Wins, Losses, Blue Line Tosses

Lets quickly cover some of the basics.

A HUGE thank you to Sammy Pahlssons' Chicago Blackhawks for defeating the Nashville Predators last night in a 4-2 win. Awesome! Bryz and his Yotes weren't so wonderful and the Ducks will just have to thank them in their own special way later this week. On a similar note, Dallas did not do their part to eliminate Minnesota either. So again, the Ducks will have to offer some friendly advice on how to do that as well. I'd also like to say just how freaking happy I am that Dallas has been eliminated already! Nothing puts a smile on my face like knowing the team who eliminated the Ducks last year are already GONE!

Also, Edmonton lost to the Kings (yea, I know...even the Kings helped the Ducks out, what's wrong with you Phoenix?!) and they are completely eliminated from the playoffs. SUCKAS!

Alright, so on to other GOOD GREAT stuff!!

The potential return of Francois Beauchemin (Beaucheboy as he's so lovingly referred to by Ducks in a Row) to the line-up as soon as Friday!

I love Beaucheboy. I've always considered him the poor mans Scotty. You can't afford a Scott Niedermayer offensive/defenseman? Get yourself a Francois Beauchemin. He's an affordable puck handler with wonderful speed and an amazing ability to see the play forming ahead of him. Just like Scotty, he's not afriad to jump into the play and take an offensive stand now and again. He's going to be valuable to the Power Play and for all purposes, it will mean having an experienced blue line once again.

So who does he replace? I say he takes the spot of Brendan Mikkelson. Don't get me wrong, I don't think he's a bad D man, but I think Sheldon Brookbank has more of the power that the Ducks need. He's a big guy with guts (again, did you SEE that black eye?). Suddenly, the Ducks have gone from employing an insanely inexperienced blue line, to having potentially three very VERY threatening walls of defense.

The return of Beauchemin can only be a positive to this group. He brings experience that the Ducks need. He's obviously well rested (and hopefully not too out of shape) and can bring an extra boost to the Ducks roster during this push into the playoffs (IF IF IF they make it). I don't fear that he will ruin or disturb any chemistry, I only imagine he will improve upon it.

I've really missed Beauch this year, however we all know that if he had never been hurt in the first place, we might have missed any chance of seeing Bobby Effin Ryan. Well, now we get them BOTH!

GO DUCKS!!! Hello Beauchemin!

Wait, there are other teams in the NHL?

OHHHH, there are plenty of other teams in the NHL. Some better than the Ducks...quite a few worse than the Ducks...and 2 very important teams playing tonight.

Here's a little look at the standings BEFORE tonight's action.

6. Columbus 79 GP; 90 Pts; 40 W
7. Anaheim 80 GP; 88 Pts; 41 W
8. Nashville 79 GP; 86 Pts; 39 W
9. St. Louis 79 GP; 86 Pts; 38 W
10. Minnesota 79 GP; 83 Pts; 37 W
11. Edmonton 79 GP; 83 Pts; 37 W

In terms of Minnesota and Edmonton, 1 loss for either of them AND/OR one point for Anaheim, and they will be officially out of contention with the Ducks.

Both Nashville and St. Louis are hot on the heels of the Ducks and they are both playing in some big match-ups today. Tonight, for one night only...I hope Sammy Pahlsson and his Chicago Blackhawks tear the Predators apart...and by some great fortune...I hope that we see Ilya Bryzgalovs' Coyotes take care of business against the Blues. Losses for these teams are HUGE right now. Come on ex-Ducks...we need you right now!

In addition, if the Ducks win both of these final games they are guaranteed a spot...7th in fact. If the Ducks win the final 2, they will have 92 points, and even if both Nashville AND St. Louis win all 3 of their games, Anaheim will still have the tie breaker with MORE WINS. 2 wins? That's do-able right? The other possibility is that the Ducks win just ONE game...and EITHER Nashville OR St. Louis lose just one game...the Ducks are officially in.

I have a first round playoff preference, but I wont get into that until later this week when their fate is more defined.

In the meantime, I want it to be known that I'm not against this 4 day break. Let the boys get some rest and heal some battered bones (they were plenty abused Sunday evening). I really believe that this hot streak is not a fluke. I think that finally...FINALLY...we're seeing the Ducks we were meant to see from the beginning of the season. Exactly 2 weeks after the trade deadline, the Ducks started tearing it up. Having gone 10-3-0 in their last 13 games is not a fluke, it's not even a hot streak in my opinion. It's what good teams do. Ladies and gentlemen...this Ducks team is GOOD. No, really...they are DAMN good. They have the chemistry we expected them to have. They are playing with the fire we want from them. They have the passion...the desire...the WANT.

Thanks NHL schedulers for giving this bear a break. Does anyone remember mid LAST season when the now long gone GM Brian Burke referred to the team as a waking bear?

"Watching our team come together is like watching a bear wake up at the zoo," Burke said. "He shakes his arms out and he shakes his legs out and it's a process. But when he's awake, he's a bear." AB's Blog

Yea I know...that was in reference to last years team, but I think it applies to this years team as well. All season we've been watching a hibernating bear. A team with the power and tools necessary to rip other teams apart...and yet, the bear has been slowly waking up...slowly stretching his limbs. Well, now that he's awake, we've seen the power that he posses and the strength of each individual muscle within.

THE BEAR IS AWAKE AND READY FOR THE FIGHT!

GO DUCKS!!! (andforonenightonlygoChicagoandPhoenix)