Posts Tagged ‘Kyle Palmieri’

Game 7: Win or else

Posted: 05/12/2013 by bc in Uncategorized
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Make it happen. That’s the directive both our Anaheim Ducks and the surprising to me at least Detroit Red Wings will take into the final game of this back and forth playoff series.

The trend, win one, lose one favors our Ducks. Virtually everything favors our Ducks save three. Lack of finish or killer instinct, the Red Wings motion game and their best players have been the best players in this series. One look at the top scorers from each is all the evidence you need to know that the Red Wings best players are the best players in this series.

Johan Franzen, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterburg with support and very timely scoring coming from Damien Brunner, Gustav Nyqyist and Dan Cleary. Ducks scoring leaders are Ryan Getlzaf, Kyle Palmieri and Nick Bonino with three each. Matt Beleskey and Emerson Etem have two goals apiece while Teemu Selanne scored the winner in game one.

Following the best players have to be the best players on the ice, the keys to the game for our Ducks are, (2) take away Wings hunger for the puck, in other words make them pay a physical price for touching the biscuit, (3) dominate the play at both blue lines. This will result in forcing the Wings to dump and chase the puck into our zone and keep them bottled up in their own zone, (4) Get sticks and bodies into the passing lanes when the Wings have the puck.

The one single aspect of this series that can’t be ignored is the role of the officials. Bruce Boudreau has admitted that our Ducks have been warned against cross-checking and roughing down low. I will note that referees caution both teams prior to every game about what they intend to call. So far Mike Babcock has indicated what the Refs have told him. Given how the calls have gone in this series, many Ducks fans are wondering if the Refs told Babs, “Don’t worry.” This isn’t too suggest the fix is in but I does accuse NHL officials of bias and one-sided penalty calls throughout this series.

Biased officiating has been institutionalized by the NHL. The league’s stated policy has been to open the game up and limit interference. Apparently and according to coach Boudreau you can no longer defend the low slot either.

I’m not alone in calling out the officials in this playoff. THN’s Ken Campbell to Bleacher Report and even former NHL referee Kerry Frazier have all been critical of numerous in particular as well the quality of officiating generally.

Win and our Ducks  face the L.A. Kings in series in the NHL’s second largest media market. This fact alone makes the notion that game is actually fixed just another weird conspiracy theory. I don’t and won’t go there without undeniable  evidence.

But officials incompetent to the extent that they actually determine the outcome of a playoff series? You bet they are and this series is part of the incontrovertible body of evidence.

Either way, and it’s a sad sate of affairs for the NHL to have to say this but I hope the players determine the outcome and not the officials.

In relentless pursuit of a closer

Posted: 05/10/2013 by bc in Uncategorized
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These Red Wings are little more than Chicago-lite. A smooth skating puck possession team that succumbs under the physical pressure imposed by teams like our Ducks. Noteworthy, these same Wings went 6-4-1 against the NHL’s big  bad three, composed of our Ducks, St. Louis Blues and the Los Angeles Kings.

It isn’t just our Ducks that these Red Wings give fits. Frankly, I’m baffled.

Kyle Palmieri says, “They are relentless in their pursuit. (of the puck)” is that it? You can’t hit what you can’t catch? In Wednesday’s game our guys got on top of these Wings often enough to deliver 20 hits in the 20 minutes of the first period. Following the first they caught the Wings with just 12 hits in the second, third and overtime periods combined.

The media is fond to point to Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard. The papers are full of stories about how Corey Perry is being kept off the score sheet. Big whoop. For as good as Howard has been, he’s only held our Ducks to less than three goals once in this series. Ducks GF is 16 goals in five games for a 3.20 GFA.

As good as our Ducks offense has been, they haven’t solved Jimmy Howard. He’s just no different from every goalie who’s ever played the game. Get him moving, screen him, force him to give up rebounds and get bodies into the low slot and Howard proves himself to be quite human after all.

Maybe it’s as czhokej shared last night, “Detroit is a very dangerous hockey team.” They have a lot of snipers, one of whom, Henrik Zetterburg has been held off the score sheet as well. Let them hang around and they’ll find a way with their relentless pursuit to make us pay. It isn’t just our Ducks but they’ve beaten our play-a-like teams as well.

