You won't find a goal next to his name on the box score from Sunday night's game against Vancouver, just a few frustrating numbers: Two shots on goal, two shots blocked and five missed shots. It's been like that for most of this season as the winger Andrew Cogliano hasn't been able to find the back of the net like he has in the past.
"He must have hit six or seven posts in the last two weeks," Ducks' coach Bruce Boudreau said. "But that's the difference between him scoring 20-plus last year and him having four this year. Last year, they were all going in. This year, they're not going in yet."
However, the player known as Ironman was the best player on the ice for most of the game Sunday night. He was awarded the fireman's hat, the Ducks' version of a game ball, not because he made the most dynamic plays on the ice - which he did - but because he did the little, dirty things that make all the difference in a one-goal game.
He might not be hitting the net every time, but that doesn't mean his contributions have diminished.
"He brought a lot of energy to our team," Boudreau said. "And when he's doing that, he's a really good player."
If there's any frustration, Cogliano hasn't made it known to anyone else. If Boudreau were in his place, it would have set in by now, but that's not the kind of player that Cogliano is.
"When he hit the crossbar in the second period, right after he hit the one that redirected into the post, you could see that that was frustration there," Boudreau said. "But everybody patted him on the back and told him to keep going and playing and he wore the hard hat tonight. People appreciate the effort he puts in."
A remarkably level-headed goal, Cogliano knows his role - a nightmare for opposition on the forecheck, durable on the power play and a high-energy speedster out on the wing. Nowhere in that job description is complaining included.
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"It sucks, to be honest," Cogliano said. "But it is what it is. We're in first place and that's the bottom line. I think at the end of the day, all that matters is if the team wins. I put the most pressure on myself as an individual. No fan, no media, nobody from the outside could match the pressure I put on myself.
"I'm trying as hard as I possibly can to score a goal and help the team contribute, but I feel like as long as I go out and play a strong game and the team wins, that's all that matters."
Injury updates
Boudreau joked that Corey Perry (knee) would be back some time before April 1. Perry gave no indication that it would be Wednesday night against the Sharks, but he did say it would be much sooner than April 1.
Perry practiced in full Monday, trying to simulate in-game skating as much as possible. He's had a few recent setbacks but Monday's practice wasn't one.
"There's good days and bad days and today was one of the better days," he said. "Day-by-day right now."
Tim Jackman (upper-body) is also nearing a return after being sucker punched by San Jose's John Scott. Jackman participated in full Monday, even working on some fighting techniques with Patrick Maroon.
Should Jackman return for the next meeting with the Sharks on Wednesday, he will not face Scott, who is still serving a four-game suspension for his hit on the winger. It's Scott's second offense this season in Anaheim, as he came over the boards to fight Jackman in the teams' first game.
Kyle Palmieri is working on getting strength back in his shoulder after it was immobilized for the first 10 days after suffering the injury and is still a few weeks away from a return.
