Written by Liam McGuire at Bloguin
The Anaheim Ducks are in a tough situation to start the year. A ghastly start has had the Ducks spinning their tires to a 1-5-1 record. With three points out of a possible 14, the Ducks have the worst record in the West and the second-lowest point total in the NHL. Only the lowly Blue Jackets have fewer points. The Ducks’ play are a far cry from the Pacific leading 109 points they put up last year. Head coach Bruce Boudreau has taken a considerable amount of heat, as he should, but there’s reason to believe the Ducks aren’t doomed.
The biggest problem Anaheim has encountered is they can’t score goals. It’s a pretty big problem. They’ve been shutout four times in seven games, and have found the back of the net just six times in seven games. That’s less than a goal per game. No Ducks player has scored more than once this season. Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, Corey Perry, Jakob Silfverberg and Carl Hagelin, who combined for more than 100 goals in 2014-15, are all scoreless this season. Barring catastrophic injuries, there’s little chance that trend continues. Those are all genuine top-six players with oodles of talent who happen to be off to horrific starts collectively. Bad, but not a sign of things to come.
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