Another 4-0 win would be sweet but something tells me these Wings will remain relentless to the final buzzer. Ducks fans don’t care how our guys close these Wings out. We care that they do and the sooner the better.

Note: If our Ducks and the Kings win their respective series, they will meet in the second round of the playoffs.

Ducks 4 Blackhawks 2

Posted: 03/21/2013 by bc in Uncategorized
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It was a game billed as a Clash of Titans. It was game history taught us, courtesy of Elias Sports Service that matched the two winning-est teams in the  96 year history of the NHL. In a world full of P.T. Barnum style hyperbole, it was a game that lived up to its billing.

This is about as good as NHL hockey gets during the season. Just imagine what it might be like experience a playoff series between these two teams. It doesn’t matter which team we support. There are no losers in a game like this, merely survivors.

As they’ve done 14 times this season, our Ducks hung around long enough to when their leadership, physicality and a break combined to inspire them past Chicago in the final 5.5 minutes of the game.

This was a game in which the difference was the Ducks scouting and 3 goals that came off center lane drives to the net. The first came as Peter Holland was Johnny-on-the-spot when he buried a rebound that landed on his stick about 5 feet out.

For a quick and nervous moment it appeared that Brandon Bollig had put the ‘hawks up 3-1 but the goal was disallowed when the replay showed the young cheap shot artist had kicked the puck past Jonas Hiller.

Ducks got the tying goal off a fat rebound from a Ryan Getzlaf shot that Corey Crawford  directed to Bobby Ryan trailing, who had found space opened up by Kyle Palmieri’s drive to the net, who also provided a screen.

Teemu Selanne netted the winner when Ryan Getzlaf drove through the center lane, dished to Flash who doesn’t miss wide open nets often.

Sheldon Souray took the air out of Chicago and put in under the feet of a capacity home crowd with an EN with about 19 seconds left in regulation time.

From the opening face-off to the final buzzer Ryan Getzlaf played his most energetic game of the season. That in and of itself is an incredible feat given Getzy played with the flu bug that put both Bryan Allen and Nick Bonino on the IR.

The game has had effects already as our Ducks are instantly viewed as a worthy challenge season long No. 1 rated Blackhawks. Ryan Getzlaf elevated himself from honorable mention to legitimate contender alongside Jonathon Toews and Steve Stamkos in the Hart Trophy balloting.

The Captain’s leadership example was magnified when Brandon “Cheap Shot” Bollig performed dental surgery with a vicious high stick to the mouth of  Andrew Cogliano on the face-off following Teemu’s go ahead goal.

It takes more than a few broken teeth to force lion heart Cogs out of the game. In a move that astounded fans of both teams Cogliano stayed in and took his next shift.

And there you have the hi-lights. Leadership, physicality, scouting and a little luck combined to inspire our Ducks to victory. Someone who was obviously paying attention once said, “Luck happens when hard work and opportunity collide.” As former Leaf goalie Johnny bower once said, “You have to be lucky to be good and good to be lucky.”

Our Ducks have earned their luck.

Game 2: Ducks @ Coyotes

Posted: 03/04/2013 by bc in Uncategorized
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The Phoenix Coyotes are saying all the right things to promote their underdog status in this three-fer.
“They’ve played very well this year and they’re at the top of our division and we’re trying to scratch and claw and get up there,” Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said.
Steve Sullivan who scored the tying goal to send the game to OT and the winner in the SO noted, ”They’re not going to be in a back-to-back the next couple of days, so we wanted to make sure we got some points.”

Phoenix accomplished what it needed to do in Game 1. They took two points from a team fatigued.

Dating back to February 9, our Ducks are 6-0-0 when playing after a day of rest.

This tilt sets up as statement game for Ducks and something of a Cinderella moment for the Coyotes. The mood in the Anaheim dressing room following Saturday’s game was definitely that we had let a point slip away. That’s not a good feeling for a team to have though it can be a good motivator.

In the first game the Ref’s left their whistles in their pockets. Look for Phoenix to test that early as they execute some extra-curricular activity upon our guys.  This one should be a bit rougher because second games of back to backs usually are more physical. Secondly, the ‘Yotes know they don’t match-up against this year’s Ducks. They will have to test our Ducks mettle. Attempt to get our guys off their game.

