SB Nation - Saku Koivu

Retreat! Retreat! Ducks Beat Canucks 3-2

Sean Zandberg — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:50:35 -0000

That was a tough game to watch. Do the Canucks fear the Ducks? It's hard to say. Anaheim skated circles around Vancouver for most of the night, including out-shooting an entranced Nucks 13-2 in the first period. Had it not been for the play of Roberto Luongo the Ducks would have buried the Canucks 7-2 all over again.

Vancouver couldn't establish much of a forecheck for the first half of the game. They lost battles for the puck at both ends of the ice over and over again. They turned the puck over continually. Way too many odd-man rushes against. When Vancouver finally established some pressure in the Ducks' zone and generated quality chances, especially in the 3rd, Jonas Hiller stoned them. By then not only was it too late, but they hardly deserved to be in the game, period.

The Ducks' new red-hot second line scored 5 points. Sexton-Koivu-Calder (?). That dirty little Fin scores the winning goal with under 5:00 to play in the 3rd period. A power play goal. Kevin Bieksa, who I thought was atrocious tonight, was sitting in the box for that one. Actually, I am not sure if words can describe my disdain for Bieksa.

I tip my hat to Luongo's performance, and I also feel bad for him. No help from his mates tonight. Terrible outcome.

A blown chance. A fail. Right there, you want to get it to overtime to at least get that point....

Something tells me the Ducks are going to start rolling now. That is too good a team to be rotting in the Western basement.

BOXSCORE

HIGHLIGHTS

Coach Vigneault post game (video)

MY 3 STARS:

1. Roberto Luongo

2. Jonas Hiller

3. Saku "I hate you" Koivu

Let's Talk About Sexy

Arthur from Anaheim Calling — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:33:13 -0000

ARTHUR:

Dan Sexton's NHL career is off to an eye-popping start. With goals in his last three games, the half-pint forward is serving crow to his naysayers, including your blogger (who short sold Sexton's ability to perform in a physical, defensive system but should have short sold Murray's desire to maintain a defensive system in the first place).

Big Sexy is doing something truly special for the Ducks, but eventually Teemu Selanne will come back. At that point, Sexton may have to play on a line with more physical responsibility, an assignment that usually defeats Anaheim's small forwards (Shannon, Ebbett) and even some regular-sized ones (Christensen). Daniel, is Dan Sexton playing well enough to stay in the lineup, maybe even the Top 6, when Teemu Selanne comes back from injury?

DANIEL:

Dan Sexton needs to stay here when Selanne gets back. I'm not going to bore people with an analysis of his talents. Yes, he's fast. Yes, he's great in the corners and great at finding the puck. And Big Sexy's ability to shoot from anywhere to generate instant offense is very Lupul-esque.

He needs to stay here because his enthusiasm right now reminds me of Bobby Ryan's last year, when Ryan was desperate to stay in the NHL. Big Sexy is excited to be here. He's seizing every opportunity with two hands, and he's absorbing hockey wisdom like a sponge (and from Saku Koivu, no less). His energy is starting to flow through the team. Sometimes, veteran teams fall into a lull, and a spark from a rookie who has a 'no surrender' attitude can get everyone's mind right.

Since Sexton's arrival, the Ducks are 2-0-3. Not a great record, but having watched the games, I think Anaheim has started to show more urgency and started to deliver close to 60-minute efforts. I don't think that has everything to do with Sexton, but I think that, just as Ryan did last year, he brings a new source of scoring and excitement to the team.

I know the practicality of keeping him is rough. Personally, I think the most viable option is to put Selanne on the top line, and keep Sexton, Koivu, and Bobby Ryan together. Lupul is responsible enough to play on a third line with Marchant and Nokelainen, and that line's offensive plan can just be to get Lupul the puck. While breaking up Koivu and Selanne might seem like disrespecting Koivu's original purpose in coming here, I think Koivu is more interested in winning. And if Ryan, Sexton and Koivu keep playing like this, they shouldn't be broken up. It's also important to keep Ryan on a scoring line, just so that he doesn't develop more negative feelings that might have him walking at the end of the year. Lupul, on the other hand, is happy to be here and locked up contractually. He'll suffer on a third line if it means he can play in the Top 6 next year, when Selanne will likely retire.

