Calmness, confidence helped Ducks stay afloat

EDMONTON -- The Anaheim Ducks certainly could have panicked through the first half of this season when multiple major injuries to key players challenged their ability to get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
But instead, they focused on the job at hand.

"When you took a step back and thought about it, it was crazy what was going on but there was never panic," defenseman Cam Fowler said. "It was surprising, how long some of those injuries were. I hadn't really dealt with something that intensely since I've been playing.
"But never any panic. Injuries are part of the game and every team deals with them at some point. And you can look at it that maybe we were lucky that they happened early. Spin it positively if you can; if you have them down the stretch, that's when it gets real tough."
After
a 2-1 shootout loss against the Edmonton Oilers
at Rogers Place on Thursday, the Ducks have 47 points (19-14-9) in 42 games. That's tied for third place in the Pacific Division with the San Jose Sharks, who have played four fewer games, and tied for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference. Anaheim and the Minnesota Wild each have 47 points. Minnesota has played one fewer game than Anaheim.

The injuries came early for the Ducks, who have won five straight Pacific Division titles.
The season began with center Ryan Kesler sidelined after offseason hip surgery; he missed the first 37 games. Defensemen Hampus Lindholm (seven games) and Sami Vatanen (10 games) were also out, each with a shoulder injury.
Then it got a lot worse.
Forward Patrick Eaves, who scored 32 goals last season between the Dallas Stars and Ducks, played two games but was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome in late October. He is out indefinitely.
Fowler injured his knee Oct. 20 and missed 12 games. Then center Ryan Getzlaf broke his cheekbone at the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 29 and missed 19 games. Forward Corey Perry sustained a lower-body injury Dec. 11 and has missed 11 games.
The Ducks, whose man-games lost to injury reached 233 on Thursday, had depth forwards Derek Grant, 27, and Chris Wagner, 26, as their first two centers until Adam Henrique arrived in a trade with the New Jersey Devils for Vatanen on Nov. 30.
Henrique, center prospect Joseph Blandisi and a third-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft were acquired from New Jersey for Vatanen and a conditional third-round pick.

Through all the injury turmoil, Anaheim's worst record in relation to .500 was one game under, at 2-3-1, on Oct. 15.
"Guys on our team were really taking responsibility, stepping into other people's place," said forward Rickard Rakell, who leads Anaheim with 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists) in 37 games. "Maybe they were a little out of their comfort zone, like Grant and [center Logan] Shaw and [Wagner], but they played important roles for us.
"They've done really well. There were a lot of close games this whole season and we've been able to get points here and there, so there was never any bad losing streak. We didn't have much in the way of winning streaks, but we managed to grab points so we didn't get into tough times."
The Ducks, 5-1-1 in their past seven games, prepare to play at the Calgary Flames on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, PRIME, NHL.TV). Anaheim then has its mandatory break Jan. 7-12.
Fowler said a few others needed to be singled out for helping the Ducks stay relevant.
"I think you could point to a lot of guys; we kind of did things by committee," Fowler said. "We're proud of that. [Rookie forward] Kevin Roy has stepped in and played well for us as a younger player. And [forward] Ondrej Kase, he always brings that work ethic. And Rickard Rakell has been on fire and now he's back playing with [Getzlaf].
"But even before, he was a consistent scorer. I don't want to leave anybody out, but those are some guys that stick out to me."

Veteran forwards Andrew Cogliano and Andrew Vermette, Wagner and defenseman Josh Manson are the only Ducks to play in all 42 games this season.
"We just needed to keep our head above water, really," Cogliano said. "We had a lot of guys who stepped up, guys that maybe were in the AHL last year, guys that maybe hadn't played big minutes or in positions they weren't used to, and did a good job.
"We missed our best players, but when you get them back, it adds another element to our team."
Determination and focus are the reasons the Ducks have been able to play as well as they have this season, coach Randy Carlyle said.
"You have to credit the players," Carlyle said. "They're the ones who have to go out and perform. We can draw all the X's and O's and the diagrams, but you have to have the personnel who are willing to go out and execute."
Knowing Kesler, Lindholm and Vatanen would be sidelined when training camp began allowed the Anaheim coaches to put an early emphasis on the keys to survival - structure, work ethic and special teams, Carlyle said.
"We said if we were going to play loose and allow teams to come in and outwork us … we weren't even going to have a chance," he said. "So you have to credit our players for following through on their commitment on those things.