ARTHUR:
The Ducks came out on the wrong end of a special teams affair friday night as their power play went 1 for 4 (including portions of a 5-minute major) and gave up two power play goals, a shorthanded goal and an empty-netter to Vancouver in a 4-2 loss.
If playing against the preseason Canucks is a mark of a defenseman's abilities in the NHL, then Cam Fowler is steadily improving. He again drew the most ice time of any Duck (22:48) and was unfazed by the need to make the small plays correctly as well as the need to correct the small misplays he made. Late in the game, he even found the stride to carry the puck to the opposing blueline. For me, it really counts for something that he looked as effective as the young but more seasoned Sbisa, but it was Sbisa who found himself in the box toward the end of the game for a costly penalty.
This hockey team is rife with storylines right now, but the front page headline is, One Game Left. One game left that doesn't count. One game left to beta test this squad. One game left to choose a captain. One game left to commit to the season's first roster, its first gameplan. One game left before the criticisms start to stick.