ARTHUR:

I definitely agree that the key to keeping Sexton in the NHL is to NOT put him in the Bottom 6, but it's also hard to put Lupul there when he played so well after coming back from his back injury. He, too, was a source of enthusiasm for this team in recent games. Then again, with Loops suffering from a new nagging ailment every few games, a demotion might do him some good. We might get a longer stint out of him if he wasn't part of the overworked top line, and he's definitely gritty enough to play on a checking line, more so than Sexton, Selanne or even Ryan.

If Dan Sexton stays with the Ducks this season, he stays because he can create offense. Not just the shoot-first, look-into-pass-options-later offense that made a young Joffrey Lupul so good, but the sort of playmaking offense that can really frustrate the opposition. I've been clamoring for longer attack sequences this year, and Sexton and Koivu have been able to create that. Teams were weary of our heavyweight line last season, but now we have a welterweight line. They're making plays in the middle of the ice with a dangerous Bobby Ryan coming off the boards. Teams are in the ring with Manny Pacquiao when it's Sexton-Koivu-Ryan; they just don't know where the punches are coming from out there. And I can't imagine Carlyle will give up the option of sending Pacquiao over the boards when Ali comes back to the bench.

Of course, the coach has downplayed Sexton's success, noting that he sees it as the success of a line. And Carlyle has traditionally asked his rookies to earn their spot in the Top 6, regardless of size or playmaking ability, so why would Big Sexy be any different? But I think Sexton stays in the Top 6 because I see his quick NHL start as a sea change in the Ducks organization. Anaheim is finally playing a system where David McNab's undersized stars can shine. It would be a step backwards to put his playmaking ability on the backburner just because 'that's the way we've always done it.'

Game 32 Preview: Ducks in Columbus

Mike MacLean — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:59:05 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

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Sure, it sucked losing to the Preds, again. Tonight however the Ducks come to town. They are not playing to their level whatsoever, and the Jackets need to take advantage of that. That being said, so far this season the Jackets have failed for the most part in capitalizing on other team's woes. The Ducks always play the Jackets tough, so it will no doubt be a rough, physical affair.

The Jackets see the return of Freddy tonight, this will be his first game of the season. I am excited to see what he and Sammy can do together. Their chemistry on the international scene will hopefully translate to the Jackets. Murr-dog will sit tonight. There aren't any other major lineup changes from the last few games. Mase will get the start against Hiller.

Here's hoping that Nasher can keep putting the puck in the net, it was so good to see him score last game and he needs to continue to do that. If his line can produce, it will allow the other lines to get things going without having to face top checkers. I wouldn't put it past Boller to have a go with either Brown or Parros tonight, regardless of the coach's putting the leash on him.

Should be a good one!

Fearless Prediction: The Ducks aren't playing very well, the Jackets get a much-needed win. Will be a very physical game. Modin and Pahlsson show instant chemistry.

Game Time: 7:00pm ET

Opponent's Blog: Anaheim Calling

Game Page: Ducks vs Blue Jackets Coverage

TSN Preview: Ducks vs Blue Jackets Preview

TV: FSN Ohio

Radio: WBNS-AM (1460); WWCD-FM (101.1)

More after the jump...

From the Columbus Dispatch:

Hitchcock, tongue in cheek, on Anaheim C Ryan Getzlaf: "I think we've done really well against Getzlaf. We've only allowed him five points in two games. We have to keep up that pace. If we keep it up, we'll only allow him 20 points."

Jackets Links:

Columbus Blue Jackets / Columbus Blue Jackets Schedule

Columbus Blue Jackets Roster / Columbus Blue Jackets Stats

Here are the lineups for tonight's tilt:

Columbus Blue Jackets

Kristian Huselius	Antoine Vermette	Rick Nash
Jason Chimera	R.J. Umberger	Jakub Voracek
Fredrik Modin	Samuel Pahlsson	Jared Boll
Raffi Torres	Derick Brassard	Derek Dorsett

Fedor Tyutin	Anton Stralman
Mike Commodore	Jan Hejda
Kris Russell	Marc Methot

Mathieu Garon

Steve Mason

EXTRA: Michael Blunden, Mathieu Roy, Andrew Murray

INJURED: Rostislav Klesla

Anaheim Ducks

Kyle Calder	Ryan Getzlaf	Corey Perry
Bobby Ryan	Saku Koivu	Dan Sexton
Matt Beleskey	Todd Marchant	Petteri Nokelainen
Mike Brown	Kyle Chipchura	George Parros

