KRISTEN:

As Jen mentioned in her Ducks-Rangers gameday post, the normally happy-go-lucky Teemu is deeply dissatisfied with the Ducks' recent skid. He's been even more frank about his dissatisfaction in his native Finnish. Battle of California's Sleza posted a link to Selanne's Finnish blog, in which he jokes that the Ducks are actually a men's beer league team who have dressed in NHL sweaters as an elaborate Halloween prank. Ouch.

ESPN has noted that Jonas Hiller has the worst save percentage of any Pacific Division goalie. That's troubling, but with the exception of a few games, Hiller has played better than that statistic suggests. I think that the true issue lies with Coach Carlyle, and his over-dependence on Bobby Ryan, Corey Perry, and Ryan Getzlaf. You have a bottom 6, Coach, and the Ducks won't improve until the third and fourth lines get regular minutes. There is no reason why Getzlaf should be playing 20+ minutes a night. Let DSP and Andrew Gordon wear down our opponents' offense.

Our upcoming matchup against Detroit should be interesting. Both the Ducks and the Wings are on the skids, and the victory will likely depend on the contributions of each team's role players.

On to the links...

• The infamous Teemu blog (it's in Finnish, but the disappointment is definitely there). [Blogit]
• Can the Ducks fix their poor play? [ESPN]
• Recaps from last night's game against the Rangers. [Blueshirt Banter] [On The Duck Pond] [OC Register] [San Francisco Chronicle] [New York Daily News] [Sacramento Bee]
• The Flyers were reportedly interested in Sheldon Brookbank for a second. [Philly.com]
• How Washington's bottom 6 wore down our offense. [Washington Examiner]
• The London Knights are retiring Corey Perry's No. 94 jersey. [London Free Press]
• The Ducks may not be playing well, but at least both Koivu brothers (Saku and Mikko) have ended their respective scoring droughts. [The Cheap Seats]
• Another silver lining: Andrew Cogliano appears to have found chemistry with the Finns on the second line. [Fox Sports West]
• Emerson Etem has been named WHL Player of the Month(s) for September-October. [Ducks Daily Blog]
  
• Russian Machine Never Breaks (an excellent Capitals blog with an emphasis on the team's Russian players and prospects) got a chance to interview former Cap/Hershey Bear Andrew Gordon while the Ducks were in DC. [Russian Machine Never Breaks]
• A scary, moustache-less George Parros. [ProHockeyTalk]
• The Anaheim Ducks Towel Invades Hartwall Areena. Remember that place? [Anaheim Ducks Towel Invasions]
• Part one of the Ducks' "Learn to Play" event will be held at Westminster Ice this Saturday from 2:10-3:10 pm. Children between the ages of 4 and 10 will receive free equipment and hockey instruction over a period of four classes, and it is expected that over 10,000 children across the nation (it will be held at over 400 rinks in 47 states) will get to try hockey. [Anaheim Ducks]
• Kurtis Foster, Andrew Gordon, Dan Ellis, and former Duck Sean Pronger (better known as Chris' brother) will be featured on the first episode of Off the Ice with Steve Carroll from Ducks Radio. The episode will take place on Tuesday, November 8 at ESPN Zone Anaheim, and will be broadcast on AM 830 KLAA from 5-7 pm. [Anaheim Ducks]