If it ain't broke......FIX it!!!

That must be what Bob Murry was thinking when he made the trades that shocked the Ducks world! Who knew that by trading Moen, Sammy, Huskins, Morrisson and Montador that somehow the Ducks would then be able to make a play for the a playoff spot? Bob Murray, that's who. At 7:30 pacific time last night, the Ducks began their 4th playoffs in a row. It was a game that everyone was labeling as an inevitable victory for the Sharks. Writer after writer kept saying that the Ducks were not suppose to even be in the playoffs and that the Sharks superiority at home would be the downfall of the Ducks. Everyone had alot to say about San Jose and nothing to say about the Ducks. That's all changed this morning.

If you didn't know it, you would not know who the Ducks opponent was last night. In fact, today everyone loves the Ducks. Last night while interviewing "BIG JOE" Thorton (Whose the same size as Getzlaf), some reporter asked him what he thought of their [Ducks] rookie goal tender..to which Joe said, "They played well." They played well? The media keeps saying we stole game 1. Stole it? I give credit to the NHL on the Fly analyst that responded with, "They didn't steal it, they earned it!" Adam Brady over at the DucksBlog gives us these stats to drool over:

"Ah, Jonas Hiller. Could he possibly be more beloved by Ducks fans right now? Sure, he had a little help from his three red-painted aluminum friends that sit behind his back, but he was outstanding in his first-ever playoff game. His shutout of the Sharks was just the third time they've been blanked this season -- by J.S. Giguere on Oct. 17 (4-0) and by Detroit's Ty Conklin (of all people) on Dec. 18 (6-0)."

And that's not all, I looked around the boards looking for peoples comments, and it seems that the Shark faithful are jumping ship. One reader commented with this:

"The crowd was in shock all night. It was like a library in there and the fans never seemed to know when it was time to get behind their team. Both the Sharks and their fans made it easy on Hiller last night. That game was more like a regular season match, than a playoff game. All the Ducks big players showed up and played great games. The Sharks looked disinterested."

And this came from another person who simply identifies himself as "Jerseyfan":

"Scott Niedermayer has won at every level he has played!!! He is the ultimate clutch D man and will be walking into the hall of fame on his first ballot!!! The Ducks are going to give the Sharks nightmares!"

So true Jerseyfan, so very true. So with last nights shutout, the Sharks have now gone 147 minutes, 24 seconds without a playoff goal, dating back to their four-overtime Game 6 elimination against Dallas in last year's conference semis. That's a long time, and although its only a matter of time before the Sharks start scoring, I like the confidence that a win like last night instills in "Hiller the shot Killer!" There were so many things that happened last night that are worth mentioning, and I'll list them one by one:

Scary Moment of the game:
"First period: San Jose defense man Rob Blake lost his footing near the corner boards and his left skate came up and appeared to strike Ducks wing Bobby Ryan in the face. Ryan flinched wildly and immediately checked his face but appeared to be unhurt." I thought the worse for a moment. I normally can not stand Blake as a player, but I saw him look concern for a moment, and it reminded me that he is a human being that cares about his fellow players. I tip my hat to you Rob Blake.

What Is The Deal With Rob Niedermeyer?: This guy was all over the penalty box like it was Scott Neidermeyer's paycheck! I know Robbie normally shines in the post season, but 3 out of 6 penalties? Chill out dude!

Beauchemin: The impact he has made is huge! By Frankie coming back, he's given Chris Pronger and Scottie a combined ten minutes of rest time. That not only adds another blue liner that can shoot, but keeps our Big "2" fresh when it counts. Frankie truly is a trade deadline pick up!

Mike Brown and Todd Marchant: These guys are studs! First of all Brown can skate! He is a fast Sucka, and has a ton of grit when he needs to get down and dirty, and yes....his stick touching the attempted pass creating a break away situation for Getzy was huge! Marchant is the hardest working hockey player in the NHL! Remember in 2007 when he was designing shirts? He was hurt....now he's playing in the playoffs and motivating the team with his performance! He is a walking, talking and skating motivational poster!

Scottie and Getz: What else can be said about these two? OK, how about the fact that for both Getzlaf and Niedermayer, it was their only shots of the entire night, and we won 2-0.

So how did the San Jose crowd feel after the loss? Like Sore losers. I read that on tv "Right after the final buzzer sounds, they show Hiller, and then it cuts to the Anaheim bench. Everyone who hasn't left the bench is looking behind them, towards the crowd, including the coaching staff. Then Randy Carlyle rubbed his hair, like he was trying to get something out of it." Basically the fans took it upon themselves to dump crap on the Anaheim Ducks coaching staff. Real classy folks. That's not the way champions act. If you'd like a tutorial, go to a game in Anaheim.

Gary Peterson of the Mercury News sums it up nicely; "Is it too early to panic?
This was the danger of drawing the Ducks as a first-round opponent. They may not be the team they were two years ago. But they remain fearless, tested and tough-minded, capable of doing all the little things right, and making the big moments conform to their whim."

Right back 'atcha Gary!

Game 2 is Sunday night. Right now I hope the Ducks are relaxing, and having fun. They've been here before. They now have home ice advantage, and like Shaun O'Donnel once said, "home ice only matters if you win."

Finally I read this funny story asking the question "Who is tougher an NBA player or NHL player?" Even though the answer is very obvious, it's written for the hockey to appreciate.

P.S....the ducks are back in my pool this morning! Go Ducks!