Scott Niedermayer	Brett Festerling
Ryan Whitney	Nick Boynton
James Wisniewski	Sheldon Brookbank

Jonas Hiller

J.S. Giguere

Post Game Analysis: Wings 3-Ducks 2 in OT

MrNorrisTrophy — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 13:00:21 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

5 days ago: Detroit Red Wings right wing Todd Bertuzzi stands in front of Anaheim Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere (35) during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks in Detroit, Friday, Dec. 11, 2009. Bertuzzi scored two goals, one in overtime, to defeat the Ducks 3-2. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

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Here are a few things I noticed from the game and hopefully you'll chime in on these with your thoughts as well.

The first one is the most important: this team didn't roll over and die. I've often wondered if there are nights when the guys kind of mail it in after getting down and are being shut down offensively. I didn't wonder that in this game though. The Wings scratched and clawed its way to a victory--even without the scratchiest and clawiest of the them all Dan Cleary--after going down 2-0 at the end of the second period. Usually goals at the end of the first or second period can be killers but if anything it seemed to serve as motivation as they scored early in the third period. This is a great game to look back at and be proud of the way they finished.
A two goal game doesn't make everything better on the Todd Bertuzzi front. BUT, it does do a lot for things and hopefully will do wonders for his confidence. This was Bertuzzi's first point in four games and first goal in five. You can only hope that he is starting to come to life and produce on a consistent basis. No matter you position on Bert, if you're a Wings fan you want and need him to produce for the good of the team.
Ville Leino needed that point so badly. It was Ville's first point since the 3-1 loss to Dallas on November 18--part of the reason he's drawn much ire. That crisp pass will placate calls for his head temporarily though and maybe will shake him out of the slump.
Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk are starting to miss shots that they absolutely buried last year without hesitation. What gives? Supposedly Datsyuk's been tinkering around with what model stick to use but I don't know if that's what is causing problems or if it is more of a mental barrier. Zetterberg on the other hand had three or four great chances that he shanked and was well wide with the shots on. Hopefully its a just a hiccup right now and they'll get things figured out.
Tomas Holmstrom is clutch. That's about all I need to say. Homer's coming through big time in a year many expected him to fall off during (me included). Quick hands were vital on receiving and putting the shot past Giguere to get the Wings on the board.
Jimmy Howard is really starting to play effectively. Sure that second goal was a garbage goal that he shouldn't have given up but sometimes that just happens. What matters is that he is facing the quality shots very well and his positioning and angles improve with every game. Most importantly, Howie gets another win and his GAA creeps down after a solid night stopping 25 of 27.
The Penalty Killing has improved greatly over the past handful of games. The Wings have killed off 32 of their last 35 penalties and a total of 22 consecutive. This progress has greatly improved and for that to continue to happen, the Wings need to continue very solid and disciplined defensive play in their own end.
Power Play scores twice on 10 chances. 1 for 5 is a number I'll take on the man bonus after following a horrible 0-6 in St. Louis. Get the 1st and 2nd lines rolling of the man bonus and this team could be dangerous.
Defensive play has improved greatly with Howard in net for the following reason: there's somewhat of a system to his play. Howard gives up rebounds plain and simple but the defense can adapt to that and clear the pucks out after Howie stops the initial shot. With Osgood you never really know what's going to happen and I think that kind of makes for chaotic play on the defensive end. As odd as it sounds, the Wings are being rewarded by a goalie that gives up rebounds.
Corey Perry, what a piece of crap you are. In the same shift you 1.) viciously elbow a player in the jaw 2.) knowingly turn your back into a hit from Abdelkader 3.) chase down Abdelkader for what you likely saw as a dirty play (that you set yourself up for) 4.) try to fight because of that play. My main beef with this is: if you're gonna play dirty and then set yourself up for a hit by turning your back at the last second, don't complain and then seek revenge.
Justin Abdelkader, nice physical game fella. Teach that Duck a lesson! 4 hits and a fight are good, just gotta improve that 1 for 5 in the dot--ouch.
Saku Koivu is probably the only Duck that I don't inherently despise.
Duck to keep an eye on: Dan Sexton. Sexton had a goal and assist tonight and had two goals the previous game against Dallas.

