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DUCKS LAPSE INTO OLD HABITS AFTER CHRISTMAS

DEC 31, 2007 -- ANAHEIM -- The Ducks enjoyed their three-day Christmas break that followed their game with the Sharks. A time to rest and enjoy family and friends. After Christmas, the Ducks headed to Canada for a three game road trip that would take them to the halfway point of the season. The trip started off well, but faded in the middle back to old habits that die hard.

GAMES

On Thursday the Ducks visited Edmonton. The Ducks have won rarely in Edmonton but things they are a changing. Doug Weight said “we continued what we started before Christmas,” and continue they did. They killed all three penalties and held the Oilers to only 16 shots on goal. While Marty Reasoner scored first for Edmonton, Corey Perry tied things up with his 20th goal of the year. It looked like the Ducks would head into overtime, something the Oilers relished, but Weight received a perfect pass from Bobby Ryan and got the game winning goal with 3:39 left to go. Weight later commented, “It’s a great feeling just to be on this ice. It’s a great place to play a game. It’s a lot of fun. I had a lot of great times here.” The Ducks finally had some fun against the Oilers, too, with the 2-1 win in regulation and their first victory against the Oilers this season.

On Saturday the Ducks visited another hostile building – the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary. The Ducks had a four game winning streak and the Flames were coming off a 5-3 loss to Vancouver. The Ducks played strong in the first 30 minutes of the game and were up 3-1 thanks to power play goals by Todd Bertuzzi and Scott Niedermayer and a rare goal by George Parros at even strength. They had outshot the Flames 21-7 and outworked them as well. Then the tide shifted. Bad habits die hard as the Ducks stopped skating and started taking bad penalties. The Ducks took six consecutive penalties and and Jarome Iginla’s power play goal on the 6th power play was the eventual game winner. Iginla also had another goal and an assist and Kristian Huselius scored two goals as well, including the empty netter that gave the Flames the 5-3 victory over the Ducks.

Coach Randy Carlyle put it succinctly: "When we got up 3-1, we stopped skating. We didn't do the things that were necessary to win a hockey game. We didn't play for 60 minutes. For whatever reason, whether it was energy, if it was a lack of concentration, whatever, we just didn't seem to be able to get it back."

On Sunday the Ducks played the second of back to back games in Vancouver and were once again befuddled by the Canucks. The Canucks got a power play goal by Daniel Sedin and Matt Cooke got the eventual game winner in the second period. The Ducks finally got their act together in the third period and Ryan Getzlaf scored midway through the period to bring the game within one goal. Their efforts were too little, too late and it was another loss to the Canucks, this time 2-1.

INJURY UPDATE

Sami Pahlsson stayed home and extended his Christmas break trying to rehab a nagging abdominal injury that just won’t heal fully. The hope was that with an additional week off from practice and play, Pahlsson would be able to strengthen and heal his injury. Pahlsson was put on injured reserve during his ten day break, but is expected to play against the Columbus Blue Jackets on January 2.

Brad May continues day to day with his broken foot and is still in a walking boot.

Brian Sutherby accompanied the Ducks on their road trip and began practicing with the team. He was taken off IR after being deemed fully recovered from a groin injury that has plagued him for several weeks.

ROSTER MOVES

With Pahlsson on the IR at home, Todd Marchant was inserted on the checking line in his place. Drew Miller, who had been a healthy scratch, was inserted onto the fourth line with Ryan Carter and George Parros.

SPECIALTY TEAMS

The penalty kill remains at 80.5%, but has moved up to 21st in the league. The Ducks do not want to lapse into old habits and continue their trek to the penalty box. If they do, this number is bound to drop yet again.

The power play is at 15.8% this week, moving up to 20th in the league. The Ducks were 0 for 3 in Edmonton, but went 2 for 4 in Calgary. The Ducks were 0 for 2 in Vancouver. This is a slight improvement, but any improvement is welcome.

THE STANDINGS

The Ducks are currently 19-17-5 at the halfway point of the season with 43 points. The Ducks are 7 points behind Pacific Division leading Dallas and 4 points behind San Jose. Both Dallas and San Jose have fewer games played than the Ducks. The Ducks dropped to 8th place in the Western Conference, tied with Calgary in points. St. Louis, Chicago and Columbus are all just 3 points behind the Ducks and both St. Louis and Chicago have played four less games, giving them the edge for a final playoff spot. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – every point matters and the Ducks have to earn points when possible or they will be out of playoff contention.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The Ducks are now officially halfway through their season. They will then head back home to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday and the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday. The Ducks will then take a quick trip to Phoenix on Saturday for the final game of the week.

ANAHEIM DUCKS

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BY KAREN FRANCIS

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