In every game I ever played you could always count on the opposition would usually get chippy at certain points in the game. Sometimes that was their game. They were just a chippy team. Others were better organized and executed chippy and cheap tactically and strategically. These Coyotes are the latter. Among my standard comebacks to trash talk and invitations to dance was to glance up at the scoreboard and smile. While it does happen, there’s just no good reason to let your emotions get the best of you during a game.

In a nutshell our Ducks should be all about business tonight. Establish our game in all three zones and take the play to them.

Notes: Martin Hanzal and Radim Vrbata are listed as IR at the time of this is published. Kyle Palmieri is doubtful to go for our Ducks. Some outlets are reporting differently, look for Jonas Hiller to get the start tonight.

 

Postgame: Ducks 3 Avs 0

Posted: 02/06/2013 by bc in Uncategorized
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In four games Viktor Fasth is 4-0, .962 SP and 0.98 GAA and oh yeah 1 SO. Tonight was about him. The fast Avs weren’t Fasth enough. yeah, bad, eh. OC Register columnist Mark Whicker called our Ducks the Fasth and Furious. Get used to it. We’ll have Fasth puns all season.

The upshot is this could have been a something to 3 loss if not for Fasth. The Ducks did not play their best game but skated off the ice with two points. After 4 games there is now a book on Fasth. Look for him to be genuinely challenged going forward.

Coach Boudreau flat-out said, “It’s good to win the first game of a road trip. but we’re going to have to play better to win anymore.”

Kyle Palmieri had a goal taken away by the review committee. He and T raced to the net. As Selanne drew the Avs D in his direction and backhanded a dish across the flow that Palmieri snapped toward the net. The replay clearly shows Varlamov caught the puck over the goal line. Still the review committee called it inclusive.

As the Ducks continue to show more discipline our guys will earn more favorable calls. Tonight we got a 5 0n 3. In the third Chuck Kobesaw speared Sheldon Souray in the thigh. Souray retaliated and surprisingly both went off. Usually Refs miss the initial infraction and call the retaliation.

The Ducks got on the board first 6:20 into the game when Sheldon Souray blasted a Ryan Getzlaf feed for his third of the season.
Saku Koivu buried another lucky bounce coming off the stick Avs defender Greg Zanon. Selanne and Souray were awarded assists on the play. For T it is  #750 tying Larry Robinson at 41st All Time.
Midway through the second Francois Beauchemin completed a tic tac toe passing play with Koivu and Winnick.

From there the Ducks played eat the clock. Avs pressed and Ducks did get more chances but Varlamov was sharp which kept the game interesting.

Notes: Ducks head to Dallas for a tilt Friday with the Stars. Coach has a few decisions to make, not the least of which is which goalie starts. Does he go with the hot hand or get some Hiller some work?

Sami Vatanen is going to be a fine NHL hockey player but he is also going to get burned a few times before he learns when to pick his spots. Luckily, Colorado didn’t make him pay tonight. And yeah, it was good Bryan Allen played a steady game alongside the gifted rookie.

In a pregame interview with Dan Woods, Corey Perry admitted that his timing isn’t quite right yet. Corey said he feels like would coming out of camp. Right now he’s going against a lot of guys who played in Europe. Look for Pears to start light it up within 5 games.

Ducks are beginning to get national hockey media attention. Pierre Lebrun watched the game and tweeted numerously about Fasth. Kevin Weekes says our Ducks are for real.

Post Game: Ducks 5 Calgary 4

Posted: 01/21/2013 by bc in Uncategorized
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If one game has looked like so many games of the past few seasons the win tonight was it. Except for the result. Ducks come out dominating and all of sudden they can’t handle success. They quit skating and their game falls apart. Flames are beating us everywhere and claw back from a 3 goal deficit to tie it up.

What a difference a Coach makes. We’ll never know exactly what Gabby said between the second and third periods but an F-bomb or two was likely involved. Amazingly though Coach didn’t change the plan. He didn’t shorten the bench and wear down the stars. He trusted the second line to get going and they did have at least one scoring chance in the third. He threw rookie Kyle Palmieri out there in the waning minutes with the game on the line. Coach also entrusted key TOI to the 4th line with less than 5 minutes to play in a one goal game.