Is Canadiens' Tomas Plekanec A Legitimate Number One Center?

Robert L — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:50:34 -0000

A couple of quick thoughts before I head off to Ottawa for tonight's game against the Senators concerning Habs center Tomas Plekanec.

After repeatedly watching highlights of last night's game against the Flyers, it started to really catch my eye when they showed replays of Andrei Kostitsyn's goal. On the play, Plekanec was poised behind the Flyers goal, looking for someone to feed a pass to. Simultaneously, Kostitsyn found the slot just as a Flyers' defender approached, and Plekanec saucered a short eight foot pass over the defender's stick for Kostitsyn to essentially bat a blooper into the net.

On RDS, Benoit Brunet termed the play Gretzky-like, which is always a stretch.

Once I had seen it over again, on a closeup, it's apparent what a smart play it was. It tied the game up, and sent the Habs off to victory.

In Montreal, it's been ballyhood since forever that the team has not had a legitimate number center for ages. Saku Koivu didn't quite fit the description, and Scott Gomez definitely ain't it.

So what exactly would be the criteria for a top line or number one center?

Plekanec's play this season has gotten me thinking about this. Being that there are 30 teams in the league, hence there should be theoretically 30 number one centers. Of course, that all sounds a little too round numbered for me.

I thought I would look at today's current NHL stats to see where he fits in and what I found is quite revealing.

Plekanec is 25th in the league in scoring, and 13th among centers.

His 22 assists in 30 games are 9th in the NHL and 6th among centers.

Sounds like a top line center to me. What do you folks think?

Update: With 3 assists against Ottawa, Plekanec is now 16th in league scoring, 10th among centers for points, and his 25 assists place him fourth overall, tied with Nicklas Lidstrom.

Ducks Season Gone in a Flash?

Daniel AC — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:20:50 -0000

More photos » by Mark Avery - AP

8 months ago: Anaheim Ducks right wing Teemu Selanne, left, of Finland, puts a shot over Dallas Stars goalie Marty Turco to win the game during the shootout in an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Friday, April 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Mark Avery)

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DANIEL:

This is Anaheim Calling to the hockey world. The Ducks chances of crawling out of the cellar just went form bad to abysmal. TSN is reporting that Teemu Selanne will be gone for the next 4-6 weeks with a broken bone in his left hand. Selanne is a key component of the Ducks secondary scoring in 5 on 5 situations along with Saku Koivu. More importantly, Selanne is third in the league with 7 power play goals, and second in game winning goals with 4. Aside from being a fan favorite, Selanne is very important to the overall performance of the Ducks, and with Joffrey Lupul still sidelined with back spasms there is no indication of who will replace Selanne's goal scoring abilities.

Recent acquisition Kyle Chipchura has played with Saku Koivu before and might be an accidental success with the space that has oppened up on Koivu's wing. Lupul has been skating recently and might only be a couple games away. Chipchura would provide a big body to go along with Koivu's playmaking and Lupul's shoot first mentality. Possible chemistry could ensue. This would lead to a demotion for Artyukhin whose only bad game in the past week was against the Kings when he took three offensive zone faceoffs penalties, a trend he had seemed to reverse.

Perhaps the best hope for the Ducks was just called up from the AHL. Dan Sexton, a.k.a. Big Sexy, had a phenomenal year in the ECHL posting 13-13=26 in 18 games. Dan Sexton is generoulsy listed at 5'10" and a 170 lbs. More importantly, the guy is crafty in the corner. During training camp I was most impressed with Sexton's ability to come out of the corner with the puck against bigger opponents. He uses his speed and lack of size to his advantage. Think Andy McDonald, only as a winger instead of up the middle. I'm excited to see what Big Sexy brings to the team. If nothing else, I expect energy and better play along the boards. I'd love to see an all rookie line of Beleskey-Sharp-Sexton. This line would have Arthur's favorite combination from old Nintendo, the fat guy, the regular guy and the skinny guy.

No matter what happens, the Ducks are going to have to solve this problem from the inside. There's a report that the best s ource for talent via trade, the cap strapped Blackhawks, don't need to move any players until the off season. The Ducks' rookies can get it done. The Ducks need to let their depth start doing a little work, otherwise the top players won't have any guess for a potential stretch run.

