It’s no secret that the Ducks are struggling. They’re one of the worst scoring teams and one of the worst defensive teams. They’re competing with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the worst record in the league and they’re already on their second coach of the season. Very little is going right in Anaheim these days.
It looks like Bruce Boudreau is digging a little deeper for the answers. Despite playing the vast majority of their career together (and all of this season), Boudreau split up Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry to start tonight’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. How big of a deal is this for the Ducks? Well, this is almost like the Canucks choosing to split up the Sedins to get their offense going. Even Ducks beat writer Eric Stephens called them “the twins” to start the game.
Corey Perry ended up with Bobby Ryan and Saku Koivu to start the game, while Ryan Getzlaf started the game with Nik Hagman and Teemu Selanne. The line combinations don’t matter as much as the message behind the move: things need to be shaken up in a big way to turn things around.
Perry is still leading the team with 14 goals this season. He’s second on the team with 29 points, but the play has been a far cry from his second half performance that earned him last year’s Hart Trophy. Meanwhile, Getzlaf only has six goals and is a minus 17 through 36 games this season. It’s hard to say what exactly is the problem—but it’s clear that something is wrong.
Boudreau is looking for any answer to get his two biggest guns going again. Maybe a little time apart can help the Anaheim Twins find their game before it’s too late.
Wait, is it already too late?