After an embarassing first round defeat to the Nashville-freakin-Predators in 2011 and then a horrendous 2011-12 season, the Ducks are back to playing postseason hockey. The way they've been playing this year, they're clearly one of the favourites to, at the very least, go a long way in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs.
But as of late, I'm wondering if they'll even make it past the first round. Yeah, I know, I'm bursting my own favourite team's bubble. I'm betting it'll happen just because they happen to be my favourite team. I'm a cynical bastard. That and I'm sure we've all noticed some bad habits from the Ducks this season which, looking at their overall record, you wouldn't think would be huge issues at all, but I fear these very problems are going to come right back and bite them in the arse. There's always the chance that it won't happen, but again, I'm cynical.
I think first and foremost is their inability to get going from the first puck drop. So far in every game I've watched, Anaheim have always fallen behind in the first period only to come back and turn things around later - only to then give their opponents a free loser point in the shootout. Me being stuck in the time zone I am, I can only stay up long enough for the end of the first, at least those that start at 5pm PST or earlier (1am GMT btw). And for me, that sucks. While their ability to turn the game around in their favour has been beneficial, that magic seems to have disappeared in time for this final stretch of games. Are they saving their energy for the playoffs or have they already tired themselves out? With the schedule being as tight as it is this shortened season it's very likely the latter. They seem to be taking it easy now that they've clinched a berth, but hey, we'd like to see that Division banner hanging at the Pond next season, right? Don't let all that hard work go to waste because you got sloppy near the end only for the hated rival Kings to overtake you and claim the title for their own at the last minute.
Just as they have trouble getting started, they occasionally seem to have trouble finishing the game in regulation too. Yeah, it's a common problem in the post-2005-lockout era NHL, but 7 of the Ducks' 27 victories at the time of writing have been won in overtime or the shootout. It doesn't seem like a whole lot, maybe I'm overreacting here, but this team has a history of dragging their games to extra time in recent years. Sure, that means an extra point for us, but you're also giving away a point to the other team. In a shortened season like this you can't really afford to give away that many loser points because eventually they're all gonna come back and catch up with you. This is especially a problem when you're playing a division rival like the Kings. I just hope the Ducks remember that there are no shootouts or loser points in the playoffs.
The third and final big issue I've seen - or at least, read about from other fans, since I can't watch a good majority of the games myself - is that Bruce Boudreau has been shuffling the lines about too much. As a fan I can appreciate the thought process of, say, splitting Ryan, Perry and Getzlaf among different lines, as it allows a bunch of other players to build around these superstars. But change it around too much and suddenly you break whatever chemistry that came out of that combination of players. From the coach's point of view it's all about trial and error - but the players get used to playing with certain other players and when they work together they often work really well together. I'm wondering if Boudreau is simply figuring out what his strongest line combos will be for these upcoming playoffs.
Maybe I'm overthinking this stuff. After all, the mentality of sports teams tends to change come playoff time, and it'll likely be no different for the Ducks. With the strong start that ultimately got them to where they are now, here's hoping they can replicate that success and go a long way this year.
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