Ales Hemsky - WOWY Analysis

Scott Reynolds — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:50:32 -0000

Word came from the Oilers yesterday that Ales Hemsky has a torn labrum and is going to be undergoing surgery on his shoulder and will miss five to six months which means he should be back in time for the playoffs. Sorry. Black humour. The straw that broke the camel's back was a hit by Michal Handzus in the game a couple of nights ago against Los Angeles but both Ales Hemsky and Steve Tambellini made it clear that the problem had been ongoing and the problem needed to be fixed regardless. The general mood around the team is that this is it, the Oilers are done and heading for the lottery. After all, Hemsky really is capable of playing tough minutes to a draw or better more often than not, he's the team's best offensive player and the key cog on the power play. Saying the impact will be "big" seems like an understatement. In order to get a better idea of what impact this injury might have on the team going forward I decided to use a method called "With of Without You" which will look at the team's goal differential when Hemsky has been in the lineup and when Hemsky has been out of the lineup over the last four seasons. I would have preferred to use shots on goal with the score tied but didn't have the data at hand. The results after the jump.

I was introduced to this method by a Gabe Desjardins article on Saku Koivu and he was introduced to the method by Tom Tango (who used the method in his work on baseball). Thanks very much to both of them. Anyway, back to Hemsky. These results are for the 2006-07 season through the 2008-09 season so far. I decided not to use data from the 2005-06 season because (1) Hemsky played in 81 of the games that year and (2) that team was significantly better than the teams that followed it and I thought including that season would unfairly juice Hemsky's numbers. The analysis would be helped with a few more games of Hemsky out of the lineup but, as an Oiler fan, I'm not about to get too upset at Hemsky for being too durable. All of the goal differential numbers do not include shootout goals. So here's the data:

When I first looked at the "With Hemsky" numbers I was shocked at how bad they were. I was then heartened somewhat after looking at the "Without Hemsky" numbers. It's not Hemsky that's bad, it's the Oilers! It turns out that without Hemsky in the lineup both teams score less. In the case of the opposition, they score a bit less while the Oilers score a lot less. This wasn't true to form yesterday but it seems that for the rest of the year Oiler fans can look forward to lower-scoring hockey games.

Edit Alert: I edited this paragraph extensively after Tyler Dellow made some corrections to my math in the comments. As for Hemsky's impact, it's pretty large, namely ~~0.15~~ 0.25 goal differential per game. That would put Hemsky's contribution over the Oilers replacement for him at ~~12.3~~ 20.5 goal differential over an 82 game season. If we assume that 3 6 goal differential is equal to about one win that puts Hemsky's contribution to the team at about ~~4.0~~ 3.4 wins or ~~8.0~~ 7.2 points above his replacements. That is an enormous difference, much more than I would have guessed. Let the death march continue.

The NHL's top defensive forwards

James Mirtle — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:49:06 -0000

More photos » by David Banks - AP

Montreal Canadiens' Tomas Plekanec and Chicago Blackhawks' John Madden.

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We're about far enough into the season that we can start to look at some individual stats and have enough of a sample size to draw some conclusions. This list is the same one I've been churning out for a couple years now, and ranks players defensively based on (a) quality of competition at even strength, (b) goals against per minute played at even strength and (c) goals against per minute played on the penalty kill.

Players also have to have played at least 15 games and fill a significant role on their team's shorthanded unit. Credit, as always, to Behind The Net for the data.

Here are the top 25 at the quarter-way mark:

