Perry takes 'a lot of blame' for Boudreau firing

Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry is taking much of the blame for the firing of coach Bruce Boudreau after the Ducks were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by losing to the Nashville Predators in Game 7 of the Western Conference First Round.
The Ducks lost a Game 7 at home for the fourth straight season on Wednesday; Boudreau, who coached Anaheim since Nov. 30, 2011, was fired Friday.

Perry, who led the Ducks during the regular season with 34 goals, had none in the seven-game series against the Predators.
"I take a lot of blame for what happened," Perry told the Ducks website Saturday. "I didn't score a goal. I take a lot of responsibility. I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform."
Perry credited Boudreau, who was 208-104-40 in five seasons with Anaheim and coached the Ducks to the Pacific Division title in each of the past four seasons, with helping him to improve his play.

"He coached this team, and I can't say enough about him," Perry said. "He did a lot for my game. It's tough when you know the reason somebody got fired is because we, as a team and as individuals, didn't perform to where we needed to perform, and that's the hardest thing. You lose four Game 7s at home, and he has nothing really do with what we did on the ice. We're performing, we're playing, and we have to hold ourselves accountable. And I think a lot of guys are doing that."
Forward Andrew Cogliano, who has been with the Ducks since the 2011-12 season, had an NHL career high in goals (21) in 2013-14 and agreed with Perry, saying Boudreau made him a better player.
"He gave me a very good opportunity," said Cogliano, who was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers on July 12, 2011. "I thought my first year here wasn't the way I planned, and when Bruce came in, his trust in me brought my career to another level. I'm very thankful for that."