Quacked

Matthew Beleskey 28:10

Then Jonas said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Nashville, and there they will see me.”

Barring an Easter Sunday miracle, Randy Carlyle has drawn up a new plan of attack for the Ducks:

Artist rendering.

Go Ducks.

Update: Per Eric Stephens, it appears that the latest line combinations from Ducks practice still have Matt Beleskey on the top line with Getzlaf and Perry. Other than that, it appears as though not much else has changed from Sunday’s starting lineup.

News today that the Ducks have sent Jonas Hiller back to Anaheim with what appears to be another recovery setback should be met with justifiable disappointment by Ducks fans. What should not be overlooked, however, is that, outside of game one, goaltending has been the least of the team’s problems against the Nashville Predators.

Although the Ducks have all but shut down Hiller until next season, there remains plenty of reason for optimism with Ray Emery and Dan Ellis at the helm (OK, maybe not Dan Ellis). The latter’s frightful performance in the opener notwithstanding, the Ducks have shown no difficulties in burying their own chances past Preds goaltender Pekka Rinne. Teemu Selanne has been in especially fine form, both on and off the ice – calling out his teammates after a lackluster effort on Sunday will hopefully wake up a team that had all of five shots through 30 minutes of play in game three.

What of Emery? He’s answered the bell for the Ducks, providing a solid, if unspectacular, performance between the pipes. If the defensive zone meltdowns and failed clearing attempts can be kept at a minimum going forward, there’s little reason to expect the goaltending to be a point of failure should the Ducks fall. With Bobby Ryan due to sit out another game, Randy Carlyle will undoubtedly be tweaking the lines again in an effort to find any chemistry he can. The latest word from practice is that Teemu Selanne has been slotted into the top-line triumvirate alongside Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. What this means insofar as the ripple effect it will have on the other lines remains to be seen, but perhaps Carlyle will look to insert super-pest Jarkko Ruutu in accordance with Bob Murray’s most recent media edict.

Is anybody entertaining the crazy notion of the Ducks bidding on Ilya Bryzgalov’s services this summer should the worst happen with Hiller?

Frankly, the extraordinary circle-of-life dynamic involved with that decision is almost too bizarre to contemplate at this point in time.

(PHOTO: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Somebody should have warned Jonas Hiller that carousels and vertigo don’t mix.  Ever since the Ducks’ starting goaltender went down after the all-star game, Anaheim’s crease has once again become home to a triumvirate of netminders.

It’s a situation that’s not entirely unfamiliar to the Ducks, but in 2007 the issue at hand was a little different.  Incumbent Jean-Sebastien Giguere was the undisputed starter, having just signed a $24-million deal after Anaheim’s Stanley Cup triumph.  Ilya Bryzgalov was on the market because Brian Burke had promised him a new home where he could audition for a full-time role, and with newcomer Hiller having selected Anaheim as his immigration destination, the Ducks had three goaltenders who were willing and able to start for them.

Flash forward to this year, and the quandary facing the Ducks is entirely different: Giguere is long gone, Bryzgalov is leading the charge for the playoff-bound Coyotes, and Hiller – well, he’s here, but not all there. Having long since established himself as a premier NHL starter, Hiller gives the Ducks license to be less than perfect. If there was one area in which the Ducks were sure to not have concerns heading forward – prior to the all-star break – it was in net.

Just a quick hit this afternoon to remind Ducks fans that Anaheim still needs to play well if it wants to play beyond this week. The job at hand won’t be easy as both the Sharks and Kings are sitting above the Ducks in the standings, and neither team has any compunction about sending Anaheim to the golf course ahead of schedule. Beyond what the official game previews might mention, here are some key areas the Ducks need to focus on tonight if they want two points:

• Playing well is the best revenge: Although many Ducks fans will be preoccupied by waiting to see how Anaheim exacts its retribution on Douglas Murray for Saturday’s late hit on Lubomir Visnovsky, the Ducks players would be best served to stay on point. Anaheim lost its last meeting with San Jose after playing 55 minutes of penalty-free hockey, and likely can’t count on lightning striking twice. Taking unnecessary penalties will only keep the team behind the 8-ball against a Sharks powerplay that scores on almost a quarter of its chances (23.7%).
• Remember the recipe for success: If there was ever a time for doubt to start creeping into players’ minds, it’s now. On the heels of back-to-back losses against division rivals, it would behoove the Ducks to remember that the team is in its current position (i.e. a playoff spot) largely on the backs of key contributors like Corey Perry, Teemu Selanne, and most importantly, Ray Emery. In the absence of vertigo-stricken starter Jonas Hiller, Emery has done an admirable job filling in. Despite being in goal for the last two losses, he has not given the Ducks any reason not to trust that they can get the job done with him in net. Now it’s time for the team to lean on these players, and likewise time for the players to help carry the team.
• Launch an RPG at opponents: In the same vein as the previous point, Anaheim’s top line of Bobby Ryan, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf has been an integral part of the team’s success of late. With 41 points in the past nine games, they are collectively serving notice to the hockey world that they form one of the most dangerous lines in the league. More importantly, they are showing the Ducks that they thrive in high-pressure situations, and it will be up to Randy Carlyle to make the most of it.
• One game at a time: It is such a patent and overwrought platitude that it can almost go without being said, but if the Ducks start scoreboard-watching or looking ahead to the final home-and-home with the Kings, their season could be over before they realize it. Tonight, the focus needs to be 100 per cent on San Jose and gaining two crucial points.

The Sharks lead the season series 3-1-1. With a victory the Ducks would reach 45 wins for the first time since the 2007-08 season.