This is how a Coach builds a team. As bbdux93 once posted here, ‘You play hockey to earn the respect and trust of your teammates.”

That’s the takeaway from this road trip. The seeds of a team is being established. It’s very young. Two games young to be exact. It can turn. It’s too soon to make predictions. Just as its unreasonable to hope Dan Winnick to score 96 goals in 48 games.

Tonight our Ducks caught themselves before they let one get away against a team they must beat if they are to make the playoffs.

They forced Flames Coach Bob Hartley to keep; the Iginla line away the Top Line and the Stopper Line.

Our Ducks are 2-0 even though Bobby Ryan has yet to register a point. Even though Jonas Hiller has had great moments but wasn’t required to steal either game for us. Even though Nick Bonino is playing like a 4th liner. Even though the PK unit allowed 2 PP goals in each game. Even though they quit skating for ten consecutive minutes and worse skated with the Flames for another ten minutes.

Obviously this team is a long way from firing on all cylinders. Still they won back2back road games without having to play perfect hockey for 60 minutes. What they do with that will speak volumes in the coming days and weeks.

Post Game: Ducks 7 Canucks 3

Posted: 01/19/2013 by bc in Uncategorized
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Ducks & Nucks played an even first period. Ducks took the first lead as newcomer Daniel Winnick opened the scoring. About seven or so minutes into the first period the Nucks started sending two players to the Ducks net. It paid off a couple of minutes later when Dan Hamhuis sent a blast from the point that Jonas Hiller never saw. Daniel Sedin took the lead at 11:23 when Daniel Sedin picked up some loose change in the low slot and went far side against a diving Hiller. That was the high point for Vancouver.

Ducks tied it up at 15:23 of the first when Teemu Selanne beat one of hockey’s best, Manny Malhotra on a face off and pushed the biscuit to Sheldon Souray who sent a blast through Schneider. Ducks had a 14-10 lead on face offs in the first.

Dan Winnick again opened the scoring in the second frame. It was beautiful tic tac toe play from Cogliano to Koivu to Winnick.

Two of our Ducks four new guys, Winnick and Souray had accounted for all of the scoring. Ducks best players stepped up and took over from there on out.

Corey Perry put our Ducks up by two when he picked up some loose change in front of Schneider. Kyle Palmieri put our Ducks up by 3 just 11 seconds later when he one-timed a Ryan Getzlaf setup for his 1st of the year. Getzlaf then setup Teemu Selanne on a cross ice pass after the lane opened when Nucks D Kevin Bieksa lost his stick.

Alexander Edler replied for Vancouver. Flash closed out the scoring with a wrist shot from about 20 feet that beat Roberto Loungo cleanly. Loung had replaced Schneider after the Ducks fifth goal.

Selanne’s four point night put on pace to rack up 192 points on the season.

Both teams played sloppily in their own end at times. The difference in this game was Jonas Hiller made some key saves at key times. Toni Lydman was brilliant breaking up 3 different Vancouver opportunities, one of which looked like a 3 on 1. he also led our Ducks D with 3 blocked shots on the night.

Ducks special teams were successful going 3 for 3 on the PP and 50% on the PK. The checking line of Koivu-Cogliano-Winnick outscored the Sedins 3-1. Our guys dominated the face off circle as Teemu took 4 of 6, Koivu 16 of 27 for 59% and Ryan Getzlaf won 54% of his face offs.

In post game interviews two goal scorer Dan Winnick gave credit to Coach Boudreau’s plan to roll four lines. Winnick said that everybody seemed fresher when they were called upon. Teemu Selanne said he felt good after his first game in nine months.

Notes: Ducks played without Cam Fowler who picked up that flu bug making its way  throughout the Southland. Ducks pressed 7th D-man Jordan Hendry into service. Vancouver is without two-thirds of its second line as Ryan Kesler and David Booth were unable to go.
Ricard Rakell centered the 4th line with Devante Smith-Pelly and Matt Beleskey on the wings. Ducks can keep Rakell up for five games before they have to decide whether to keep on the roster for the season. In a full NHL season Rickard could have been given a 10 game look. Overall he played well though the 4th line did get hemmed up in their own zone and got caught out there against the Sedin line a couple of times.
Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were healthy scratches.

