His team's final microscopic chance to make the playoffs was vanquished Wednesday night, but Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau plans to put his best lineup on the ice in an attempt to win each of the five remaining games.
The Ducks defeated San Jose 3-1 Wednesday, and they still have two other playoff contenders, Phoenix and Calgary, on their docket. Boudreau feels that he owes it to the six teams that are four points apart in the fight for the final spots to keep his regulars active.
"I think personally we have an obligation to every team in our conference to play the best that we can every night and to put the best lineup out every night," Boudreau said. "Would it be fair to L.A. if we all of a sudden put 12 call-ups in or whatever to play San Jose or go into Phoenix and start resting guys? Or go on the Canadian trip and rest guys while other teams have battled all year to get into that position?
"I don't think it's right. I wouldn't want them to do it to us if we were in that situation."
One sure sign that there won't be a rush to recall some players from the minors is that the Ducks' American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, is in a fight to make the Calder Cup playoffs and has nine games remaining.
Rookie winger Kyle Palmieri, who had 32 goals for the Crunch, was sent back there Monday.
"A lot of people in (upstate) New York have been living and dying with that team," Boudreau said. "With Palmieri going there, we want him to play in those kind of games. We want him to be the leader in a game where it counts an awful lot."
Meanwhile, the Ducks reveled in winning five of their six meetings against their Northern California rival. In 2 1/2 hours, San Jose went from leading the Pacific Division to hanging onto the final playoff spot.
"We've played for a lot of things over the last couple of months here," Anaheim left wing Bobby Ryan said. "This is just another one to add to the list, so it's a pretty good feeling right now.
"To do it against a division rival and maybe snuff out one of their last chances to get in is a very good feeling."
NOTES, QUOTES
Hiller will remain the primary goalie down stretch
--In line with his desire to utilize a competitive lineup, Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said that Jonas Hiller will get most of the starts in goal over the remaining five games. Hiller made his club-record 70th start on Wednesday. Backup Jeff Deslauriers figures to get at least one more turn in goal.
"If he's too tired to play, then we'll rest him," Boudreau said of Hiller. "If he's not tired, we'll still play him, because we're trying to win as many games as possible. We're not looking to get into the lottery. We're not looking to do any of that. We want to be as good a team as we can be the rest of the season."
--RW Corey Perry was awarded his 36th goal of the season and perhaps the strangest one of his career, wrapping up the Ducks' win over San Jose. A video review made stand the ruling made by referees Francois St. Laurent and Dan O'Halloran that Sharks D Dan Boyle deliberately knocked the empty San Jose net as Perry tried to fire the puck in but hit the side instead with 8.9 seconds remaining. The officials cited that the goal was allowed due to Rule 63.6, which states in part "when the goal post has been displaced deliberately by the defending team when their goalkeeper has been removed for an extra attacker thereby preventing an impending goal by the attacking team, the Referee shall award a goal to the attacking team."
--Lubomir Visnovsky's numbers are down sharply from last season, when he led all NHL defensemen with 68 points while tying a career high with 18 goals. Visnovsky has just six goals this season, as he broke a 29-game streak without one Sunday against Boston. "It was good for him," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "I know he's been feeling really down about himself lately. It's common. When you're used to doing something and then all of a sudden it doesn't happen for a while, you start to believe, 'Have I lost it? Am I no good anymore?' So it was good for his confidence to get that one." Visnovsky has only 28 points in 64 games.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It just shows we have no quit and we're not going to quit. We're not going to lay down for anybody, and we'll play this way right to the end. It's unfortunate the way things have turned out. I don't think it's going to deter us from doing what we've been doing." -- Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau, on his team's 3-1 win over San Jose as Anaheim was officially eliminated from the playoff picture.
