GDT 12-18-07 Ducks vs Sharks

DUCKS vs SHARKS

:ducks vs :sharks

Tonight at 7:30pm in San Jose on FSN-W

Will we continue to have TWO scoring lines instead of one? Will our defense finaly be as good on the ice as it is on paper? Only one way to find out!

Here's a bit from NHL.com about tonights game:

Even with Scott Niedermayer back in the lineup, the Anaheim Ducks couldn't find a way to beat the San Jose Sharks in the teams' most recent meeting.

The Ducks have another chance to top the Sharks for the third time this season and avoid a fourth straight loss overall as the Pacific Division rivals conclude their home-and-home series Tuesday night in San Jose.

San Jose (18-10-4), which is tied with Dallas for the Pacific lead, won 2-1 in a shootout at Anaheim on Sunday for its seventh victory in its last nine games.

It was the fourth straight meeting between the clubs - third this season - in which the outcome was decided in a shootout.

"There are always really good games against Anaheim," said Sharks center Joe Thornton, who scored the winner in the shootout Sunday. "Every game we come here or they come up to us, it's always an exciting, low-scoring game. We've been having a lot of shootouts against them, so it's nice to win one."

Sunday's loss for Anaheim (15-15-5) was its first in three meetings with San Jose this season. The Ducks, which won 3-2 at home over the Sharks on Nov. 9 and 2-1 at San Jose on Nov. 17, will try for a fourth consecutive road victory in the series Tuesday.

Anaheim could benefit from a productive night from Niedermayer, who played his first game Sunday after sitting out the first part of the season contemplating retirement.

Niedermayer - last season's Conn Smythe Trophy winner who helped the Ducks win the franchise's first Stanley Cup - took one shot and took one penalty in nearly 24 minutes of ice time.

"Getting the first one under your belt is always a big step," said the 34-year-old defenseman, who begins his 16th NHL season after posting career highs with 15 goals and 54 assists in 2006-07. "The next two games are back-to-back, so that will be another bit of a test. But it's all part of it, and I've just got to be smart and know what I'm comfortable with out there."

The Ducks haven't looked comfortable on offense of late. Though two of its last three losses have been decided by one goal each, Anaheim has been outscored 10-5 during its current skid.

Rookie Bobby Ryan scored his second goal, and veteran Doug Weight added an assist in his first game with Ducks since being traded from St. Louis for Andy McDonald on Friday.

"I ran out of steam a little bit," said Weight, who had four goals and seven assists with St. Louis. "I was excited all night for two nights (after the trade) and I was excited all afternoon. I will get some rest. I'll get my legs under me."

Whose starting in goal tonight for the ducks?

Whose starting in goal tonight for the ducks?

I'm willing to bet on Giguere after the kind of game he had the other night...

NO SO, win it in regulation tonight.

NO SO, win it in regulation tonight.

Yes, win it in dominating fashion though. I want to see some angry Ducks out there!

Will we continue to have TWO scoring lines instead of one? Will our defense finaly be as good on the ice as it is on paper? Only one way to find out!


Great intro, I can't wait for the game now.

Great intro, I can't wait for the game now.

:biglaugh: I cant tell if you're being sarcastic or not this time. I didnt see this guy:sarcasm: so Im gonna have to say THANKS!

Now that I think about it....its kinda like saying "will we keep up the SUCK? only one way to find out! Watch and see!"

:biglaugh: I cant tell if you're being sarcastic or not this time. I didnt see this guy:sarcasm: so Im gonna have to say THANKS!

Now that I think about it....its kinda like saying "will we keep up the SUCK? only one way to find out! Watch and see!"

Haha, I actually meant it. Last game we scored first, which was good for a change. Giguere played a really solid game too, I don't remember the last time he played that well. It's time to stop the sucking.

Haha, I actually meant it. Last game we scored first, which was good for a change. Giguere played a really solid game too, I don't remember the last time he played that well. It's time to stop the sucking.

Im waiting for someone to chime in about Giguere only looking good last game because he finaly got his world class defenseman anchor back in front of him to make up for all his suck. :biglaugh:

Someone always has to hate.

Ryan Carter's up so I gather he'll play on the 4th line tonite!

ryan carter is a loose player,go buddy

If NHL.com is accurate looks like Huskins is back and Carter is also dressed replacing May. Hnidy is scratched.