Ducks are off to Calgary for game against the Flames Monday.

In search of the O…

Posted: 01/08/2013 by bc in Uncategorized
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Most winning hockey teams have a positive goal differential. Winning teams score more goals than they give up. Last season our Ducks overall goal differential was -22. Goal differential is such a key stat it usually dictates the standings. Test it yourself. About mid-season, every season, you’ll see the standings fall in line with overall goal differential. No need to get fancy and subtract empty netters and PP goals. Just go with the overall goal differential.

Structurally there won’t be much difference from last season. Count on our guys to lose more faceoffs than they win. Most often our Ducks have to win back possession. East/West puck movement D2D will again be less than smooth with six lefties out there.

On the upside the additions of Winnick, Allen and Souray will make the team much more physical. Losing George Parros and picking up Brad Staubitz is a push. This added toughness though will translate into increased puck possession. That doesn’t guaranty more goals necessarily but should produce more opportunities.

Last season our guys produced 201 goals, good for 23rd overall. We gave up 224 for 19th in overall GA.

This must be reversed if our Ducks are to make the postseason.

The bright spot should be a very underrated transition from defense to offense from the backline. Cam Fowler has already shown himself to be a great up and coming puck moving Dman. Underrated though, Beauchemin, Lydman, Allen & Sbisa can all make a good first pass or lug the biscuit up a lane. Sheldon Souray has a rep for making the occasional bad pass.

Coach Boudreau calls short passes or give and goes, “Shares.” Look for our Ducks to have an outlet guy near the puck. Offensively this is a significant  difference between Gabby and Coach Carlyle. One player battles for the biscuit while the next nearest is in a support position. It’s after that first share when  you’ll see the guys spread out East/West with one breaking North/South or up ice. In your mind’s eye, think of the wingers and D forming a box that expands and contracts.

Coach Boudreau likes up tempo hockey. Some pundits are asking if he’ll do for Cam Fowler what he did for Mike Green in Washington. We’ll see but as our best puck moving Dman Fowler has to return to  double-digit scoring and 40 pts on the board that he produced as a rookie.

As far as roster spots go, Coach has 3 decisions to make. (1) Who skates alongside the Twins, (2) Building a line and 2nd unit PP around Bobby Ryan opens two jobs, (3) Teemu alongside Saku Koivu is no longer a lock.

Getzlaf and Perry have to return to point a game or better players. If they do somebody other than Bobby Ryan will benefit as their new LW. Candidates include Devante Smith-Pelly, Patrick Maroon will get a look, as well as usual suspects Matt Beleskey, Daniel Winnick and Kyle Palmieri. My sleeper to land that spot is Andrew Cogliano.

With either Souray and Allen backing him up, Getz doesn’t have to the lone big guy out there. I sense he really misses Chris Pronger. With another big guy on the ice, Coach will have the opportunity to inject some much-needed speed alongside The Twins.

Three consecutive years I’ve predicted Bobby Ryan breaks the 40 goal barrier. At risk of proving Einstein’s definition of DUH, I’ll stick with it. This time out the rational is Coach builds the 2nd unit PP around and gives them enough TOI to produce.

As Ryan’s possible center Nick Bonino presents an interesting scenario. Last I checked Bones was averaging 3 pts per game in Italy. While it’s doubtful he could achieve in the ECHL, the experience should do great things for his confidence. Peter Holland will challenge Bones for the job and may win it out right at camp. If not, look for Coach to use a quick hook and rotate guys in and out.

Teemu alongside Saku Koivu isn’t a lock this season. More likely, Koivu and Winnick anchor the third line while mentoring a rookie or sophomore.  It’s an ideal spot for Kyle Palmieri.

Coach Boudreau likes to roll 4 lines. If Bonino beats out Holland look for Branden McMillan to center the line. Wingers are likely to be Matt Beleskey and Brad Staubitz.

With so many unsettled roster questions it’s hard to make even a guesstimate on our Ducks offense. If, if, if. Jeez, if the kids start popping consistently and a second scoring line and 2nd unit PP is built around Ryan, lookout, cookout.

If not and Ryan remains as streaky as ever. The Twins get smothered facing the leagues best defenders. The 1st unit PP falters and that fast we’re looking at a minus goal differential.

