Monday, October 12, 2009

The Sore Thumb: Anaheim Ducks


It always warms our collective hearts to see our buddies prosper, so we're delighted to see Anaheim Calling move up to SBN as the Ducks' representative. At the moment, though, AC is still at Blogspot so it is not yet time to adjust your bookmarks. Here's Daniel's perspective on the Ducks ...

All in-depth analysis aside, what flaw or weakness in your team sticks out like a sore thumb?

DANIEL: The one thing that could derail the Ducks season is puck support/team skating. The fact is, there isn't a single guy on the blue line who can strait clear the crease. With Pronger on the ice every other shift, it was possible to get hemmed up in the zone and then let your goalie face down a shot from outside, or the top of, the circles. Now the Ducks need to keep the puck moving. But, during the first two games of the season everyone seemed to be waiting for someone else to make a play instead of working on quick outlets and strong support through the neutral zone. Puck support was also a problem in the offensive zone and the Ducks ended up outnumbered along the boards, leading to transition offense for opposing teams. If the Ducks keep losing battles along the boards because they don't support each other, they will be facing more rushes on defense, and no scoring chances on offense.

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