When the Anaheim Ducks started the season by winning just one of their first 10 games, there was plenty of speculation about whether coach Bruce Boudreau was about to be fired by the club. But Anaheim then won its first four games in November and GM Bob Murray spoke about not rushing to make changes. The Ducks were too skilled of a roster to not rebound, right?
Well…maybe not so much.
Anaheim has lost six of its past 10 games and has the worst offence in the league, averaging less than two goals a game (1.83). Ryan Getzlaf has scored just once, Corey Perry leads the team with just 19 points in 30 games and after a 3-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres – in which the Ducks outshot their opponents 44-22 – Boudreau didn’t hold back his frustration.
Starting his post-game interview with an incredulous sigh, Boudreau said: “We pushed in the third period, but that’s the way we should have been playing to start the game. We need, on a consistent basis, our best players to be our best players and I just don’t think that’s happening right now.”
“We had the shots and territorial, but if there was a 1-on-1 battle they were coming away with the puck.”
The Ducks have scored just five goals in their past five games and have lost back-to-back games to Carolina and Buffalo – teams a Stanley Cup contender should be able to beat and score more than one goal on. Anaheim stays on the east coast until Christmas with games against the Devils, Islanders and Rangers on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday.
With the latest losses and an ongoing problem with finding the back of the net, Boudreau once again has to be on the hot seat. He must feel the pressure, too, because he put out a clear challenge to his team.
“I’m hoping the pride kicks in. Thank god the teams in our division aren’t doing very well, it still keeps us in it with 50 games to go. But at the same time we have to start doing something on our own. And I think the pride and the fact that the will to want to succeed has got to be the thing that overtakes them right now and they become defiant and angry rather than upset and woe is me.”