If you’re thinking how critical it is for the team to come together, you get it.

The good news is that with Hiller between the pipes, they’ll get a chance.

Are you starved for Ducks chat too?

Posted: 09/06/2012 by bc in Uncategorized
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Eric “Ice” Stephens version of the Bobby Ryan “Trade me”  Story is a twist on Shakes’ Much Ado About Nothing. It works nicely by Ice telling. To retell it in a “me too” piece from Jeff Miller is a yawn. It’s okay to rip a story from Ice but jeez Louise in the same week? Just shows Ducks bloggers and corporate media are desperate for stories.

HockeyBuzz Hotstove: Projecting the Pacific Division is as good as it gets. and worse the message board is way better than the Travis Yost blog on it.

It’s okay Travis, I know exactly what it’s like to follow the so-called followers, but I digress.

Most have our Ducks do in the heretofore referenced blog is 4th and missing the playoffs. One guy, Troutback has our guys finishing 3rd in the Pacific because, “Perry, Getzlaf, Ryan combo can only be better.”

My take is (1) the team D will be better. The combination of Souray and Allen could give us something approximating Chris Pronger. Sheldon Souray is the flat-out nastiest competitor to arrive in the slot since Richard Matvichuk called it a career. What Souray does while not getting caught is complimented by Bryan Allen’s playing well within the written and unwritten rules of the game. Toss in an improved Luca Sbisa, a healthy Toni Lydman and the effectively abrasive Francois Beauchemin and you got a D that will bring a wry to the mug of Jonas Hiller. Add to that Daniel Winnick and Saku Koivu bring the smarts and high Hockey IQ.

Your Ducks 2012-13 edition is one tough and smart team to play against.

In Perry, Ryan, Selanne and Getzlaf our Ducks should be able to spread 145 goals across two lines. If Coach finds the right mix, sophomores and rookies Nick Bonino, Devante Smith-Pelly, Kyle Palmieri, Emerson Etem and/or Pete Holland all could shine in the right role with the right vet support around them.

Consider Ducks at ES:

Getzlaf 20-Smith-Pelly 15-Perry 45/Beauchemin 5-Fowler 10 (95 goals)
Holland 15-Ryan 40-Selanne 25/Allen 5 – Sbisa 5(90 goals)
Koivu 15-Winnick 10 -Palmieri 15/Lydman – Souray (55 goals)
Bonino-Belleskey-Staubitz. (10-15 goals)

You can toss the stats when it comes to goalies. Three things matter, (1) Does teh goalie consistently make saves at key moments during the game, (2) Does the goalie give the team a chance to win most nights. Actually, 1& 2 are about the same thing. If Hiller and Fasth are making the timely saves, they’ll give our Ducks a chance to win most nights, (3) Can the goalie steal two points a time or two throughout the season.

For stat lovers, if Hiller plays more than 60 games, 75% of the minutes and his SP is north of .915, pretty much all of the above is more likely than not.

In this lineup, Etem is the odd man out but he’s first call-up to replace a Top 6 forward. He may also cause Devante to be demoted and Palmieri to Norfolk. Patrick Maroon and/or Rickard Rakell could surprise as well. Cory Elkins is a solid insurance addition.

The D and goaltending is set. The openings up top are wing alongside Getz & Pears. Bobby Ryan’s center and 4th line center. The two positions to watch when camp opens are wing alongside the Twins and Silver’s center. Once those positions are won, the rest falls into place.

The key to the above lineup is that each rookie and sophomore is playing with vets around him. Likewise no vet is asked to carry a rookie and a sophomore.

If this team can come together it could match what the 2010-11 Ducks achieved. H0pefully, they’ll go deeper than a six game 1st round series. I’m not saying it will but it could, if most things go right.

One on one with Coach

Posted: 08/16/2012 by bc in Uncategorized
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Note: Today is the 17th of August. We’re about a week away from when the guys start showing up for what Chris Pronger described as “dipsy doodle stuff.”  Prongs hated that week or two before camp which is essentially pond or no contact hockey. If players are slow coming in, expect a lockout on the 15th.

CSNWashington caught up with Gabby at his hockey school in St. Catherines. Here’s the link if you want to skip my babble and get straight to it.

Here are the hilites:

CSNW: WHAT ABOUT THE ROSTER MAKEUP?

