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Memo to the Ducks: Get confident, stupid!

Bruce Boudreau, Andrew Cogliano, Niklas Hagman, Ben Maxwell

Anaheim Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau talks to his players, from left, Andrew Cogliano, Niklas Hagman, of Finland, and Ben Maxwell during the first period of their NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Friday, Dec. 2, 2011, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

AP

Bruce Boudreau’s takeover in Anaheim hasn’t produced wins immediately for the Ducks.

After losing to St. Louis last night, Boudreau told Mark Whicker of the OC Register that the missed shots and opportunities the Ducks have had would’ve been capitalized upon by a more confident team. Wins were hard to come by for the Ducks this season with Randy Carlyle at the helm leading to his firing and Boudreau’s hiring. Wins will come in time, but as Boudreau says, they’re a team that needs a win streak to get their swagger back.

Meanwhile, future Hall Of Famer Teemu Selanne says the Ducks are playing better now, but making a mess on their own thanks to bad mistakes. Mistakes come with trying too hard or not trying nearly hard enough. With how much tougher the Ducks have been since Boudreau took over, it’s safe to say it’s a case of the former not the latter.

Getting positive results from a coaching change aren’t always instantaneous, but for the Ducks it’ll take time. There’s enough top end talent to turn things around, they’ll just have to take Simpsons’ pitchman Troy McClure’s advice to “get confident, stupid!” to make it happen.