Chimera hopes to fulfill Stanley Cup dream with Ducks

ANAHEIM --Just like that, Jason Chimera was moving across the county, leaving the New York Islanders to join the Anaheim Ducks.
The veteran forward had been traded from one coast to the other on Feb. 26, and he wanted his son Cale, 10, and daughter Ryann, 7, to fully understand why he was leaving and why they would be staying in New York with their mother, Sarah, to finish the school year.

"I just explained to them: 'Dad wants to win a Cup,' " Chimera said. "They're old enough now where they know it means a lot to me. It was easier for them. They understood, and having a great wife is pretty cool."
Playing in his sixth game for the Ducks on Wednesday, Chimera made an impact on the score sheet for the first time, scoring once and adding an assist in a 3-0 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Honda Center.
Defenseman Brandon Montour had his first two-goal game in the NHL, and Ducks goaltender John Gibson made 32 saves for his third shutout of the season.
Chimera's linemate, Chris Kelly, assisted on his goal, a one-timer from the left circle at 13:44 of the second period, making it 2-0. Kelly, who was captain of Canada at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, has two points in the past two games.
"You want to be part of it," Chimera said. "You want to score goals. You want to help the team out and not just coexist and not do anything … It's a better feeling when you help out and it's a better feeling when you help out and get a win."
It was his first goal in 27 games, dating back to Dec. 27 for the Islanders against the Buffalo Sabres. He has 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 64 games.
The breakthrough couldn't have come at a better time for the Ducks, who had lost their past three games. Anaheim (35-24-12) is tied with the Los Angeles Kings in points for third place in the Pacific Division and with the Colorado Avalanche for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. The Kings and Avalanche own tiebreakers over the Ducks.

At this stage, every game falls into the category of biggest one of the season -- at least until the next one. Next for the Ducks is against the Detroit Red Wings at Honda Center on Friday (10 p.m. ET; SN1, FS-W, FS-D, NHL.TV).
"One point means so much," Chimera said. "Two, three points means so much. You've got to have them all."
The Ducks could ill afford to stumble against the offensively challenged Canucks, who have been shut out in their past three games.
"For us, it was starting to form a building block because we haven't felt very good about ourselves," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "When you lose three in a row, you come to the rink and it's not a lot of fun. We tried to push that to the side."
The scoring from the Ducks fourth line - Derek Grant centering Chimera and Kelly - is a bonus. They are tasked with providing energy, a tenacious forecheck and speed. When Ducks general manager Bob Murray traded for Chimera, 38, and signed the free agent Kelly, 37, he spoke about their speed as a needed asset.
Carlyle's history also demonstrates a comfort level with veterans like Chimera and Kelly, experienced hands who aren't apt to falter at this critical time of the season.
"They've always had wheels, those guys," Carlyle said. "So it's not like those guys are challenged with the new-age hockey. The one thing the older player has is experience and he can conserve energy more effectively throughout the game than maybe a younger guy would be, running all over the place to try to do the same amount of work."
Perhaps it was Chimera's destiny to return to the Western Conference after a long run in the Eastern Conference with the Washington Capitals (seven seasons) and the Islanders. He began his NHL career with the Edmonton Oilers and played with the Columbus Blue Jackets when they were in the Western Conference.

"I love the West," Chimera said. "The West has always been my style of game. More of a big man's game, more forechecking kind of game. I've love playing against the West, played some good games against Western teams."
From afar, he has been able to see the Ducks are built for the playoffs. They lost to the Nashville Predators in six games in the Western Conference Final last season.
Now the clock is ticking, down to 11 games remaining to see if Anaheim can make the playoffs and get the chance at another serious Stanley Cup run.
"Look at last year," Chimera said. "The team is always going to make a run. They've got the tools from goaltending on out.
"There was a lot of excitement when I got to come here."