BB: Well, I love our goalie [Jonas Hiller]. We have some good youth on defense along with some good veterans. We’ve gotten bigger and we’ve also gotten a little deeper [with the additions of Sheldon Souray and Bryan Allen this offseason] so it will be easier to adjust to injuries.

Up front we’ve still got Bobby Ryan, Teemu [Selanne], Corey [Perry] and [Ryan] Getzlaf. What we’ve also done [this offseason] is we’ve added veteran third and fourth liners [Daniel Winnick and Brad Staubitz] which we never had last year so now we’ve got some pretty good depth. When you add all of those things together, hopefully we’ll make some noise in the West.

Yes our Ducks could make some noise because this roster is much closer to resembling the roster that earned 4th seed and home ice advantage in the 2011 playoff. We’re tougher and as Gabby notes, we have depth.

FAN QUESTION: WHICH WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE AS A FIRST LINE- OVECHKIN-BACKSTROM-SEMIN OR PERRY-GETZLAF-RYAN? (@TheBusinessOfCrappiness)

BB: Well, they’re different kinds of players. For the most part the Anaheim [No.1] line is missing a piece. Bobby Ryan I didn’t play as much with Perry and Getzlaf so that top line isn’t as complete as it maybe was in Washington with a Semin or a [Troy] Brouwer or [two or three seasons ago] a Mike Knuble playing with Alex and Nicky.

But whether they play together or not, [Perry, Getzlaf and Ryan] are all gamers, they come to play every night, they play both ends of the ice and they’re all really good players. There’s a reason why Corey Perry won the Hart [Trophy as league MVP in 2010-11] and there’s a reason why Getzlaf is a captain and why he’s wanted by everybody even though he didn’t score a lot of goals last year (a career-low 11 goals in 82 games). But he’s similar to Nicky- a fabulous passer and a little bit of a bigger centerman.

Is Coach saying Getz is what he is and don’t expect him to change his game?

Corey Perry doesn’t have the charisma that Ovi has, but he certainly has the compete level so I think [in Washington and Anaheim] we’re both searching right now for that other winger to complete a top line.

That we haven’t found a consistent spot and role for Bobby Ryan in his four years with the team is just wrong. Regardless Silver has done everything asked of him. Now, finally, he’ll be expected to anchor a line and the 2nd unit PP. This is about 2 years overdue but better late than never.
The decision opens up 3 roster spots. First is LW on the top line and two vying to be Bobby Ryan’s line mates.
Coach has lots of options:
Look for one of Andrew Cogliano, Devante Smith-Pelly, Emerson Etem, Kyle Palmieri or Patrick Maroon alongside Getz/Pears. Holland or Bonino and one of the above wingers will lineup alongside Silver.
If the kids can’t hang with Ryan, look for him to step in with Koivu/Selanne while we create a checking line on Bonino/Winnick.

FAN QUESTION: HOW DOES IT FEEL TO HAVE FOUR CAPABLE CENTERS IN ANAHEIM? (@robostop10)

BB: We have depth up the middle and that’s important. I like our centermen a lot and we have options for next season. [Last year’s No.2 center] Saku Koivu is going to be our third line center next year and he’ll be a solid checking center that can score. It’s an important position, and an important position to have options. Like I said, we still want to find a winger, but I like our centers, for sure.

The two keys up the middle are Holland and McMillan. Bones is ready as a checking line center at minimum. Is Holland ready to step in on the Ryan line? If not, Bonino centers Ryan, Holland starts in Norfolk and a hopefully humble McMillan or perhaps Cogliano will center a line.
Winnick and Cogliano are the usual leading suspects to line up with the Finn Twins.
A notion I find intriguing is pairing Cogs with Getz/Pears. A couple-3 years ago RC tried Dan Sexton there in training camp and the results raised eyebrows. It could work if Getzlaf played more of a slot to slot game while Cogliano is the guy who chases down the pucks and buys time on the perimeter.
For a kinder look at Getzlaf go here. I disagree with the premise but not the facts, most good players rebound from off years, especially in a contract year. I was kind of surprised Joe Sakic didn’t make that list. If Getz gets back to 25 goals and 82 points, I’ll forgive the face offs, giveaways and stupid penalties.

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