DANIEL:
This is Anaheim Calling to the hockey world.
The Ducks continue to find impressive ways to lose. Wisniewski is apparently continuing to play with the flu and making mistakes rather than admitting he can't play-- thanks for being tough Wiz. The offense from the top line is picking up again with an upright Joffrey Lupul, but secondary scoring is non-existent. And now, it also seems the power play is drying up. But that's all the bad stuff. While it might be more prudent for Anaheim fans to start thinking of the 2010 draft rather than the 2010 playoffs, can you tell me if there's a bright spot on the Ducks roster right now that can have Ducks fans tricking themselves into believing a playoff run might be in our future?
ARTHUR:
No.
DANIEL:
Well, that was an inspiring answer. I don't know if it will be enough for a full fledged playoff push, but the play of the rookies and the scoring chances that are starting to come from the top three lines have given me a little bit of hope for our season. Sexton is doing everything I thought he would. He enters scrums in the corners, and leaves with the puck. He's finding holes in the defense and creating shots and scoring opportunities, eventually the puck's going to start going in for him. Beleskey is finishing his checks and making smart plays in the defensive end. I think that Beleskey and Sexton have shown they can play in this league. I'm not saying there aren't consistency issues, defensive awareness or other factors that don't need to be improved, but they have shown that they have the required tools to play at the NHL level.
The Ducks youth, Sharp included, have demonstrated an ability to step into adverse situations and play strong hockey. The problem we're really facing is management's inability to let the rookies play. I think the play of the rookies has shown that we are a lot deeper up front than we originally thought. That means a forward for defenseman swap can be made without losing too much. Hopefully a move like that can get us a better shut down mentality for the third period and lead to a few more victories.