Players stay positive despite struggles
After a 5-0 loss at Tampa Bay on Saturday, the Ducks remained positive as they begin a stretch of six of seven games at home with a matchup with Calgary on Tuesday.
Ryan Getzlaf said there was “no point in yelling at other people” or dwelling on the negative despite an offense ranked 29th after 21 games and a 2-3-0 slide after a 4-0-2 run.
“There’s no one in this locker room that’s played outstanding this year that has the ability to point at anybody,” Getzlaf said. “The only time you can ever call anybody out is if you’re doing your job, and doing it every night, and we just haven’t had that from anybody. We’re a group that’s got to stay together and pull together and try and build each other [up].”
Getzlaf has one goal, on an empty net, and eight assists in 15 games. Getzlaf said his subpar play has made it difficult for him to set a tone on the ice and in the locker room.
“If I was playing outstanding, scoring every night, then maybe I’d be able to do some other things,” he said. “But I can’t do anything to anybody until those things happen and they just need to see that I’m not sulking because I’m not scoring.”
Getzlaf is not alone. Ryan Kesler and Jakob Silfverberg also have only one goal each, and Silfverberg’s is also an empty-net goal. The silver lining is that the Ducks found some of their forechecking identity on the four-game trip.
“Sometimes you take a step forward, and one step back,” Coach Bruce Boudreau said. “The next time we do it, hopefully we’re four games good and then one game bad and then eventually, we’re playing 10 games at the top of our
game.”
Injury updates
Defenseman Hampus Lindholm said he is feeling better but remains day to day because of an upperbody injury that forced him to sit out Saturday.
“I’m just going to talk to the trainers and see where I’m at [Tuesday],” he said.
Center Nate Thompson is taking contact in practice but is believed to be about a week away from returning from shoulder surgery.
New facility
The Ducks announced plans to build a public iceskating facility at the Great Park in Irvine that would also serve as their part-time practice facility.
Pending a vote from the Irvine City Council, the four-sheet complex would break ground in the fall of 2016 and open in 2018, the Ducks said.
Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli are contributing a minimum of $25 million to the project.
The Ducks would practice at the facility when Honda Center is not available.
NEXT UP
VS. CALGARY When: Tuesday, 7 p.m. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 830. Update: The Ducks have won 20 consecutive regularseason home games against the Flames dating to 2004, giving Calgary the longest active road losing streak in the NHL. This is the first matchup since the Ducks eliminated the Flames in the second round of the playoffs last season. Calgary defenseman Kris Russell (upper body) is expected to play and goalie Karri Ramo is expected to make his 11th consecutive start.