The Ducks Are Hot.

Tuesday's game against the Avs was, in one word, surprising. Who would have thought that the Ducks, who are 13th in the West, would score 4 goals in about 7 1/2 minutes? Not me. The first goal by scott Niedermayer opened up the game, even though it was very controversial. Many complained that Bobby Ryan "interfered" with Anderson, but honestly, I think that they somewhat deserved it. The Ducks had 43 shots throughout the game, dominating the Avalanches 17.


So now our Anaheim Ducks are 4 in the last 5, and many are considering that the Ducks may finally be turning this ship around. 


Offense: In the game against the Yotes last Saturday, the scoring was widely spread throughout the 4 lines. Sexton still continues to be hot, and now has 5 goals in 9 games. I'm not particularly liking the Calder-Getzlaf-Perry line, and last night when the Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry line was reunited it was magical. They have amazing chemistry, and can always provide offensively. It finally seems like Randy Carlyle has four lines that actually somewhat click.





Defense: Still probably the weak part of the lineup, but their progress is very obvious. I'm still a little shaky when Wiz has the puck, but he hasn't really majorly screwed up recently. Eminger continues to be a healthy scratch(as well as Artyukhin) so we'll have to wait until the trade freeze ends to see where that goes.


Goaltending: Both goalies are looking solid as of late. Yeah, there are some iffy goals let in by both Jiggy and Hiller, but compared to earlier this season, they look good. The constant arguments of which one gets traded are starting to get old. If both goalies come in and give the team a chance to win, then why are we even worrying about who gets moved? Why not just root for both of them and let the management staff deal with that?









Right now, the Ducks are 1 game above .500, so the season isn't yet saved. The Ducks need to continue playing with desperation and they need to continue winning.


GO DUCKS!

Player Profile: Dan Sexton

Player Profile: Dan Sexton

Team: Anaheim Ducks
Number: 42
Born: April 29, 1987Birthplace: Apple Valley, Minnesota, United States

Age (for those of you too lazy to figure it out): 22

Height: 5’ 10”

Weight: 170 pounds

Notes:
• Made his NHL debut December 4, 2009 at Minnesota, went scoreless
• Recalled from Manitoba(AHL) on December 4, 2009

• Appeared in 5 games for the AHL season

• In his third NHL game with the Anaheim Ducks against the  Dallas Stars, he got two goals

Anaheim Ducks vs. Dallas Stars - December 8, 2009

On Tuesday night’s game, The Ducks were up against the Dallas Stars, who are seven points ahead of us in the standings. We started off badly in the first period, giving Dallas a 2-0 lead. But, with 1:36 left in the second period, Lupul scored getting us back into the game. We ended the second period 1-3 Dallas. Just Six minutes into the third, rookie Dan Sexton scored his first goal of the season. This put the Ducks down 2-3. After his goal, you could tell the energy in the Honda Center was up. The team started playing harder and the fans went crazier. Sexton then scored again with only about a minute to spare in regulation, tying up the game. With the score tied 3-3, the game went into overtime. With only 47 seconds left in the overtime, Koivu scores, getting the Ducks out of their 5 game losing streak.

"This is unbelievable,” Sexton said to a TV reporter right after he won first star of the game. "We never stopped fighting and never got down on ourselves. To get the result feels great. It was super exciting.” As the smallest one on the ice coming in at 170 pounds, he sure stood out. After last night’s game, I’m sure he has earned himself some good nicknames. I read the Ducks Blog on the OC Register which had an article on Sexton stating one of his new nicknames, The Big Sexy. Others are Dan Sexyton or Dan the Sexy Man. He has definitely earned appreciation from his team and from the coach, Randy Carlyle.

   

Three Stars:

1. Dan Sexton

2. Saku Koivu

3. Joffrey Lupul