If NHL.com is accurate looks like Huskins is back and Carter is also dressed replacing May. Hnidy is scratched.
If Carter is dressed and not Miller, then why is Miller even in the NHL? Unless they think he doesn't have a future, get the kid some ice time in the AHL.

How is it even possible for Thornton to have 24 more points than the 2nd leading scorer? The gap keeps getting bigger. I think it was like 36-14 last I knew.

Huskins is back.

OK, game on....gimmie an update!:handclap:

Getzlaf with a totally phantom call called against him.

EDIT: NM, no penalty. Thank goodness. That would have been awful.

Somewhat of a rhetorical question, why is Ryan wearing 54? I think he likes to wear 9, so 54 is the "rookie high number" equivalent of 9. But since no one on the team's wearing 9 anyways, why not let Ryan wear 9?

The refs are confused or something. First Getzlaf is in the box (for no real reason), but then they let him out? Normally if they make a bad call they just let him stay in the box.

I just love that Moen-Pahlsson-Niedermayer is out on the PP. Just surrender the last 30 seconds of powerplay while you're at it.

I just love that Moen-Pahlsson-Niedermayer is out on the PP. Just surrender the last 30 seconds of powerplay while you're at it.

I liked the fact that Francois was shooting. The shots were blocked, but the effort was there.

I just love that Moen-Pahlsson-Niedermayer is out on the PP. Just surrender the last 30 seconds of powerplay while you're at it.

why oh WHY would we do that!?!?:shakehead

Jeez, another shorthanded breakaway. This time it was saved. Nabby making some unbelievable stops.

EDIT: Two Grade A shorthanded chances? ARG!

How are they playing? Can't watch.

Weight just saved a goal there. Thank goodness one of those forwards (Weight, Ryan, Bertuzzi) knows how to play defense.

How are they playing? Can't watch.

Exciting game. They allowed way too many chances to the shorthanded Sharks on that last PP though.

well i guess we know sthat without a certain Fin our PP is still going to be bottom of the pack.

How are they playing? Can't watch.

ME TOO DAMNIT! I will probably catch the last half of the game or at least the 3rd period.

How are they playing? Can't watch.
The game's on Yahoo if that helps any.

This game has been real fun to watch. S. Nieds is amazing.

Shark PP after extended pressure by the Thornton line.

OD saved a goal there.

OD saved a goal there.

Happened a few too many times that period.

Really exciting period, but the Sharks had the better of the scoring chances. Oh well, at least it is still tied.

I think Perry-getzy and kunitz need to realize that it's going to be hard to score with your entire line behind the net less than a foot from each other.

Haha. Schneider talks about when he came into the league and how there were only 2 shot blockers then compared to now. And the 2 guys were Guy Carbonneau and Craig Ludwig. Blast from the past.

Good luck Ducks fan, I thought both teams had a good first period.

Good luck Ducks fan, I thought both teams had a good first period.

Thank ya. The Sharks did have a better period IMO, but I thought the period was really exciting! :)

Perry from Kunitz.

1-0 Ducks

Sharks make ONE mistake defensively and the puck is in the net.

Perry from Kunitz! :yo:

wow:amazed:

Nice pass by Kunitz. Perry breaks his career record for goals.

Nabokov should have stopped that pass.

Bobby Ryan is looking 10 times better than he was in his first stint.

nice to see another scoring forward not afraid to throw a big hit behind the net.

5'11 Doug Weight bowls over 6'2 Milan Michalek at the blue line.

good lord i love hard hitting hockey.

If Pronger were a Flyer he would have sent Setoguchi home on a stretcher there.

Lot of hitting in this game. Nice.

Davison and Parros.

It's funny because the Sharks seem to be pretty soft most of the times (even though they have a huge and possibly dominating team), but they've really stepped up the physical play these last couple of games.

Davison picks up Parros and throws him down. It was like something out of wrestling. Parros threw some huge bombs there.

Good job George!

Davison had to grab the leg of Parros.......

Good hard hitting game. Parros takes care of business with Davison there.

Davison had to grab the leg of Parros.......
Yeah while he was holding Parros' leg all I could think about was "I hope the skate doesn't come free and cut someone.

