Ducks 4, Edmonton 0.

So much for the concept of a “trap game.”

The rebuilding Edmonton Oilers banished any notions of upsetting the Ducks, who were coming off quality wins in Vancouver and Calgary, by sending a meager 12 shots toward Jonas Hiller — a new record for the fewest shots by an Anaheim opponent in a shutout win.

Bobby Ryan scored twice and Brandon McMillan and Teemu Selanne tallied goals as the Ducks completed a sweep of their four-game Northwest Division road trip. Their sixth straight road win is the longest active streak in the league and one shy of a franchise record.

Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf had a pair of assists, on both of Ryan’s goals. All of Anaheim’s top three lines figured into the scoring. Ryan’s second goal of the game, at 1:31 of the third period, chased Edmonton starter Devan Dubnyk (15 shots-11 saves).

The Washington Capitals pay a rare visit to Honda Center on Wednesday. By then, the Ducks could be playing for sole possession of first place in the division. Anaheim (32-21-4) and Dallas (31-19-6) both have 68 points, most in the Pacific, but Dallas currently holds the top spot by virtue of having played one fewer game. The Stars are in the midst of a 1-6 slump and visit Edmonton on Tuesday, when they will make up the game in hand.

A few more notes, courtesy of the Ducks’ PR staff:
Continue reading “Ducks 4, Edmonton 0.” »

Ducks 3, Edmonton 2.

What appeared to be cakewalk for the Ducks over the floundering Edmonton Oilers turned into a mess in a hurry Sunday at Honda Center.

Somehow, a pair of goals by Teemu Selanne – the first going for his 1,300th career point – and another by Luca Sbisa held up, with Curtis McElhinney and the Ducks’ shot-blockers doing the dirty work late.

“We were forced to probably perform some extra work that really wouldn’t
have been necessary,” Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle said, “but we found a way to win the hockey game.”

Goals by Magnus Paajarvi and Sam Gagner 26 seconds apart late in the second period slashed the Ducks’ 3-0 lead to 3-2. Anaheim was outshot 12-7 in the final period, and survived the final 3:12 short-handed. The Ducks also blocked 22 shots, led by Andreas’ Lilja’s five.

McElhinney was briefly relieved by Jonas Hiller in the second period after suffering a cut to his neck that required stitches. More on that, and the rest of the game, in tomorrow’s editions. here are a few notes that won’t make the paper:

Continue reading “Ducks 3, Edmonton 2.” »

Ducks 3, Edmonton 2, shootout.

Cam Fowler scored his second game-winning goal of the season in the 10th shootout round, ending the Ducks’ losing streak with one shot in Edmonton.

Joffrey Lupul scored on the Ducks’ first shootout attempt and Taylor Hall answered in the third round, before Jonas Hiller and Nikolai Khabibulin put on a clinic to extend the shootout into the 10th round. That’s when Fowler got the call. On his first NHL shootout attempt, the 19-year-old defenseman fired a hard shot into the upper-right corner to end the game.

“I obviously don’t have the best hands out on the ice. I just wanted to put a good shot on net and give myself the opportunity to score. I think my best opportunity was just to shoot the puck.”

Returning from a two-game layoff while he rested a sore groin, Teemu Selanne had a goal and an assist. He dished to linemate Saku Koivu in the second period – the Ducks’ first goal in their last seven periods – and backhanded a rebound past Khabibulin to give Anaheim a 2-0 lead early in the third.

But the Ducks ran out of gas, a dangerous proposition against the young and fast Oilers. Goals by Ryan Jones and former Duck Dustin Penner in the game’s final 10 minutes tied the game at 2. Anaheim couldn’t take advantage of a power-play in the final three minutes.

Hiller made 34 saves and Khabibulin made 30 for the Oilers, who had won five straight.

Edmonton 4, Ducks 2.

Ales Hemsky’s breakaway goal with 6:31 left in the third period lifted the Edmonton Oilers to a 3-2 win at Honda Center and sent the Ducks to their fifth straight loss.