	NAME	TEAM	GP	QCMP	EVGA/60	SHGA/60
1	BRANDON CROMBEEN	STL	21	0.12	1.44	1.33
2	KRIS VERSTEEG	CHI	22	0.13	1.49	5.25
3	JAY MCCLEMENT	STL	21	0.13	1.75	6.27
4	VERNON FIDDLER	PHX	25	0.03	1.86	3.61
5	JOHN MADDEN	CHI	23	0.12	2.17	5.61
6	DAVID LEGWAND	NSH	23	0.09	2.28	4.43
7	TRAVIS ZAJAC	N.J	22	0.16	0.73	9.20
8	MILAN MICHALEK	OTT	22	0.22	2.57	5.27
9	JAMIE LANGENBRUNNER	N.J	22	0.09	1.69	7.47
10	DANIEL WINNIK	PHX	25	-0.05	1.59	1.54
11	SAKU KOIVU	ANA	17	0.12	1.62	8.64
12	RYAN MALONE	T.B	21	0.18	2.20	7.49
13	MIKE FISHER	OTT	21	0.08	2.32	5.41
14	JOCHEN HECHT	BUF	20	-0.04	1.64	4.10
15	MIKE GRIER	BUF	15	-0.05	1.60	3.53
16	COLIN FRASER	CHI	23	0.04	2.33	4.39
17	JAMES WRIGHT	T.B	21	0.07	1.29	8.13
18	STEVE BEGIN	BOS	24	0.03	1.96	5.34
19	DANIEL ALFREDSSON	OTT	22	0.25	3.02	5.25
20	TOMAS PLEKANEC	MTL	24	-0.01	1.94	5.06
21	DAVID BACKES	STL	21	0.01	2.03	5.19
22	BRANDON DUBINSKY	NYR	18	0.06	2.20	5.72
23	JEFF HALPERN	T.B	21	0.06	2.34	5.54
24	SCOTT NICHOL	S.J	26	-0.07	1.89	2.35
25	JOEL WARD	NSH	21	0.14	2.10	8.81

There are a lot of different names so far than what we saw last season, and I don't know if that's due to the small sample size or if we're simply seeing new players step into these roles and excel. Players on the list who have gotten recognition as top defensive forwards in the past include Versteeg, McClement, Madden, Fisher, Grier, Alfredsson and Ward.

Without a lot of high profile names in there so far (i.e. Datsyuk, Zetterberg) it'll be interesting to see what the Selke candidates look like this season. I don't think you could go wrong giving it to Alfredsson, who always does a nice job on the Sens' PK.

Players who scored on the low end among those that qualified include Wayne Primeau, Craig Adams, Lee Stempniak, Greg Campbell and Rod Brind'Amour.

I'll look at the top defensive defencemen in the near future.

2010 Winter Olympics Hockey: Anaheim Hopefuls

Arthur from Anaheim Calling — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:00:13 -0000

ARTHUR:

Anaheim calling to the hockey world...

Welcome to the Anaheim edition of SBN's look at the Olympic roster hopefuls across the NHL. Site Managers were provided with the following rubric, but as the resident noob, your blogger is the only one who will likely take them seriously.

"Pack Your Bags"
"Nearly A Lock"
"Fairly Safe Bet"
"In A Battle"
"Work To Do"
"Moving Up"
"Moving Down"

TEAM USA

Bobby Ryan

#9 / Right Wing

Height: 6-2

Weight: 208

Born: Mar 17, 1987

GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG GTG SOG PCT

2009 - Bobby Ryan 21 9 6 15 1 14 4 0 0 0 69 13.0

"Nearly A Lock"

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Bobby Ryan	21	9	6	15	1	14	4	0	0	0	69	13.0

The Cherry Hill native has plenty of skill, but he's also developed a physical game, giving him the blue collar credibility that Brian Burke wants on this year's squad. Then again, the Team USA GM has made the decision to cut Ryan on more than one occasion.

Ryan Whitney

#19 / Defenseman

Height: 6-4

Weight: 219

Born: Feb 19, 1983

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Ryan Whitney	21	2	8	10	0	22	2	0	0	0	32	6.3

"Nearly A Lock"

Whitney was just one of a handful of 6'3"/6'4" defensemen at Orientation Camp, but the Boston-born defender has proven himself an ice-time gormandizer with the Ducks and should be a steady force on the red, white and blue line.

TEAM CANADA

Ryan Getzlaf

#15 / Center

Height: 6-4

Weight: 221

Born: May 10, 1985

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Ryan Getzlaf	21	3	22	25	3	29	2	0	0	0	43	7.0

"Pack Your Bags"

The Regina-bred centerman missed Orientation Camp after offseason hernia surgery, but he has looked tip-top opening the year in Anaheim. Canada will need his directly proportional size and skill up the middle.

Scott Niedermayer

# 27 / Defenseman

Height: 6-1

Weight: 195

Born: Aug 31, 1973

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Scott Niedermayer	21	2	12	14	-4	6	2	0	1	0	53	3.8

"Pack Your Bags"

Already packed.

