped, the other was a lucky swat. McDonald is not even relative against Detroit, he is a speedy skater, that is about it. Loosing Kunitz hurt, he was that first guy in and made the defense keep their head up, or else they got steamroled. Sammy and company have done their job, I can not say anything bad about them, except Rob takes penalties, more on that in a second. The PPG line is doing what the acronym suggests, they are good for a point a game and are the most dangerous line on the team. Ryan Getlaf, you sir are a stud on skates, you are an awesome hockey player.

I think the only positive from game five was the penalties situation. I think they were clean in the first period, but really bad in the second and OK in the third. You could tell that Anaheim wasn’t pushing the issue when it came to physicality, they were avoiding the extra stuff in the mix ups in front of the net. Remember Kopecky wrangling Brad May for a good 15 seconds? He took it, whoa! The only time I saw something was when Getlaf was jawing with someone and he threw a slight punch at the Red Wings player. Other then that, they really played soft. That is not their game and it allowed Detroit to dictate the physical nature of the game and that just shouldn’t ever happen against the Ducks. I think that had a little to do with tonight’s game, they were timid and were worried about not taking penalties to give the Red Wings extra chances to score. Better fix that in game six, find a finer line fellas.

Lastly, remove your heads from your asses. Maybe the Ducks think they are just so badass that they can do whatever they want. I’ve said this before, I think Anaheim believes they can score a goal in crunch time if they want one and they will worry about winning in overtime when that time comes. Cocky attitude, but it seems to be working so far doesn’t it? Detroit fans, if you guys happen to lose on Tuesday, I will feel like you guys got robbed. I truly believe the better teams wins four games, but jesus, the Ducks should just say thanks but no thanks to advancing. Concede to Ottawa or just let Detroit represent the Western Conference, you guys look like shit run over twice. Go Ducks!

PS: Poor Andreas Lilja, he must feel like really bad. I bet that everyone in that locker room is pointing fingers at themselves though and not at Lilja. They should be at least, he did score the only goal for them. The rest of the team should have buried about five other goals if not for rushed passes on 5-on-3 situations and every other powerplay they had. Don’t chastise him Detroit, it really isn’t his fault and everyone knows it.

20
May

Midnight Bandits

By Daniel 4 Comments
Categories: 07 Playoffs, Conference Finals, Ducks, Game Reviews and Hockey

First off, every Detroit fan needs to be quiet. Your team blew it every time they had a powerplay, so I don’t want to hear a damn thing about how the Ducks got lucky. Everyone knows the Red Wings out played the Ducks, but you know what, the scoreboard says 2-1 Ducks. Brett Hull and Ray Ferraro can eat a big you know what, so lopsided in everything they say, at least Bill Clement stays neutral. Only one reason why the Ducks won, J.S. Giguere, and…? A whole lot of couch coaching on NBC, I guess even they hate Anaheim.

I don’t really have anything else to say, the Ducks absolutely sucked and rode the excellent goaltending. I really hope that they come out in game six and actually give a shit, you know, like they are about to go to the finals? Simply amazing, Detroit had so many chances, I honestly can’t believe it and I am in awe. I will come back later with something else, I gotta get ready for my banquet.

17
May

Deuce

By Daniel 14 Comments
Categories: 07 Playoffs, Conference Finals, Ducks, Game Reviews and Hockey

What a hockey game, what an effort by the Ducks. They did exactly what they needed to do and they did it without Pronger, which is even better. This will have little effect on the Red Wings psyche, but will provide a good jolt to a Ducks team that needed to see what they were made of. Other than Giguere, Pronger is probably the most important player on the Ducks roster, I bet it feels great to win this game in the fashion they did. Detroit threw everything they had all throughout the game, even having two 5-on-3 chances for 45+ seconds on each chance. What more can you ask for from a team that wasn’t supposed to even have a chance, a team that was supposed to be down after losing 0-5.

I personally have no nails left, I pretty much bit them all off after watching the last seven minutes of the game. It was pulsating with energy, I can only imagine what it must have been like to be have been at the Honda Center. The Red Wing fans were in full force, as usual, as was that annoying Ducks fan the camera always finds. You know the guy, the one who does the bang, bang thing with his fingers and wears his gayPod headphones and all the Ducks paraphernalia…Orange County…

Honestly, what more can any guy or any of the coaches ask for each other from game four? Everyone on the roster played to their strengths, played pretty smart hockey and got the job done. It was kind of a surprise to see Ryan Carter out on the ice tonight. He had 36 points and was a -5 this season in Portland, hardly the guy I had in mind to play in place of Ryan Shannon. Whatever works though, you can’t say it was bad move by the coaching staff, they DID win. Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne all had their best game of the series. Selanne may have had his best game of the playoffs, he was fighting for pucks, kind of finishing his check (kind of) and he even created a couple chances for his teammates.

From a physicality point, the Ducks simply took advantage in that department. Todd Bertuzzi certainly got his licks in on Francois Beauchemin, but flip that coin as well. Pahlsson was a monster tonight, he created chances, played awesome in his own end and did anyone see the aging Chris Chelios get up pretty slowly after Sammy cleared him from the front of the net? Beauchemin knocked Bertuzzi down on that play too, which got him a nice shove after Beauchemin came over to see if Todd was okay, he looked pretty frustrated. Anaheim walked all over Detroit in this case, they walked right into the crease, doing what they wished. One play, Rob Niedermayer came in after Hasek covered the puck and the whistle had blown. Rob stopped about six inches away from the Dominator and Datsyuk pushed him a little and Robbie kind of shrugged it off. Total lack of respect for the guy guarding his teams net, haha.

But you have to give Detroit credit, they made a game out of it. At 3-3 I was a little worried, not too much but just a little bit. You have to admire a team that comes back like they did, given the situation. Emotions were high, the Ducks HAD to win this game and Detroit knew it, to come back from two goals down is big in my book. They got two more power play goals tonight, which is too many, any power play goals is too many.

Anyway, this is a Ducks blog, so lets move on now shall we.

Pronger out, Jackman in and who was going to step up to replace those big minutes? Beauchemin and Neidermayer both played over 34:00 minutes, the often left out veteran Sean O’Donnell played just over 24:00 and Huskins played 12:38. The May, Thornton, “Carter” line had the only minus players. The biggest player was the man in goal though, Jean Sebastian Giguere played his ass off, he gave his team a chance to win and they rewarded him for it. The shots were 39-23 Detroit, you know your goalie had an excellent game if he faces that many shots and you win. I raise my Jack n Coke to you sir.

Now we move on to Sunday, good god could they have waited any longer to schedule a game? Detroit needs the rest, squawk all you want about how tough and destine your team is Detroit fans, your boys need a couple days off. I have a banquet to go to on Sunday for the high school hockey team I coach, so I might be delayed to post that day. Now I will concede to the ones who love to comment here, I wonder how vocal they are going to be given tonight’s results.

Jason, Dan…Hooters is back on the radar, who is bringing the Blue Moon or whatever else wont kill Dan?!?! RocketRob of comments fame, you are invited. We will have to formally initiate you though, bring a helmet and an extra set of clothes.

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