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"We're now 1-1-1 after three games. We wanted to be 2-1," Teemu Selanne said. "We keep battling. That's the only good thing."
A point was left on the table at after Anaheim surrendered two leads and missed chances late in regulation on the power play and in overtime in a 3-2 loss to the NHL's cellar-dwelling Columbus Blue Jackets. Derek Brassard picked Cam Fowler's pocket before electing to shoot on a two-on-one, burying a heavy slapshot inside the far post past Jonas Hiller.
"I feel terrible," Fowler said. "Giving up a two-on-one like that, it's just unacceptable. What are you going to do?"
That's a good question, as it's officially backs-against-the-wall time in Anaheim.
97 points is the magic number often referenced as the playoff precipice, a cutoff that appeared to be attainable despite the 11 points that separated the Ducks from the eighth place team during the All-Star Break. After a win Tuesday in Phoenix, the Ducks were 9-1-1 in their previous 11, trending upwards and ready to return to Honda Center for a four-game homestand against teams currently out of the playoff picture.
They've been outscored 9-4 in losses to Dallas and Columbus since then, and judging by our All-Star Break mathematics, will likely need to go 25-5-1 the rest of the way in order to qualify for the playoffs.
The Ducks are 11 points out of a playoff spot after 51 games. In the post-lockout era, the largest points deficit a team faced after 50 games before making the playoffs has been eight points the 2008-09 St. Louis Blues were eight points out after 55 games, while the 2005-06 San Jose Sharks were eight points out after 60 games.
St. Louis rebounded to go 25-5-4 down the stretch, while San Jose finished up 16-4-2.
Is Anaheim capable of a similar turnaround?
"Obviously we know the situation, and we know how tough and difficult this last push is going to be," Saku Koivu said. "We set up some goals after Christmas, and we've been pretty successful in the last month or so. You're going to try, but I don't think you're going to win them all. So the key for us right now after a bad performance or after a loss is not to lose two in a row and really get back playing the style that we have to play to hopefully make the playoffs."
"In the last four or five games, we haven't played as well as we've liked, and we know that we can, so for us right now it's just to get back and bring our game where it has to be and then we'll see what happens.
Selanne acknowledged the team's predicament after the morning skate, at one point even simulating a horse's blinders in discussing his reluctance to look at the standings board in the team's locker room, "because that was not pretty to watch."
"Right now every game is like the playoffs," Selanne said. "It's a good kind of pressure, because we know we're there, so we can't have any nights off."
"Of course you can't win all of them, but that's your mindset, that you have to show up every night, do your best. We know we have still over 30 games left, so you never know. This little stretch here, right away we start looking at the standings. Before that, I think we were too embarrassed to check out the standings. Now, we're just checking what other teams do, and that's what I really hope that we can get into the race and feel the pump and that atmosphere that every game is like a game seven."
NOTES: Bruce Boudreau, on sticking with the club's big guns on a power play that didn't take advantage of all its opportunities: "I told them before they scored Selanne's second goal, I said I don't know why I'm putting you guys back out there. I must be a fool for punishment. I'm putting you guys back out there, because you're the best we've got,' and we got a lucky break and we scored. Those are opportunities against a team that's struggling, you've got to score two or three and get a two-goal lead, and then all of a sudden on the road and they'll want to go home, and they might fold the tent. But we let them hang around long enough, and what happened happened." With his 654th and 655th career goals Friday, Teemu Selanne moved within one goal of Brendan Shanahan for the 11th most career goals in NHL history. Selanne is now 13 goals behind 10th-ranked Luc Robitaille, who scored 668 goals in his NHL career. The Ducks host their second annual Skills Showdown Saturday at Honda Center, presented in competition with the NHLPA Goals & Dreams Fund. The 10 begins at 11:00 AM and will feature all active members of the Ducks competing in six events: King of the Breakaway, Fastest Skater, Longest Shot, Shooting Accuracy, Hardest Shot and Obstacle Relay, with winners. Tickets can be purchased at the box office, while parking is free.
Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/after_loss_ducks_margin_for_error_narrows/9759388
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