Ducks 3, Wild 0.
The Ducks snapped out of their funk in a major way at the Xcel Energy Center, notching their first shutout since January 4 and their second win in their last six outings.
This one was the handiwork of Jonas Hiller, who got the start after Jean-Sebastien Giguere absorbed the loss a day earlier in Pittsburgh. Although some of the Ducks' deficiencies against the Penguins (who outhit them and took advantage of several giveaways) were still evident, Hiller atoned for them.
Corey Perry scored his 12th and 13th goals of the season, and Bobby Ryan notched #13 against Wild goalie Josh Backstrom, who was his usual great self, making 31 saves.
But Hiller was better in his fourth shutout of the season, stopping all 30 shots he faced. Time is of the essence for the Ducks to grab points in the standings -- probably more important than letting Giguere rediscover his form at this point -- so it will be interesting to see how Carlyle rotates his goaltenders from here on out. In his last six starts, Hiller's save percentage is .930 and goals-against average is 2.17. Giguere is .887 and 3.30 in his last six. Let the controversy begin.
The Ducks also helped Hiller by greatly limiting their giveaways (they had just 6), and Carlyle did some serious surgery on the lines. This is what they looked like:
Perry-Pahlsson-Miller
Morrison-Getzlaf-Kunitz
Moen-Carter-R.Niedermayer
Bodie-Ebbett-Ryan
It's also worth noting that Pronger skated a team-high 34 shifts, with Mikkelson right behind at 33. Scott Niedermayer, by contrast, skated 29. Nearly every defenseman skated with the other at some point, with the possible exception of Nathan McIver, who I'm pretty sure was with Pronger for each of his 14 shifts; Brett Festerling is still resting the knee injury he sustained Wednesday against Detroit.
Playing that many shifts in a 3-0 game represents a great vote of confidence for Mikkelson, who is making his case to stay in the NHL beyond the duration of Kent Huskins' injury. That's another big decision on the horizon for Carlyle and Bob Murray.
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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