The Rise of Anaheim and the Fall of Minnesota

After an 2-11 November here is the Anaheim Ducks' record after the first two months of the season: 6-13-4, 16 points: Second to last in the West.

On that same day the Minnesota Wild sat at 14-7-3, 31 points: First in the West.

On Sunday, both teams were in action, with the Ducks defeating the Blackhawks and the Wild defeating the Sharks:

ANA 3 CHI 1
MIN 4 SJ 3

Now, three months later, Anaheim sits at 27-25-10, 64 points; 13th in the West, and Minnesota has fallen to 28-25-9, 65 points; 12th in the West.

Analyzing each squad's roster shows that each team were early surprises, with Anaheim's lackluster start and Minnesota's stunning rise to the top of a historically talented and deep Western Conference.

Taking a look at the roster of the Anaheim Ducks, they have some pretty recognizable names:

C Andrew Cogliano
C Saku Koivu
C Ryan Getzlaf
LW Bobby Ryan
RW Corey Perry
RW Teemu Selanne
D Cam Fowler
D Lubomir Visnovsky
G Jonas Hiller

With all the prominent names on offense like Selanne, Getzlaf, Perry, and Ryan, in the beginning of the year defense was the problem with the Ducks, allowing over three goals per game.  Additionally in the first two months of the season, Anaheim allowed four or more goals in a game ten times.

Anaheim has now won seven of their last ten, with two of those losses in shootouts, and in those ten games that Ducks have allowed two goals or fewer in nine of those ten.  Coincidence? I think not.

Taking a look at Minnesota, they almost have the complete opposite story: quality defense and goaltending, but a week offense.  Through 27 games on December tenth, the Wild had only given up four or more goals five times and sat alone at the top of the Western Conference.

After 4-1 victory against the Coyotes on the tenth, the Wild would proceed to lose their next 15 of 17, scoring a combined 20 goals in those 15 losses.

Now the prognosticators can sit pretty as both teams, whose first two months were unexpected, on opposite ends of the spectrum at that, and now both teams are closer to where they were expected to be at the beginning of the season.

Thats the NHL for you, in a league that when compared to the other three major sports more lower seeded teams in the playoffs have upset higher seeded teams in the playoffs.  Hockey is chaos and the Ducks and Wild have showed that this season.