Posted by The NHL season may still be relatively young, but the Anaheim Ducks are arguably one of the most disappointing hockey clubs thus far. Although there was some cause for concern with the departure of defensive stalworths Chris Pronger and Francois Beauchemin, many expected the Ducks to have one of their best offensive seasons in franchise history with the additions of Joffrey Lupul and Saku Koivu. But entering yesterday’s matinee affair with the upstart Chicago Blackhawks, the Ducks were seventeenth in the league in team scoring with a mere 64 goals through 23 games. Furthermore, the Ducks, who were a preseason favorite to compete with San Jose for the Pacific Division, now find themselves in the cellar of the division, 13 points behind the Sharks and twelfth in the Western Conference. And while there may not be cause for celebration just yet, with a 3-0 victory over the Hawks at the Ponda Center, the Ducks have won their third game in a row for the first time all season.
The red-hot Hawks had won their previous four road games by a combined score of 20-5, including a 7-2 rout of San Jose on Wednesday. But the Ducks were able to stymie Chicago scorers and even prevent the newly created All-Star line of Hossa, Towes, and Kane from even getting as much as decent scoring chance.
Ducks winger Corey Perry, who with an assist tied a club record with 17 consecutive games with a point, commented on his team’s solid defensive effort: “They’ve got three All-Stars on that line. When you go out and play a game like we did tonight and shut them down in a defensive-style game and come away with a win, it’s a huge confidence boost for us as a team.”
Along with a much better defensive effort, another major factor in the early signs of the team’s turnaround is the resurgence of goaltender J.S. Giguere. Jiggy, who for the majority of the season has been confined to the bench due to a nagging groin injury and less-than stellar play between the pipes, showed signs of his 2003 Vezina-winning season by stopping all 28 shots against the Hawks for his 32nd career shutout.
It may still be too soon to tell, but if the Ducks have any chance of making the playoffs this year, Friday’s victory was a major step in digging themselves out of an early hole.
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At this point in the season, it’s way too early to write off Anaheim. There’s too much talent on this team for the Ducks to be mired near the bottom of the West. Additional scoring depth will be key to taking the burden off of Perry and Getzlaf. I’m very curious to see what happens with the goaltending situation in the OC. Giguere is finally getting the opportunity to start, and he’s made the most of it this past week. And Anaheim just might be stuck with the albatross that is Giggy’s contract, since few teams have the cap room to take on that kind of salary (though Toronto keeps popping up in the rumor mill)..