30-minutes does not a hockey game make...

RED WINGS 2, DUCKS 1

What was that?! A thirty minute effort. The first twenty, the final ten.

Granted, the first twenty was riddled with penalties. Five Ducks, one period. A Chris Pronger fight behind the Anaheim net that left Dan Cleary bloody. Then there was Doug Weight amped up and trying to goad another "Bad Wing" (as my nephew refers to them) into a fight. No go.

Todd Bertuzzi goes in for goaltender interference after tripping over the Dominator -- who had been out of his crease upon impact.

There were calls I didn't agree with that had me shouting at the ref to just put the whole team in the box since that's what he seemed intent on doing. The 5-on-3 yielded a Detroit goal despite a good shift early on that PK in which the Ducks controlled the puck and played keepaway with some success.

Until, of course, that goal.

The second period isn't even worth mentioning, as they came out looking flat-footed and bored. (And hey, they weren't the only ones. A number of fans in my section were twiddling their thumbs and looking at the NBA scores on the display because it didn't look as if the Ducks were doing all that much.) In the first, the two teams went toe-to-toe, getting 9 SOG apiece. In the early 2nd, the Ducks and Wings ante'd up at 13 apiece before the Red Wings took control of the play and ended the period with 22 SOG to Anaheim's 17. There was a long stretch of time when the Ducks were held at 16 SOG until Chris Pronger was able to knock one towards Dominic Hasek (who still flops around like a fish and still manages to do his job. Ridiculous.)

The second Detroit goal was painful to watch. For some strange reason (voodoo?), sticks were snapping in half all over the place, all game long! After snapping his, Francois Beauchemin was the lone defender on a Detroit 2-on-1. Stickless, he was rendered defenseless and the Wings sunk their second goal while I was already sitting back in my seat, covering my eyes with one hand and groaning.

The third period didn't get too interesting until the Ducks finally nabbed a goal off a Pronger slapshot. That seemed to give them enough of a boost to carry them through the final 10 minutes. Still, the Ducks couldn't manage to tie it up, and before you know it, we've suffered our first back-to-back regulation loss since November [ LA Times ].

The loss gives 1st place Detroit an 18-point lead on the Ducks, who still trail the Stars by a point for Pac Div's top slot.

Kudos goes to Ryan Getzlaf for gathering a point for assisting in the Pronger goal. That gives the All-Star a 15-game point streak that ties him for 2nd longest point-streak in franchise history. If he can keep it going, he might tie or break Teemu Selanne's club record of 17 games straight.

Last night, my girls and I carried in four different signs. Two smaller ones and two regularly sized ones. I don't have the pictures yet, but they read "Congrats Sean, 900 career NHL games", "Robby: congrats 900 NHL games", "Congrats Corey, you're an All-Star", and "Sudsy Rocks".

BURKE TO T-DOT?

NO. I've heard rumblings that GM-extraordinaire Brian Burke may take up the recently-vacated job of Toronto's John Ferguson, Jr. The straight-from-the-hip GM has publicly stated, several times, that he does not intend on going to Toronto to fix their problems.

“Nothing’s going to change. My wife (Jennifer) and I love it in Anaheim. Our intention is to extend our deal and stay in Anaheim. We have a wonderful situation with the Samuelis,” Burke said. “Our intention is to stay, unless and until they don’t want us. I have 17 months to go on my contract. I certainly don’t feel the Samuelis owe me anything now. This type of stuff — that’s how they are in Toronto. Don’t bet any money on Brian Burke going anywhere any time soon.”

-- Brian Burke, Ducks GM (emphasis mine)
Quote courtesy: OC Register

Burkie will travel to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Friday alongside Ducks' owners Henry and Susan Samueli to donate a Stanley Cup Ring to the collection housed there.

DUCKS V. KINGS PREVIEW

Tonight's contest, Ducks v. Kings, kicks off the Duck's uber-long road trip that will keep the boys out of the Honda Center until mid-February (post-Single Awareness Day, btw). The rivalry known as the "Freeway Faceoff" will be renewed at the Staples Center tonight, 7:30PM. I will be in attendance, though I can't predict the traffic or the weather. If I make it to warmups, there is a very good chance that I will have a sign with me.

The Ducks will have a chance to redeem themselves after a two game skid that has tainted their last ten game record to 7-2-1 while the Kings are 5-5-0 in their last 10. The Kings possess the worst record in the league, but their last 10 games record indicates that they've got a bit of fight left in the tank.

Apparently, Dustin Brown has been a garnishing the points for the LA squad, earning 8 points in 11 games [ Los Angeles Kings ] and there have been some rumors that Rob Blake may leave Los Angeles for Detroit after Chris Chelios made some noise about a trade. Kings fans don't seem to be too pleased about the prospect about losing Blake, who is also rumored to have generated interest from New Jersey.

It'll be my first look at Kings call-up, Matt Moulson (kind of like the Canadian beer, but with a 'u' in the middle!), if they insert him into the lineup. Otherwise, I'll probably spend half the game mesmerized by Jack Johnson, whom I still wish had become Ducks property instead of Kings'. Well, I guess you can't win them all... (or can you?).

Look for the little Asian-technically-Pacific-Islander chick with the librarian glasses in a Shane O'Brien jersey. That'll be me.

goal by Finny at 11:31 AM