The Ducks outshot the Oilers 19-4 in the first period, but couldn’t put a goal past Devan Dubnyk. The onslaught continued into the second period, but goals by Sam Gagner and Taylor Hall 1:41 apart gave Edmonton a 2-0 lead.

Needing a break, the Ducks caught one when Oilers defenseman Theo Peckham was mistakenly penalized for a delay of game – skating in his own end, Peckham flipped the puck through a camera hole and into the stands. Bobby Ryan converted the ensuing power play, and Saku Koivu scored 22 seconds later, to tie the game at 2.

Jonas Hiller stopped 22 of 25. Dubnyk finished with 38 saves as Edmonton broke a streak of six games without a regulation win.

Andy Sutton was activated from injured reserve prior to the game and played 18:30 on a pairing with Cam Fowler.

The Oilers’ final goal came when Corey Perry’s centering pass from behind the Edmonton net missed everyone and traveled the length of the ice, landing in the Ducks’ empty net with 16 seconds left in the game.

Ducks 7, Oilers 2.

Ryan Carter scored twice, five other players scored one goal – including the 606th of Teemu Selanne’s career – turning Fan Appreciation Night into a one-sided rout in the Ducks’ final game of the season.

Selanne stayed on the ice when the final horn sounded, then led a lap around the ice as the Ducks saluted the fans. Afterwards, he was asked on the ice about his future plans.

“I was always hoping that I wasn’t playing so well, and the decision (to retire) would be easier,” said Selanne, who scored on a second-period power play goal. “I just feel great still. There’s a lot of time to rest now. We have a great team here. Let’s see what happens.”

Selanne, 39, finished his 17th season with 27 goals in 54 games – a ratio of 0.5 goals per game that ranks eighth in the NHL. His 14 power-play goals tied for third in the league. In 1,186 career
games,
Selanne ranks 17th in all-time goals (606), 56th in all-time assists (654)
and
35th in all-time points (1,260).

Continue reading “Ducks 7, Oilers 2.” »

Bonino, McElhinney in the lineup.

Rookie center Nick Bonino will make his NHL debut for the Ducks tonight in Edmonton wearing jersey #63.

Bonino, 21, just completed his junior season at Boston University, scoring a team-leading 11 goals and 38 points in 33 contests. The 6-1, 190-pound center will take the place of Ryan Getzlaf, who is nursing a high ankle sprain, and is expected to play on the Ducks’ top line with right wing Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan at left wing.

Also, Curtis McElhinney will get his first start between the pipes for the Ducks. The former Calgary Flames backup is 2-0 with a 1.87 goals-against average in his career against the Oilers.

Ducks 7, Oilers 3.

The Ducks bounced back nicely against a team that gave them trouble in Anaheim on Wednesday, and Ryan Getzlaf made a statement in his return from an ankle injury.

Getzlaf, whose status for Team Canada in the Olympics was in jeopardy after hurting his ankle against the Kings on Monday, scored two goals and assisted on two others for the Ducks.

Saku Koivu, Scott Niedermayer, Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan and George Parros also scored goals for the Ducks. Teemu Selanne had a pair of assists and Jonas Hiller made 23 saves in goal. He had a much easier night than counterpart Jeff Deslauriers, who faced 46 shots and could easily have given up more than seven goals.

The Ducks head to the Olympic break with a 30-25-7 record with 19 games left in the regular season. They’re two points back of Calgary for eighth place in the Western Conference standings.

Ducks 3, Edmonton 2.

The worst team in the NHL gave the Ducks a run for their money in a sloppy game at Honda Center, before Anaheim pulled out its team-record 11th straight win on home ice.

Bobby Ryan scored twice, and Todd Marchant scored the game-winning goal on a deflection of James Wisniewski’s point shot at 8:21 of the third period. Jonas Hiller made 37 saves but was beaten twice on short-handed rushes in the second period.

“It didn’t matter how we did it,” Hiller said. “We did it and it’s a great feeling.”

Continue reading “Ducks 3, Edmonton 2.” »