Good hard hitting game. Parros takes care of business with Davison there.

Yeah, Davison didn't really look like a regular fighter, but good on him for being willing to fight to stay in the lineup. Nice on Parros for good enforcing.

Yeah while he was holding Parros' leg all I could think about was "I hope the skate doesn't come free and cut someone.

Nah. Chris Simon wasn't involved.

Bobby scores!

2-0 Ducks

Bobby Ryan!!!!!:handclap:

Bobby Ryan's skating doesn't look so bad there. Marchant sends it across and Ryan knocks it in.

Ryan...hoot there it is!!!

Great frickin period. Ryan is a Duck for a long time. :yo:

great game of physical hockey. Now that is what i like to watch

great game of physical hockey. Now that is what i like to watch

Probably the most exciting Duck game of the year so far. At least from a Duck's fan perspective. :D

Nah. Chris Simon wasn't involved.
Well Simon was intentional. Parros actually kicked, but it was a balance thing as he was being taken down. There was certainly some danger there.

Probably the most exciting Duck game of the year so far. At least from a Duck's fan perspective. :D

I agree. This ducks game reminds me from the Ducks of last year.

Bobby has 3 goals in 6 games, bust what?

Rivet with the hands down win. Carter showing inexperience.

Carter survives his first NHL fight.

Yeah Carter got tuned there. How many times can he be thrown to the ice and yet get up only to get thrown down again?

Nabokov gives Parros a couple of whacks on the skate/leg and then runs away. Doesn't even really make much sense because it's Carter who ran him over, not Parros.

That's odd, Carter/Rivet got 5 for fighting AND 2 for roughing.

how. that miss alone should get you sent down.:sarcasm:

Oh man totally Ryan blew his first 2 goal game. I'm a little annoyed at Bertuzzi though. He didn't even look to shoot, he was going to pass the whole way. We need Bertuzzi to become a goal-scoring threat.

Sharks defense transition is horrible right now. That's like the 3rd or 4th turnover at their blueline in the past few minutes.

Oh man totally Ryan blew his first 2 goal game. I'm a little annoyed at Bertuzzi though. He didn't even look to shoot, he was going to pass the whole way. We need Bertuzzi to become a goal-scoring threat.

I agree, Bertuzzi needs to shoot more. Looks too tentative.

Well Simon was intentional. Parros actually kicked, but it was a balance thing as he was being taken down. There was certainly some danger there.

I know. I was joking. Who knew Nabokov could be such a little *****?

Although that was a big save on Ryan. I was afraid that could turn the momentum in the game.

Kind of like Ryan playing along with Weight and Bertuzzi. Good to learn the ropes with accomplished veterens.

Kind of like Ryan playing along with Weight and Bertuzzi. Good to learn the ropes with accomplished veterens.

Yeah. Just needs to learn to go top shelf on the 2 on 0.

Ducks win. Shutout for Jigger. Good game.

Great game, that's the team I want to see.

yay 2 points

Nice physical game.

Sublime game by the checking line. Thornton had nothing all game. Pahlsson and Rob Niedermayer especially.

Good games by Huskins and OD as well. Weight was also solid.

The new 2nd line looked good in the 2 far zones, still a little running around in the defense an a few non-clears. I'm still a little worried about them defensively, but it looks like they might be strong enough offensively to make up for it. I'd be a little tempted to move Kunitz down and Ryan up to spread the defensive ability some, but if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Wow, this team looks completely different! A 2nd line that can actually score and an all star defense will do that I suppose.

Best win of the year by far. :yo:

Picture perfect game: no terrible turnovers, no San Jose breakaways, no softies from Giguere, lots of good hitting, great fight from Parros, and a couple of pretty goals.

And it looks like someone finally lit the fire under Ryan's butt. He actually looks like he wants to be out there.

Picture perfect game: no terrible turnovers, no San Jose breakaways, no softies from Giguere, lots of good hitting, great fight from Parros, and a couple of pretty goals.

And it looks like someone finally lit the fire under Ryan's butt. He actually looks like he wants to be out there.

The AHL time definitely helped him. It is amazing how much that league can help a player's development. He looks faster and more confident that he did at the start of the year.

And Bertuzzi definitley needs to shoot more. There were several opportunities for him to do so. Regardless, that line has looked like the best line for the last two games. With the kid line, that is a difficult feat for sure.

