Anaheim Ducks Probably Aren’t Making the Playoffs This Year

The Anaheim Ducks are still in the running for a spot in the NHL playoffs. but so many holes make that possibility unlikely.

The Anaheim Ducks are at a rather interesting position as the trade deadline looms less than a month away on Feb. 24. They are only 12 points out of the last playoff spot in the West with 32 games to go. Can they possibly make a run to squeeze into possibly the one of the two wild card spots?

The Ducks could make a run this season and it  can be due to the fact that they have one of the better goaltenders in the league, John Gibson.

Though his season statistically has not been the best — he has 2.95 goals against average and .905 save percentage — Gibson is one of the most athletic goaltenders in the NHL and can turn the switch on in a hurry. He makes game-changing plays that keeps his team in the game. If he can steal a couple of contests for the Ducks, and they can string a couple wins in a row it will only strengthen their case to squeeze in.

Additionally, the Western Conference playoff picture is clearly muddled at this point in the season. Besides the Blues who have pulled away for the most part in their division, the wild card race is wide open. There are six teams within five points of each other with the Sharks and the Ducks bringing up the rear.

With these teams unable to pull away, it gives the Ducks a chance to sneak in if they can go on a lengthy winning streak to begin the second half.

Anaheim’s season has been a struggle so far however. The Ducks have only been able to string together consistent wins four times this entire season. Three of those streaks came before Nov. 1, and their most recent one was when they won two road games on their latest road trip. They have won three consecutive games only once this season and it was in their first three games played.

They have been wildly inconsistent in defending the opposition as they have been prone to defense relapses causing them to yield goals in bunches which is why they have a -28 goal differential.

Furthermore, the one place they have had trouble in what seems like forever is scoring. The Ducks have scored only 128 goals, one more than only the Los Angeles Kings. This is dreadful as they cannot simply think that their team can win defensively 2-1 every game.

Hockey has gotten much faster as a whole which is leading to more scoring chances. With the Ducks unable to score many goals, their outlook will be dim unless they can pick up the pace in that category.

Verdict

The Ducks can possibly squeeze into one of the final playoff spots in the West, but they would have to have a lot go for them. Anaheim would need to go on a lengthy winning streak, have Gibson be Superman in the net, and also pick up the scoring.

The Ducks are probably capable of doing the first two, but the scoring comes with a huge question mark. The Ducks simply do not have enough proven scorers compared to other playoff contenders which will dent their chances in making the playoffs this season.