Results tagged “Randy Carlyle” from Quackalackin'
Erik Christensen, in an interview with the Winnipeg Sun, talks about his conditioning assignment with the AHL's Manitoba Moose, as well as the state of the Ducks.
Christensen went unclaimed after he was placed on waivers Nov. 2, then rode the pine until centers Saku Koivu and Ryan Carter went down with injuries, forcing the Ducks to use Christensen for three games on last week's road trip.
"It's tough, at one point the team is willing to lose you and the next, they need you and they're willing to put you in the lineup," Christensen told the paper. "I thought I played well in the three games I was in (after clearing waivers) but Anaheim is at the bottom of the Western Conference standings. Changes are probably inevitable down there."
Head coach Randy Carlyle disagreed specifically with Christensen's self-evaluation after practice Friday, saying "we thought we had Christensen for a couple games to give him an opportunity, but we didn't think that worked very well." Christensen was available to the Ducks in the road finale Monday in Pittsburgh, but Carlyle opted to shuffle the forward lines and play defenseman Sheldon Brookbank on the fourth line instead.
Already missing forwards Saku Koivu and Ryan Carter, left wing Joffrey Lupul sat out the Ducks' practice Friday with an undisclosed lower-body injury.
"Just some soreness," Lupul said. "I kind of know the drill. I don't want to get into it too much, but it's some soreness in my lower body. Hopefully it can be taken care of tomorrow."
Lupul said the injury is not related to the recurring back stiffness that sidelined him in the preseason, but "wouldn't rule myself out for tomorrow."
Continue reading Lupul adds to Ducks' injury woes..
Sunday's one-on-one player meetings between Randy Carlyle and the Ducks players weren't prompted by a look at the standings. At least, not the won-loss column; Carlyle has held the meetings every year around the 20-game mark regardless of how many have tilted in the Ducks' favor.
This year, the Ducks have won just 6 of 19 games (6-10-3) and like just about everything else Carlyle has tried, the meetings had little immediate impact.
"Probably not," said Joffrey Lupul. "We came out and played probably our worst game of the year. But it was good to hear feedback from the coach and I'm sure he likes feedback from us. But at the end of the day, it's about the results. And it's definitely not the result we were looking for (Monday) night.
"We've had lots of meetings," captain Scott Niedermayer added. "So far they haven't been productive, but you have to try and get on the same page, and get the approach that's going to work for this team to get out there and play well."
So what did the coach gain?
"One-on-one meetings give you an opportunity to get feedback from players, and for you to give your feedback in a full one-on-one environment," Carlyle said.
Petteri Nokelainen probably summed it up best.
"I play with whoever they put me out to play with," he said, "Right now it looks like we're playing with everybody right now, especially when we're two guys short in the middle."
Those two guys -- centers Saku Koivu and Ryan Carter -- didn't take part in a full practice Tuesday with their teammates. Koivu at least attempted to start, after skating for a half-hour on his own, but lasted about 15 minutes before walking off the ice. Carter, who bruised his foot in Columbus when it absorbed a teammate's shot in practice, didn't skate at all.
Continue reading The latest on the Ducks' injuries, and how they're affecting the lineup..
Ducks radio analyst Dan Wood, writing on the team's official Web site, says that Kyle Calder is likely to make his debut in a Ducks uniform tonight in Pittsburgh.
Centers Ryan Carter and Saku Koivu (who has a strained groin, according to Randy Carlyle) are expected to miss the game, according to the report.
Joffrey Lupul hasn't scored a goal in his past four games, and Randy Carlyle proposed one possible fix on Monday, before the Ducks departed on a four-game road trip.
"I'd like to see Lupul shoot the puck more," the coach said. "He's a player who can scoot, get around the rink. He should be thinking 'shoot first' all the time."
"I'd like to see Lupul shoot the puck more," the coach said. "He's a player who can scoot, get around the rink. He should be thinking 'shoot first' all the time."
Continue reading Carlyle to Lupul: Shoot more.
Teemu Selanne is, rightfully and uniquely, a center of attention in Anaheim for two very different reasons right now.
For most every action he makes in a game this season, there is an equal and opposite reaction in the hockey history books. With a pair of goals against Nashville on Thursday, Selanne brought his career points total to 1,220 and demoted Jean Beliveau to 39th in the all-time rankings.
Continue reading Selanne in the spotlight..
Knowing that statistics can be used to prove anything, here are a few to chew on: Todd Marchant's goal against the Nashville Predators on Thursday was his first of the season in his 14th game.
Marchant was the subject of a recent trade rumor which, reading into the statistics, would make sense on paper if the Ducks desire more offense. As Marchant himself said Thursday, "if this team was relying on me to score goals, we'd be in big trouble."
But Marchant, a 17-year veteran, threw out another statistic Thursday to explain why he isn't worried about his future.
Continue reading Todd Marchant addresses trade rumor..
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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