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Special teams help snap losing streak

November 20th, 2009, 7:00 am · 10 Comments · posted by Eric Stephens, Staff writer

Needing anything to build on during these lean times, the Ducks found it in their special teams Thursday night and started a critical homestand off on the right foot.

scottyphotoThe power play delivered three goals in seven chances, including Scott Niedermayer’s overtime winner in the 4-3 victory over Tampa Bay that ended a four-game losing streak. Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan also scored with the man advantage while Teemu Selanne got a goal just three seconds after another power play ended.

“We moved the puck effectively,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. ”We found the open man. We didn’t panic with it in the zone. We seemed to be under a lot of control with it. the puck was on the stick tape to tape and bang it was in the net.

“And then the last one was a big-time shot by a big-time player. The guy that made the play was Corey Perry in front of the net with the screen.”

The power play wasn’t the only thing clicking. Despite allowing a game-tying goal by Martin St. Louis to start the third period, the Ducks erased tripping penalties taken by Evgeny Artyukhin and Perry with the game in the balance.

“Those are big,” Carlyle said. ”But we can’t take penalties like that. Corey Perry’s penalty behind the net. We cannot take that tripping penalty. Artyukhin’s penalty in the neutral ice. The stick was between the legs. Can’t do that. And those are the things that until we cure them, we’re going to be in tight, tight istuaitons and those situations can go against you.

“Tonight they didn’t and we take the win and move on.”

The Ducks realize that these seven games at Honda Center could propel them back into the mix in the Western Conference or seriously damage their playoff chances before Christmas.

“It was huge,” Ryan said. ”‘We come off a road trip that was abysmal. We had meetings and we talked about things. Guys needed to raise the level of the play. The power play needed to step up, the penalty kill. We took huge steps in all those areas tonight.”

The fact that the Ducks lost a 3-0 lead showed that they still have a long way to go.

“It wasn’t always pretty but that’s what we need right now,” said goalie Jonas Hiller, who won for the first time in nearly two weeks. ”Just win somehow. Nobody’s asking how we won tomorrow. You take those two points and just keeping building our confidence.”

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 10 Comments

  • backcheck says:
    November 20, 2009 at 7:54 am

    Coach is only half right on Cap’s goal. Yes, Perry’s screen was one key. The other key was Getzlaf’s deft backhanded pass that the Bolts defender didn’t see. The defender stayed with Getz which opened the shooting lane. Had he seen the pass, he would have peeled off to block Cap’s shot or pressure him into passing.

    And this guy Randy Carlyle is a professional NHL coach? He can’t even describe a play fully and properly. I’m just a fan and I saw it.

    Otherwise, it’s a great article with great quotes. Winning ugly is okay. Like nobody here ever closed their eyes on a date because the rest was going okay.

    • Daniel says:
      November 20, 2009 at 8:58 am

      By that logic, Selanne actually makes THE play because he challenges the triangle and lets Getzlaf swing wide along the boards so that he can receive a drop pass. Everyone did what they were supposed to do in that situation. Meaning they ran the play the way Newell Brown drew it up, and then Perry made a great screen without which Scotty probably doesn’t score. To me, the key play is Perry’s screen. In any PP situation the key play is usually the screen, since the goalie can’t stop what he can’t see.

      • backcheck says:
        November 20, 2009 at 11:29 am

        Swing wide? Not sure what yer seeing there Daniel because Getzlaf was skating across the top a few feet inside the blueline. He continued skating East/West after he made the pass. After seeing the Bolts defender was following him and Niedermayer had the shooting lane he curled or more accurately executed a heel and toe toward the net. What are you talkin’ about “Swing wide?”

        If there’s no shot, which Getzlaf made possible by drawing the defender out of the shooting lane, the screen is useless.

        My point is Coach Carlyle failed to describe the play properly. Either he didn’t see it, doesn’t get it or can’t communicate it. There were two keys to that play, not one.

        Like always tell the kids, “Don’t blame the goalie because you can always find at least two mistakes by other guys on every goal.”

        And you know “they ran the play the way Newell Brown drew it up,” how? Including the backhand pass? Yer welcome to your opinion Daniel, but not your own facts.

    • Duckers says:
      November 20, 2009 at 9:04 am

      Getzlafs pass was greatt. He kept the defender with him and opened Scotty up at the point.

      Glad to see that the Ducks got two points. It was a little shaky there in the second.

  • JohnP says:
    November 20, 2009 at 10:26 am

    Brian Hayward mentioned that Ducks’ goals are pretty ones..they need to be set up and executed…that being said WHERE THE HELL ARE THE BOUNCES THAT OTHER TEAMS ARE GETTING ON US!?!?! Unfortunately it doesn’t change the score and a goal is a goal but it would be great to get some deflections, bounces, and crazy goals like Stamkos got…there was that ONE with Perry against Boston that bounced off his shoulder. Go back to what I said earlier…keep it simple…Traffic up front, only solid passes (did Sheldon B not look up before his pass was picked off resulting in a scoring chance in the 3rd?), kill the dump and chase, and stand up for your mates but don’t get locked into meathead retaliation. We barely made it through this one on a borderline call in OT…but a win is a win. Good luck on SAT guys…we play like this and we’ll need all the bounces and calls we can get.

  • backcheck says:
    November 20, 2009 at 11:43 am

    Anybody know who it was that saw Matt Walker’s tendency to come out high against a play on the mid-boards? That was a nice bit of scouting.

    BTW, if we don’t cycle, we don’t isolate Walker. Just a thought.

    Good work by Coach Carlyle to get our top guys out there when Walker was on the ice.

  • John says:
    November 20, 2009 at 12:01 pm

    We barely survived last night . . . & it is no cause for celebration or thoughts of any pending breakthrough whatsoever. Tampa, the Dux and all of us know it. Coach’s system don’t work . . . it ain’t makin’ it. We need a coach who recognizes the type of team we have and improvises and adapts to win today, not the system that worked for the team we had 3 years ago. I cringe thinking about saturday’s game vs. Sharks. Here comes the pain.

  • czhokej says:
    November 20, 2009 at 4:09 pm

    We have said that the East Coast trip would be a good test for our team.
    Now, let’s wait for the Sharks, before we indulge in too much self-adoration after the “big victory”.