The arrogance on the San Jose board is laughable, you would've thought their team actually one more than one round last year by the way they trash the ducks.

The big key with Ryan is it looks like he's trying. Before he looked slow as much from gliding as his actually being slow. I'm not sure if that's confidence from playing in the AHL or the demotion sending him a message or what.

go ducks

That is what I like to see.... a Ducks team that is both physical and disciplined at the same time. Not spending 1/3 of the game short handed makes a big difference.

Ryan looked good out there. Weight made some solid plays. Perry hustled his butt off. Bert played his best game of the year IMO. And it is nice to have Scotty back :yo:

The big key with Ryan is it looks like he's trying. Before he looked slow as much from gliding as his actually being slow. I'm not sure if that's confidence from playing in the AHL or the demotion sending him a message or what.

It's not just that he's trying, but he's making smart decisions and sacrificing himself at times to make them. Taking hits just to get the puck 6 inches across the blue line, and making the smart defensive plays that might not score a goal but make sure that a goal isn't scored against Anaheim. He also looks a lot more confident out there. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a night and day difference, but it's a pretty big one. Here's hoping he can show all of that on a consistent basis. That's what we need from him.

I was just thinking...with the way this team is structured, I think a lot of games are going to be of the 2-1, 1-0 variety involving the Ducks.

It may not be the most exciting brand of hockey (this game certainly was exciting I know), but a defense first strategy is probably how the Ducks are going to win games in this league.

I watched the last two periods in Yahoo. This team is showing flashes of what they used to be like last year, physical but with composure. Bobby Ryan is benefitting from playing on a line with two other veteran forwards that are willing to help him. It'd be nice if the team keeps the momentum going for a change.

Some notes on the game:

I hated the trade for Weight, but so far so good. He has been awesome both games so far.

Nabokov is a little *****, hacking at Parros calf and ankle, *****...

Parros dominated that fight. He would have killed that guy, the guy panicked and tried to end the fight with a take down. Seriously who picks up a players leg during a fight?:shakehead

The Portland coach probably saved Ryan's NHL career. Switching him to center did wonders for his development.

The shutdown line looked like they did last year.

Good game by the Ducks, not great, but very solid. Deserved the 2 points.

A SWING WITH HIS GLOVE AND A MISS! What a pity. :sarcasm:

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20071219/capt.b01c77bdd86845a0ae4b0f4f2ee7e6bb.ducks_sharks _hockey_caps103.jpg

Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry scores past San Jose Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov, of Kazakhstan, in the second period of their NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2007.
(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

He certainly didn't miss with his stick tonight though...

I wonder what the Ducks record is when they have at least a fight in a game?

Weight looks like a great addition bringing some nice offensive plays. No surprise the 2nd line is now the 1st line

The Kid line looks tired but still producing.

The D is amazing to watch, Neids is the best in the game

Ryan Carter > Drew Miller

Giggy is a big game Goalie, when the games important theres almost no one who id rather see out there.(Carlyle's 200 game)

For the most part there's a mutual healthy respect between Ducks and Sharks fans, there are few idiots among Sharks fans who keep whining about Ducks all the time but fortunately they are in the minority.

It's not like certain Kings fans who want to whine about Hayward in every thread related to Ducks.

The big key with Ryan is it looks like he's trying. Before he looked slow as much from gliding as his actually being slow. I'm not sure if that's confidence from playing in the AHL or the demotion sending him a message or what.

He has to think like 03 Sykora. Petr scored 30+ goals with 300SOG in '03 (under Babcock's system!), because he knew he had one job, and one job only. Get open, and shoot the damn puck, because Oates and Kariya would find a way to get it to him.

It doesn't look like Bertuzzi wants to start shooting the puck anytime soon, so if Ryan wants to stay with the big boys, he's got to become the finisher on that line.

According to Carlyle in the intermission interview, it kind of sounds like Bertuzzi's role is the Kunitz crash-the-net-be-strong-in-the-corners role. Weight takes over for Andy Mac and Ryan is the new shooter.

