San Jose Sharks Drown Anaheim Ducks in Series Finale

By Michelle Drinnenberg
Bob Stanton- USA TODAY Sports

Thankfully, while the Anaheim Ducks are amid a four-game losing streak, the Pittsburgh Penguins are stealing the headlines as they continue their 13-game winning streak, and that’s not even icing on the cake. Lets not forget their recent acquisitions of Doug Murray and franchise players and captains Brenden Morrow and Jerome Iginla. It’s safe to say that penguins know how to make a huge splash if you know what I mean. Furthermore, I can finally let out a deep sigh of relief knowing that an East coast team is getting stacked as they pluck solid players out of the West. Thank you!

If only the Ducks can turn this skid around while attention is on another team.

Anaheim extended their losing streak as they got blanked by the San Jose Sharks at HP Pavillion. There’s not much to say as to why a team that always found a way to win this season has been stumped the past four games straight other than they’ve strayed from their ways.

For starters, a team can only come from behind for so long before they tire themselves out and that sounds like the case in Anaheim as the Ducks have held a lead just once during their losing streak–scoring the first goal on Friday against the Detroit Red Wings. Since then, the team has been playing a non-stop game of duck-duck-goose, only they’re the goose that keeps running around in circles.

The Ducks need to go back to the K.I.S.S. system; keep it simple, stupid. The team is merely thinking too hard or not hard enough. They continuously make careless decisions on the ice as result of always being a stride or two behind. Once the team establishes a sustained attack and consistency in cycling the puck down low, the team is unstoppable, but they have to gain possession in the zone first. As soon as they can gain entry and maintain their forecheck it’ll all come back to them naturally.

Surprisingly, Corey Perry perfectly summed up the team’s recent predicament,

“There’s always peaks and valleys, and we’re trying to get out of this valley as quick as possible and start climbing back in the right direction.”

Luckily for Perry and his teammates, they gave themselves a firm cushion with the remarkable start they orchestrated early on, which gives them some leeway if they ever ended up deserted in the valley longer than anticipated.

For more information throughout the season follow me on twitter @m_drinnenberg and on Facebook here.

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