DucksFan07

"Lord Stanley's Cup - The Greatest of All Trophies"

Another broke and in debt Municipality, CA • United States • 45 Years Old • Male

Time for Some Ducks to Score and Top #1 Lines in the NHL

Marchant, Pahlsson, Rob Neidermayer, Moen, Miller, Bertuzzi, and MacDonald - It is time for you to stand up and be counted. You comprise the 2nd and 3rd lines of the Ducks and your lack of scoring is killing this team. We are 33 games into the season and you have very little to show for it. Do you expect your first liners to win every game for you? Some of you guys play 18 - 21 minutes per game - night in and night out and yet, you can't generate chances or generate any production. The "I'm on the shut down line" just doesn't cut it anymore. It is time for Carlyle to bring up Ryan, Ebbett, King, and Dixon and give them a shot. They have earned it by producing where they are. You make up around $15M of the team's salary cap or approximately 37%. Your goal totals make up 18/80 or 22.5%. Your point totals make up 46/209 or 22%. By a strict math account, you need to make up 15% more scoring on this team. If that had happened thus far in the season, I would guess that the Ducks would be leading the Pac Div. I don't mean any disrespect with this. Think of it as an eye-opening opportunity. I just think, as everyone looks around the room and tries to figure out why you are on the bubble for the playoffs and can't seem to win games consistently, there is a reason and the reason lies with the 7 of you. We let Curtis Glencross go to the Bluejackets after last season. He has more points than 6 of you and more goals than all of you. We let Joe Motzko go and in a single NHL game for the Capitals, he scored 2 goals. In 7 games he has 4 points which puts him close to most of you and he has only played 7 games. The overpaid Penner has 8 goals and 10 assists. At $4M per year, that is better than Bert, R. Nieds, and Marchant combined and the three of you make $8.5M per year combined.

The Ducks # 1 line has 41 goals
The Sharks # 1 line has 28 goals
The Stars # 1 line has 33 goals

The Senators # 1 line has 41 goals
The Lightning # 1 line has 43 goals
The Hurricanes # 1 line has 44 goals
The Red Wings # 1 line has 47 goals

I would say that Getzlaf, Perry and Kunitz match up pretty well with the best # 1 lines in the NHL and they are getting the job done. The major difference is when you look at the 2nd and 3rd line scoring. You guys are way behind. That is the difference. I respect and understand the intangibles that you each bring to the team, but right now the team needs some scoring and it falls squarely on your shoulders. Time to put up or sit down. The success of the season is in your hands.

Since I am an equal opportunity criticizer, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the Ducks goals against (GA) per game is nothing stellar either and currently resides in the bottom 4th of the league. Giggy has won 1 game on his own this year. Hiller? Too late to bring back Bryz. What's done is done. Hiller, start making a save when you play and prove you can win a game all by yourself. Pronger and Beauchemin --> what is the status of your minus ratings so far this season? Pronger -4 and Beau is -8. Pronger +27 and Beau +7 last season. You should be embarrassed. Tighten up your game. Beau, you are too soft when you battle for puck possession in your own end. Start crushing some guys. Make them not want to be in the corner with you. When you take chances in the offensive zone or in the neutral zone, make sure you have a forward ready to back you up. We are about ready to start the 2nd half of the season and it is time to refocus your efforts. We know you can do it. We have faith in you.

For the Coaches: From the red line in, let the players use their creativity every now and then and quit forcing them to play dump and chase all game - every game. It doesn't work all the time. Go read my other blog on this subject. Watch the guys icetime too. The first half you played some guys too much. You can't win consistently when Getzlaf looks like he is carrying a piano strapped to his back in the 3rd period and he looks that way 100% of the time in overtime. Roll the lines to give longer/more consistent periods of rest. Keep the guys fresh so they have no excuse for not skating full tilt.

For the Referees: The Ducks are not nearly as bad as you all think. I have seen in many instances of life, where perception becomes reality. If you talk about it or read about it or hear about it over and over and over, pretty soon you are convinced as well. I challenge anyone to go back to the last 10 games, including the Oilers and Canucks one-sided penalty filled games and tell me that even 80% of the calls against the Ducks actually deserved a penalty. In other words, 20% of the calls were bogus. Please clear your minds. Say to yourself, "the Ducks are a nice team. The Ducks are a nice team. The Ducks are a nice team and they play fair. The Ducks are a nice team and they play fair." Now go call the game with a clear mind and complete impartiality. That is the job of a referee after all - to call the game with no preconceived perceptions and with complete impartiality. Please call the games that way in the 2nd half. Go Ducks!

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