Here's the Parros fight:

Parros vs. Davison 12/18/07 (http://youtube.com/watch?v=K_u51P0ZiKQ)

Why were the Sharks fans at the arena and on the Sharks board happy for Davison when he brought down Parros? Parros was destroying him, he knocked him to the ice, when Davison tried to get up and charge Parros, he just grabs Parros' leg and thrashes around until he goes down. It was pathetic. He showed a lot of determination, but c'mon he got beaten handily.

King got destroyed too, and you wouldn't see me the least bit cheerful about that. Even if he did manage to hump Rivet's leg.

Why were the Sharks fans at the arena and on the Sharks board happy for Davison when he brought down Parros? Parros was destroying him, he knocked him to the ice, when Davison tried to get up and charge Parros, George just put his hand on his head and pushed him away, and while he was getting thrown to the iced he just grabs Parros' leg and thrashes around until he goes down. It was pathetic. .

Yeah I was wondering about that one too, I mean Davdison looked like Steve McKenna in that fight, eating punch after punch and then lunging at opponents feet to stop the beating.

Clear 100% win for Parros.

For the most part there's a mutual healthy respect between Ducks and Sharks fans, there are few idiots among Sharks fans who keep whining about Ducks all the time but fortunately they are in the minority.

It's not like certain Kings fans who want to whine about Hayward in every thread related to Ducks.

Try living in Southern California. Many King's fans take it as their own personal mission in life to complain about Hayward at every conceivable moment.

I wonder what the Ducks record is when they have at least a fight in a game?

Weight looks like a great addition bringing some nice offensive plays. No surprise the 2nd line is now the 1st line

The Kid line looks tired but still producing.

The D is amazing to watch, Neids is the best in the game

Ryan Carter > Drew Miller

Giggy is a big game Goalie, when the games important theres almost no one who id rather see out there.(Carlyle's 200 game)



I wonder what the Ducks record is when they shut out the opposition?

Probably much better than when they fight....

Huskins>Hnidy.

Miller and Carter>May. Why did we sign old man May to a 2 year contract?

Great job Ryan - he played well in London and never should have been sent down to Portland!

Go Ducks!:handclap:

So Pahlsson is the only guy who can stop (or at least slow down) Thornton...

A lot of neutral zone play...

Lots of physicality, although the Sharks (save McClaren) are not a team that can match it well, and shouldn't have tried.

I didn't see the first period, besides the 'spear' and the few close calls in the Ducks goal, what did i miss?

Great job Ryan - he played well in London and never should have been sent down to Portland!

I think sending him down to Portland was the right choice. He looks much more confident out there than when the season started.

Great job Ryan - he played well in London and never should have been sent down to Portland!


DUHHHH! There were several very good reasons why he was sent down and it's pretty obvious it was the right choice.

I wonder what the Ducks record is when they shut out the opposition?

Probably much better than when they fight....

Huskins>Hnidy.

Miller and Carter>May. Why did we sign old man May to a 2 year contract?

Great job Ryan - he played well in London and never should have been sent down to Portland!

Go Ducks!:handclap:

your feud with Dirk is getting extremely annoying... If you have differences that's fine, but we don't need to know every post...

I agree with Huskins>Hindy. IMO, it's not even that close. Hindy is ok, but Huskins is much better.

However, Miller is not better then May. Neither is Carter, but Carter had a good game that's for sure. I'd take May over both of those two any day.

I wonder what the Ducks record is when they shut out the opposition?

Probably much better than when they fight....

Huskins>Hnidy.

Miller and Carter>May. Why did we sign old man May to a 2 year contract?

Great job Ryan - he played well in London and never should have been sent down to Portland!

Go Ducks!:handclap:

Ryan wouldn't be playing nearly as well if we would have stayed here the whole time. He said it himself that moving to center in the AHL helped develop his game tremendously.

I was just thinking...with the way this team is structured, I think a lot of games are going to be of the 2-1, 1-0 variety involving the Ducks.

It may not be the most exciting brand of hockey (this game certainly was exciting I know), but a defense first strategy is probably how the Ducks are going to win games in this league.
The only thing is, we have an offensive defense. It's too talented to just have us sit back all the time, At the very least the PP should be alot better now. Scott looks like he hasn't missed a beat, and dare I say better? the last two years he's had ankle/knee injuries, he looks really good out there.

:help:your feud with Dirk is getting extremely annoying... If you have differences that's fine, but we don't need to know every post...