Corey Perry

#10 / Right Wing

Height: 6-3

Weight: 209

Born: May 16, 1985

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Corey Perry	21	13	14	27	4	24	2	1	0	0	71	18.3

"Moving Up"

After a game with the Ducks, Sidney Crosby noted how impressed he was with the Peterborough product, who faked out the Penguins captain on more than one occasion. Perry's dominant performance so far this season makes him a contender for a spot at finisher, but Stevie Y may opt to go older in his final spots, even though he's generally noted a willingness to bring a young squad to Vancouver.

TEAM FINLAND

Saku Koivu

#11 / Center

Height: 5-10

Weight: 182

Born: Nov 23, 1974

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Saku Koivu	16	2	7	9	-1	14	1	0	0	0	31	6.5

"Pack Your Bags"

The stat sheet doesn't bear out Koivu's return to form, nor does a nagging lower body injury that sidelined him this month, but the Turku native has been the Ducks' most consistent player while playing almost two more minutes of ice time per game than he did in his last year in Montreal.

Petteri Nokelainen

#17 / Center

Height: 6-1

Weight: 191

Born: Jan 16, 1986

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Petteri Nokelainen	16	1	1	2	-4	8	0	0	0	0	18	5.6

"Moving Up"

Finland's camp this year was all about theory and gelling as teammates. That could be an advantage for the Imatra-bred Nokelainen, who has proven his value as a versatile role player with the Ducks .

Teemu Selänne

#8 / Right Wing

Height: 6-0

Weight: 200

Born: Jul 03, 1970

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Teemu Selänne	21	11	4	15	-8	12	5	0	2	0	61	18.0

"Pack Your Bags"

On pace for a 40 goal season, the sheen isn't fading from Helsinki's second Finnish Flash, and Selänne has no doubt been waiting for this day since he bitterly claimed the Silver in Turin.

TEAM SWITZERLAND

Jonas Hiller

#1 / Goalie

Height: 6-2

Weight: 193

Born: Feb 12, 1982

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Jonas Hiller	17	933	7	8			47	3.02	517	470	.909	1

"Pack Your Bags"

Cut in favor of Martin Gerber and David Aebischer four years ago, Hiller is dedicated to making the roster this time around. And after his playoff performance against the Sharks last year, the Felben Wellhausen product is the favorite to man the plumbing for the Swiss.

TEAM RUSSIA

Евгений Артюхин
(Evgeny Artyukhin)

#24 / Right Wing

Height: 6-5

Weight: 270

Born: Apr 04, 1983

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Evgeny Artyukhin	18	2	0	2	-3	27	0	0	0	0	13	15.4

"In A Battle"

His raw tools (size, speed and snarl) got him an invite to the team's Olympic camp, and a slightly slow hockey sense may be the only thing that could keep the Moscow-born mammoth from the final roster.

Carter, Koivu Now On IR; Sharp Recalled

Arthur from Anaheim Calling — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:42:08 -0000

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

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THE TELETYPE:

Anaheim has placed Saku Koivu and Ryan Carter on the IR, while calling up Condors center MacGregor Sharp. Koivu had been battling an undisclosed lower body injury but has been skating regularly. Ryan Carter has been suffering from a bruised foot, though not the same foot he re-injured earlier this season. Sharp is second amongst the Condors in scoring behind fellow Ducks free agent signee Dan Sexton.

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The NHL's top defensive forwards

2010 Winter Olympics Hockey: Anaheim Hopefuls

TEAM USA

#9 / Right Wing

GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG GTG SOG PCT 2009 - Bobby Ryan 21 9 6 15 1 14 4 0 0 0 69 13.0 "Nearly A Lock"

#19 / Defenseman

"Nearly A Lock"

TEAM CANADA

#15 / Center

"Pack Your Bags"

# 27 / Defenseman

"Pack Your Bags"

#10 / Right Wing

"Moving Up"

TEAM FINLAND

#11 / Center

"Pack Your Bags"

#17 / Center

"Moving Up"

#8 / Right Wing

TEAM SWITZERLAND

#1 / Goalie

TEAM RUSSIA

Евгений Артюхин(Evgeny Artyukhin)

#24 / Right Wing

"In A Battle"

***Carter, Koivu Now On IR; Sharp Recalled***

GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG GTG SOG PCT

2009 - Bobby Ryan 21 9 6 15 1 14 4 0 0 0 69 13.0

"Nearly A Lock"

Евгений Артюхин
(Evgeny Artyukhin)

Carter, Koivu Now On IR; Sharp Recalled