Ducks Team Report

INSIDE SHOTS

Among many uncertainties for the Ducks, who have struggled through more than a fourth of their 82-game, NHL regular-season schedule, is the state of the club’s goaltending.

In the wake of longtime starter Jean-Sebastien Giguere’s(notes) struggles last season and the subsequent emergence of Jonas Hiller(notes), who was the single biggest reason the Ducks upset the San Jose Sharks and nearly the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup playoffs, coach Randy Carlyle threw the netminding competition wide open from the outset of training camp.

While the play of neither Hiller nor Giguere has been as problematic as many other factors through Anaheim’s disappointing 8-11-3 start, neither has either goaltender performed well enough to seize the No. 1 job outright. Giguere might have made a move in that direction Monday night when he registered a season-high 41 saves in a 3-2 shootout triumph over the Calgary Flames at Honda Center.

Even in his first victory of the season and first since March 24, Giguere endured a difficult moment. A Jarome Iginla(notes) shot that Carlyle said deflected off a Ducks player enabled Calgary to tie the score and force overtime with just 18 seconds left in the third period.

Giguere regrouped to stop both Flames shots in overtime, then turned aside Nigel Dawes(notes) and Olli Jokinen(notes) in the shootout. After Anaheim winger Teemu Selanne(notes) produced the lone shootout conversion, the Ducks came up winners when Curtis Glencross(notes) shot wide on Calgary’s final attempt.

Given Carlyle’s season-long mantra of “Win and you’re in,” Giguere figures to be back in net Wednesday night, when the Carolina Hurricanes visit Honda Center.

“When you’re going through stretches, you need people to step to the forefront, and tonight was Giguere’s night,” Carlyle said. “The one thing about Jiggy is he is serious about getting better. He comes and he works every day. He was rewarded for all the work that he’s put in.”

With the Ducks nursing a precarious one-goal lead, Giguere stopped 17 third-period shot before Iginla’s fortuitous equalizer.

“We were under siege pretty much for the whole third period,” Carlyle said. “We basically let them come back at us. Our goaltender made a bunch of big-league stops to keep the score 2-1.”

The Ducks profess confidence in both Giguere and Hiller, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt if one were to lay claim to the crease with superior play.

“Our goaltending situation, the two guys are battling,” Anaheim center Ryan Getzlaf(notes) said. “These guys are working hard to solidify that No. 1 spot. Jiggy played really well tonight. We appreciate that playing in front of him, when he can make some big saves and enable us to stay in hockey games.”

Ducks 3, Flames 2:   Goals by Bobby Ryan(notes) and Ryan Getzlaf 1:08 apart late in the first period gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead, but Calgary forced overtime when captain Jarome Iginla scored with 18 seconds left in the third period. After a scoreless extra session, Teemu Selanne came through with the lone shootout conversion to give the Ducks their second victory during the first three dates on a critical seven-game homestand. Anaheim goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere registered 41 saves and foiled all three Flames participants in the shootout to gain his first victory of the season. Ducks right wing Corey Perry(notes) picked up an assist, stretching his career-high scoring streak to 15 games, matching the second-longest run in franchise history.

NOTES, QUOTES

• With Monday night’s 3-2 shootout triumph over the Calgary Flames at Honda Center, the Ducks matched a franchise record for the most consecutive victories against a given opponent on home ice. Dating to April 4, 2004, the Ducks have won 10 consecutive home games against Calgary, equaling their run against the Phoenix Coyotes from Nov. 9, 2003 through March 7, 2007. The Flames have not won in Anaheim since Jan. 19, 2004, and since the beginning of the 1999-2000 season the Ducks are 15-1-3 against Calgary on home ice.

• Thanks to Teemu Selanne, who produced the lone conversion, the Ducks improved to 2-2 in shootouts this season with Monday night’s 3-2 victory over visiting Calgary. Selanne, who is 2-for-3 in shootouts this season, also had the decisive strike in Anaheim’s other shootout triumph, a 3-2 decision Oct. 10 at Philadelphia. The Ducks improved to 24-29 all-time in the regular-season tie-breaker, and goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere turned aside all three Calgary shooters to improve his career shootout record to 15-21.

Quote To Note:   “It’s been a long time, but it feels good to win. I’ll soak it in here for the next 10 minutes, then move on and think about the next game. I’m really excited we got the win, and everybody in the dressing room is. If it would have gone the other way, it would have been a pretty big blow to our team.”—Goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who registered 41 saves in his first victory of the season, Monday night’s 3-2 shootout decision over the visiting Calgary Flames

ROSTER REPORT

Goaltenders:   Jonas Hiller, Jean-Sebastien Giguere

Defensemen:   Scott Niedermayer(notes), Ryan Whitney(notes), James Wisniewski(notes), Nick Boynton(notes), Steve Eminger(notes), Brendan Mikkelson(notes)

First Line:   Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry

Second Line:   Evgeny Artyukhin(notes), Saku Koivu(notes), Teemu Selanne

Third Line:   Kyle Calder(notes), Todd Marchant(notes), Petteri Nokelainen(notes)

Fourth Line:   Mike Brown, MacGregor Sharp(notes), George Parros(notes)

Player Notes:  

• RW Corey Perry picked up a first-period assist to stretch his career-high scoring streak to 15 games. The run matches 15-game streaks by C Ryan Getzlaf and RW Teemu Selanne for the second-longest in franchise history. Selanne holds the club record with a 17-game streak from Feb. 3 to March 10, 1999. Perry has nine goals and 12 assists during his streak, the longest in the NHL since then-Boston RW Phil Kessel(notes) produced at least a point in 18 consecutive games from Nov. 13 to Dec. 21, 2008. Perry also has six goals and 15 points during a 10-game home scoring streak.

• LW Bobby Ryan’s goal gave him a modest three-game scoring streak as well as points in nine of his last 10 games and 11 of the last 13. Ryan also has an eight-game home scoring streak, during which he has produced seven goals and 11 points, including goals in six of the eight games.

• G Jean-Sebastien Giguere’s 41 saves marked his highest total since Oct. 25, 2008, when he turned aside 47 shots in a 6-4 Ducks triumph at Montreal. Giguere’s victory Monday night was his first since March 24, at Nashville.

Medical Watch:  

• RW Joffrey Lupul(notes) has sat out the last two games, the first two he has missed this season, because of back spasms. Lupul also experienced back spasms during training camp.

• C Ryan Carter(notes), who has missed the last six games, has been diagnosed with a broken bone in his right foot and is expected to be sidelined until late December. An additional X-ray, taken when the injury did not show any improvement, revealed the fracture, which resulted from a shot that struck Carter during a Nov. 12 practice in Columbus.