I agree with Huskins>Hindy. IMO, it's not even that close. Hindy is ok, but Huskins is much better.

However, Miller is not better then May. Neither is Carter, but Carter had a good game that's for sure. I'd take May over both of those two any day.

What feud? This is fun - I love the banter!

May is garbage during the regular season and his 2 year contract was a stupid move.
Both Miller and Carter are useful regular season players in various ways, May is great when he is running around like a chicken with his head cut off like he did during the playoffs. But at his age he just isn't capable of playing like that during the regular season. That my friend is painfully obvious!:)

Huskins is much better than Hnidy, who should be our 6-7 dman and spare forward probably.

Ryan wouldn't be playing nearly as well if we would have stayed here the whole time. He said it himself that moving to center in the AHL helped develop his game tremendously.

If Ryan hadn't been banished after a good performance in London perhaps Andy Mac would still be here and we would have had 2 lines from the beginning.

Oh well it's done, now lets get Perry signed!

:help:

What feud? This is fun - I love the banter! .

Yeah, it's about as much fun as watching Drew Miller trying to score a goal, i.e. not too funny.

Your debating skills are so bad that people don't bother replying to you, it's like talking to a 5y kid who's convinced that Santa exists and doesn't believe anything else.

...that Santa exists and doesn't believe anything else.


shut up! he's real!!! ;)

Fantastic game. This is the defense-first, cycling team I'm used to. The dump and (sometimes) chase, neutral zone clogging team I love to see get 2 points (and 2 goals). I don't care how you win as long as you score at least one more than the opposition before the buzzer sounds. I'd rather win ugly than lose pretty. Jiggy bailed the team out a few times but I like what I saw last night on the whole.

The only thing is, we have an offensive defense. It's too talented to just have us sit back all the time, At the very least the PP should be alot better now. Scott looks like he hasn't missed a beat, and dare I say better? the last two years he's had ankle/knee injuries, he looks really good out there.

That is true. I expect the defense to get quite a few points. Pronger already has a ton. :D

Great physical game, lots of hits, good win, B. Ryan needs to stay in the lineup

The only thing is, we have an offensive defense. It's too talented to just have us sit back all the time, At the very least the PP should be alot better now. Scott looks like he hasn't missed a beat, and dare I say better? the last two years he's had ankle/knee injuries, he looks really good out there.

Yeah. He looks healthy and refreshed. He said that mentally, he feels better than he's felt in a long time. His second game back, I thought he was the best defenseman out there. The guy was just everywhere.

If Ryan hadn't been banished after a good performance in London perhaps Andy Mac would still be here and we would have had 2 lines from the beginning.

Oh well it's done, now lets get Perry signed!

Ryan's performance in London was questionable at best. Scoring a goal doesn't make his performance good. The difference between these recent games, and the first games, is that he's making much smarter decisions, and he is playing with much more confidence. Earlier in the season he looked uncertain at times, and was not always working hard enough away from the puck. That hasn't been the case these past two games. Being sent to Portland was exactly what he needed.

At any rate, he still needs to prove he can play like this consistently. He's still young, and consistency is a tough thing at his age.

Great game! Good to see Ryan doing well. I screamed when he missed that shot on the pass from Bert. Our defense definitely looked tight.:handclap:

Try living in Southern California. Many King's fans take it as their own personal mission in life to complain about Hayward at every conceivable moment.

How can anybody not like Hayward? I think other fans don't like much that he complains about some things, but even while he may not seem to care as much when there is a bad call against the opposition, he always at least points it out. He does care more about the Ducks, but I think thats a good thing that he doesn't try to cover it up too much, I can't stand these announcers and commentators who try so hard to be fair an unbiased that they are effectively reduced to a mindless talking head and are about as interesting to listen to as a news anchor. I also can't stand mindless homers either, but Haysie is smart.

How can anybody not like Hayward? I think other fans don't like much that he complains about some things, but even while he may not seem to care as much when there is a bad call against the opposition, he always at least points it out. He does care more about the Ducks, but I think thats a good thing that he doesn't try to cover it up too much, I can't stand these announcers and commentators who try so hard to be fair an unbiased that they are effectively reduced to a mindless talking head and are about as interesting to listen to as a news anchor. I also can't stand mindless homers either, but Haysie is smart.

