The Anaheim Ducks exuded pure class in Sunday night’s jersey retirement of Teemu Selanne in a star-studded ceremony that included past Ducks legends Scott Niedermayer, Saku Koivu, Chris Pronger, and Jean Sebastian Giguere. The notable absence of Paul Kariya could not take away from what was a perfectly orchestrated ceremony. The Ducks then capped it all off with a thrilling 5-4 shootout win over the Winnipeg Jets to remain tied with the Nashville Predators as the top team in the NHL. Anaheim fans chanted “one more year” as Selanne’s number eight was raised to the roof with more than a few wet eyes looking on.
From first to last: @NHLJets & @AnaheimDucks recognize the Finnish Flash http://t.co/jbCGjqbuCG pic.twitter.com/H43fgESvcZ
— NHL (@NHL) enero 12, 2015
Ducks Defy Metrics
While Anaheim does boast the top record in the NHL they do not have the metrics of a team that appears to be a top-shelf playoff contender. Anaheim ranked 15th in the NH for goal scoring, 22nd for the power play, 17th for goals against, and 18th for penalty killing. The big problem for the Ducks is that they do not have anything close to a number one defenseman and their blue line corps is a mediocre collection that is not built for playoff success. Head coach Bruce Boudreau is known for strong regular season teams that fold in the playoffs. There is little here to suggest that is going to change this April.
Kings Slump
Speaking of defensive problems, the Los Angeles Kings are suffering from the absences of their number three (Slava Voynov) and number four (Robin Regehr) defensemen. Los Angeles was in the midst of a bad spell in which they lost six out of eight games and the first three games of an important seven game home stand. Worse yet, what was the best shutdown team in the game and Stanley Cup Champions from 2012 and 2014 allowed a whopping 16 goals in their three home losses.
The Kings goaltending tandem of Martin Jones and Jonathan Quick, touted as among best in the game, was also slumping. Quick had a horrific .829 save percentage to start the month while Jones was an even worse .750 for January. The Stanley Cup is the toughest trophy in sports to win as it takes a grueling two month drive of intensity that is unrivaled. The Kings played 27 playoff games last spring and are showing signs of wear and fatigue. LA was in a precarious position of having the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Wild Tirade and Slump
Minnesota Wild head coach Mike Yeo rocked a classic expletive filled tirade last week in which it ended with him storming off the practice ice in disgust with his team. Often times such antics will make for a brief sugar rush in which the team responds with better play. Minnesota responded with three losses to extend their losing streak to five, with eight losses in ten games to fall to the basement of the Central Division.
Goaltending remains the problem for the Wild as they ranked 24th for goals against despite ranking fourth for fewest shots allowed. With the recent run of firings of head coaches Yeo was no doubt feeling the pressure of the hottest seat in the NHL. Minnesota had high expectations after making the second round of the playoffs last year and was seven points out of the final playoff spot in the West.
Avs Jumpstart Season
The Colorado Avalanche jumped back into the playoff race with two wins over the weekend and were in their best stretch of the season with seven wins in ten games to close within four points of the final Western Conference playoff spot. While Colorado may have come too far too fast last year in winning the Central Division they are certainly better than their early season record would indicate. The current market correction should mean for a playoff push by coach Patrick Roy’s exciting and young squad. Much like Anaheim, the Avs lack a strong blue line and most rely on goal scoring to survive.
Bruins Halt Skid
The Boston Bruins slammed the breaks on a slump that was threatening their status as an Eastern Conference playoff team with three straight wins. Defense and goaltending was the key as Boston allowed just three goals in those three wins.
