Ducks 4, Stars 2
The story is in the standings: The Ducks began their four-game homestand 21-17-6, four points behind San Jose and in third place. Now they are 25-17-6, a point behind first place and a point ahead of third-place Dallas. They'd be tied if not for the Sharks' picking up a point in the overtime loss Sunday night. Not too shabby, indeed.
Internally, the third and fourth lines really picked it up in this one.
Random stat: of the Ducks' 13 shots in the first period, 8 came from third- or fourth-line forwards. Brad May almost scored a goal before it was waved off – "It was a tie," May told me. "I hit (Turco's) glove, or I hit the puck, but he certainly wasn’t on top of it that long
anyway. It was disappointing." Then May delivered the second-period fight that seemed to light a spark in the team. The Ducks were outshooting the Stars 18-2 at one point in the second. Todd Marchant even scored.
First game of the road trip starts Thursday in Nashville; they won't practice tomorrow, so no updates for a while. Unless Teemu comes back.
About J.P.
J.P. Hoornstra has been covering the Anaheim Ducks since 2007. Eight months after the University of Wisconsin won its third NCAA hockey championship, he was born in a frigid Madison winter. He betrayed his blue-blooded beginnings by graduating from UCLA in 2003, and welcomes any and all dialogue on the finer points of hockey.
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