I don't like him because he's too much of a homer sometimes. I've seen him make a lot of excuses for Anaheim, at times, and that bothers me. The players don't make excuses, so the color commentator shouldn't either.

Ryan is such a disappointment. :sarcasm:

It's nice to finally have two legit top lines.

Ryan is such a disappointment. :sarcasm:

It's nice to finally have two legit top lines.

For now. I don't mean this to sound bad, but it has to be consistent. Two games is just not a long enough stretch of time for me to be comfortable enough to say that Anaheim has two legit scoring lines. I absolutely love what Bobby Ryan has been doing these past two games. He's looking like, well, what we were hoping he would be, but he needs to do it on a consistent basis. I expect a degree of inconsistency from him, because he's so young. The only players his age who don't show some kind of inconsistency are, well, players like Crosby, and that just isn't a fair comparison. If he can be consistent enough, however, that's good enough for me. He doesn't need to be amazing every game, or even amazing 3 out of every 4 games, but just good enough that puts the points up and contributes for the team enough that he doesn't seem to vanish entirely for periods of time.

For now. I don't mean this to sound bad, but it has to be consistent. Two games is just not a long enough stretch of time for me to be comfortable enough to say that Anaheim has two legit scoring lines. I absolutely love what Bobby Ryan has been doing these past two games. He's looking like, well, what we were hoping he would be, but he needs to do it on a consistent basis. I expect a degree of inconsistency from him, because he's so young. The only players his age who don't show some kind of inconsistency are, well, players like Crosby, and that just isn't a fair comparison. If he can be consistent enough, however, that's good enough for me. He doesn't need to be amazing every game, or even amazing 3 out of every 4 games, but just good enough that puts the points up and contributes for the team enough that he doesn't seem to vanish entirely for periods of time.
He looks like a different player now, I thought he looked pretty good before but the shift to shift consistancy wasn't there, now it looks like he's a much better two way player and more confident offensively. I like the fact he's being asked to score goals because we all know he's a very good playmaker as well.

:help:

What feud? This is fun - I love the banter!

May is garbage during the regular season and his 2 year contract was a stupid move.
Both Miller and Carter are useful regular season players in various ways, May is great when he is running around like a chicken with his head cut off like he did during the playoffs. But at his age he just isn't capable of playing like that during the regular season. That my friend is painfully obvious!:)

Huskins is much better than Hnidy, who should be our 6-7 dman and spare forward probably.

I think it is entertaining as well, but you don't have to throw a sarcastic comment every time Dirk posts. It just makes it really annoying. Anyway...

I completely disagree about May being worthless. The two year contract doesn't bother me at all because it's not that much money. I think May is much better suited for the 4th line then Miller. Miller's only purpose in the future would be to replace Moen or R.Niedermayer in the future. Until then he should be in the AHL, because he doesn't bring anything to the table right now. Personally I think Sutherby was brought in to eventually replace Moen or R.Niedermayer eventually, unless we're able to get rid of Marchant's contract then he would take his spot. Miller has nothing offensively, and brings no grit to the 4th line. I'll take Carter on the 4th line over him any day.

I completely disagree about May being worthless.
I agree with you. May is only doing mediocre this season but was a great for the Ducks in the playoffs last year. He is one of those guys who is short on talent but HUGE on heart and translates into a big impact at important games. I am glad he is on our team.

Also, he is a one of the nicest guys if you ever get a chance to meet him.

Miller's only purpose in the future would be to replace Moen or R.Niedermayer in the future. Until then he should be in the AHL, because he doesn't bring anything to the table right now.

Do you realize the contradiction there? You think his purpose is to replace valuable NHL players and their contributions, but you want him to do his entire apprenticeship in the AHL, playing against AHL players. That'll be perfect when those guys are gone and he's flying without a net in the NHL because we have nobody to replace him if he falters.

Fantastic game. This is the defense-first, cycling team I'm used to. The dump and (sometimes) chase, neutral zone clogging team I love to see get 2 points (and 2 goals). I don't care how you win as long as you score at least one more than the opposition before the buzzer sounds. I'd rather win ugly than lose pretty. Jiggy bailed the team out a few times but I like what I saw last night on the whole.

hmmm, Interesting statement ;) Not that I disagree.

