Anaheim Ducks

After returning from the All-Star break with an impressive 6-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on the road last night, the Dallas Stars will try to stop another hot team tonight in California. The Sharks won their first game back by demolishing the Blue Jackets 6-0 on Tuesday, and just like last season they have picked their game up after playing very average hockey to start the season. Now the Stars and Sharks push ahead into the second part of the season in the same spots they were in last season. The Sharks have again taken the Pacific division lead that the [...]

What Happened: Is perfection simplifying it too much? From the first period on the Dallas Stars played one of their best games of the season on the road tonight as they returned from the All-Star break with an offensive explosion. The red-hot Anaheim Ducks scored first when a Matt Beleskey shot from distance bounced in off traffic after a defensive zone turnover five minutes into the game, but after that the game went the Stars’ way. Eric Nystrom, Vernon Fiddler, and Jamie Benn all scored in the first as the Stars turned a 1-0 early deficit into a 3-1 lead after the first period. [...]

After what has felt like an eternity, Dallas Stars hockey has finally returned, and for all intents and purposes the Stars are playing playoff hockey. The consensus is that barring any huge collapse, there’s only one (possibly two if Los Angeles can’t play more consistent)  playoff spots open in the Western Conference. With five teams in contention for that spot, every game and every points becomes more and more valuable, and scoreboard watching will become a habitual past time for Stars fans who will take help wherever we can get it. Then there’s the Anaheim Ducks. Long considered a team [...]

We’re over halfway into the season, and it’s come time to look at the Pacific Division at the break. The format will be changed up and instead of looking at just the past week of games, we’ll be looking at the teams overall throughout these first 47-50 games.  1.  San Jose Sharks: (27-14-6, 60 points) First Half: The Sharks are in that time of their history where they will be seen as perennial contenders. They win, they win big, they win a lot, and they never seem to stop. The longest losing streak this team has had is three games, something [...]

Tonight the Dallas Stars get one more chance to get back on track before the All-Star break, and they will have to do it against one of their biggest rivals. The Anaheim Ducks roll into Dallas tonight as the two Pacific division rivals will play their final game before the week long break. While the Ducks are coming into the game on fire ( 8-0-1 in their last nine), the Stars are coming in on a five-game losing streak (0-4-1). In the midst of that skid, the Stars have fallen behind in the Pacific division race and are now just trying [...]

Suddenly, the Ducks are winning, and winning big. They’re just 10 points behind the Phoenix Coyotes and look very, very dangerous. Are they on their way to a historic turn around? Keep reading for updates on the Ducks and the rest of the division.  1. San Jose Sharks: (25-12-5, 55 points) Since Last Week: The Sharks finished up their four-game road swing over the last week, and went 2-1-1, losing in a shootout to Minnesota, and losing a close one to Chicago. They have 55 points, but have played four less games than the second place Kings. That’s up to [...]

The Dallas Stars will finish up their two-game California swing tonight in L.A. as they will do battle with the Los Angeles Kings for the fifth time this season. The Stars had won two in a row before dropping an ugly game to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night by a final of 5-2, in a game where the defensive effort was severely lacking. Now the Stars and new All-Star Jamie Benn will look to bounce-back tonight and pick up a big two points against their divisional rivals. The Kings will come into the game off a 5-2 win Monday in which they scored the [...]

We’ve reached (roughly) the halfway mark of the NHL season. The Pacific is as close as ever, everyone is streaking, and even the Ducks are looking like their old selves. Read ahead to get a look at each team, how they’ve performed since last week, where they’re headed, and what’s next.  1.  San Jose Sharks: (23-11-4, 50 points) Since Last Week: Three games, three wins. The Sharks became the first Pacific Division team to hit the 50 point mark, and they did it playing fewer games than all of the other teams in the division. In other words, the Sharks [...]