It's certainly been a tough month for fans of the Anaheim Ducks and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Since December 20, each franchise has collected only four wins, tied for fewest in the NHL for that stretch. Both teams, desperate for standings points, will go head-to-head in Pittsburgh on Friday night, and for now the consolation is that one of the teams will have to get an elusive win. While the two teams have similarly struggled to collect standings points, however, there are some differences to note in how the two teams have been losing with regularity.
On December 19, the Ducks watched as right winger Teemu Selanne injured himself in Edmonton, and since then have generated a lackluster 4-6-2 record in 12 games. This recent stretch has been particularly frustrating, as in half their games they have found themselves on the losing end of a 4-3 regulation score, and despite the dearth of wins certain aspects of their game have gone extremely well. The Ducks power play hasn't missed a beat -- they are 14-for-48 (29%), largely on the efforts of rookie Bobby Ryan, and have only been outscored 37-35 over the dozen games. Routinely, though, the Ducks are finding ways to lose close games, such as their 4-3 loss to the Red Wings Wednesday night.
The Penguins, on the other hand, have been losing without much in the way of positives -- Pittsburgh has a 4-10-0 record in their past 14 games, and has been outscored 53-31 over that stretch. Their power play has been atrocious, going 6-for-57 (11%), and they have won only one of seven home games. Unlike the Ducks, the Penguins' struggles have for now dropped them out of the top eight in the eastern conference; they currently sit one point behind Buffalo and Carolina for the eighth seed. The Penguins have demonstrated problems on both the offensive and defensive side of the puck, as evidenced by their 6-3 loss to the Capitals Wednesday night.
It remains to be seen what sort of game the Ducks and Penguins will bring on Friday night, but with the frequency that each team is surrendering 4+ goals in a game, it does suggest that it will be a high-scoring affair. Unfortunately for these bird squads, however, one losing stretch will have to continue. Which team's systematic losing pattern will persist in this battle of the birds? Tune in Friday night to find out!