Do you realize the contradiction there? You think his purpose is to replace valuable NHL players and their contributions, but you want him to do his entire apprenticeship in the AHL, playing against AHL players. That'll be perfect when those guys are gone and he's flying without a net in the NHL because we have nobody to replace him if he falters.

What? I'm sorry I guess i don't understand what you're saying. All I know about Miller is that I think we have guys on the roster that are much more capable of producing or doing their job right now. He brings nothing to the table IMO, RIGHT NOW. Miller is a defensive forward, who IMO has Moen, Marchant, R.Niedermayer, Sutherby and Pahlsson ahead of him to be on the checking line right now. I think Carter and May are more valuable on the 4th line then him right now.

What? I'm sorry I guess i don't understand what you're saying.

I'm saying there's a fundamental flaw in the argument from people who expect Miller to replace one of Moen/R.Niedermayer but want him in the AHL until that happens. My point is that it's pointless to expect him to be able to effectively fill such a role as soon as next season without some practical NHL experience. Yes, the AHL is a wonderful place to hone one's hockey skills- but it's unfair to think that if Miller bides his time there that he can become an integral part of the big club as soon as we ditch a higher-paid veteran. Unfortunately, if that ends up being the case, we'll have to hope that Miller succeeds with extremely limited experience (if he's sent to the AHL) because there will be no Moen/R.Niedermayer to step in if he should fail. (Then we're looking at bringing up/in a replacement for Miller.)

Better to learn now what he can do in the NHL and get him the experience, unless he's hurting us (which he isn't). We might as well know now if he's got the potential, or we could learn the hard way in a year or two.

why does every thread have to turn into a ****ing miller debate.

****ing make one thread to argue about him in and keep it there. ****.

I'm saying there's a fundamental flaw in the argument from people who expect Miller to replace one of Moen/R.Niedermayer but want him in the AHL until that happens. My point is that it's pointless to expect him to be able to effectively fill such a role as soon as next season without some practical NHL experience. Yes, the AHL is a wonderful place to hone one's hockey skills- but it's unfair to think that if Miller bides his time there that he can become an integral part of the big club as soon as we ditch a higher-paid veteran. Unfortunately, if that ends up being the case, we'll have to hope that Miller succeeds with extremely limited experience (if he's sent to the AHL) because there will be no Moen/R.Niedermayer to step in if he should fail. (Then we're looking at bringing up/in a replacement for Miller.)

Better to learn now what he can do in the NHL and get him the experience, unless he's hurting us (which he isn't). We might as well know now if he's got the potential, or we could learn the hard way in a year or two.

I understand where you're coming from, but I disagree to an extent. You're saying that the team should keep Miller up to hone his skills, but the problem is is that he wouldn't be in the role that he is going to be on the big club. I mean the only spot that he could get here is on the 4th line. I think it would be smarter to let him play more minutes in the AHL and develop his game. That's why the team doesn't keep Platt or Ryan on the 4th line, because there's no point in putting them there. Plus I think many would agree that it's better to develop your skills in the AHL, rather then 6 minutes a night on the 4th line.

I'm saying there's a fundamental flaw in the argument from people who expect Miller to replace one of Moen/R.Niedermayer but want him in the AHL until that happens.

The press box is a much better place to get experience? Both Sutherby and May are hurt and that didn't get him into the lineup. Instead they recalled Carter.

If he's going to play that's one thing. Otherwise do us all a favor and send him down. If nothing else it would kill this dumb debate.

The press box is a much better place to get experience?
Now don't go putting words in my mouth, all I said that if he was playing in the NHL, it might better equip him to deal with the future expectations that will be placed on him.

Obviously, he's better served by playing somewhere rather than nowhere.

Now don't go putting words in my mouth, all I said that if he was playing in the NHL, it might better equip him to deal with the future expectations that will be placed on him.

Obviously, he's better served by playing somewhere rather than nowhere.

I just don't see how you think playing 6 or 7 minutes a night is better then the AHL at bettering ones game. Playing in the AHL is the best thing for Miller right now. He has no spot on this team, even when we have two injured forwards. It's obvious because he's been scratched the last two games. Do everyone a favor and send him down and let's see if he's even capable of being on this club in the future.