Ducks working hard to effectively manage extra time off
What does a hockey team do with itself when it has more than a one-week break before the next playoff series?
This is the predicament the Anaheim Ducks currently face.
A sweep of Winnipeg in the first round has given the Ducks more free time than they've had in months. So the results of the survey were as follows: watching movies, the Bruce Jenner interview and, of course, more hockey. Somewhat predictable, with maybe the Jenner interview coming as a surprise to coach Bruce Boudreau (He watched hockey Friday night, the team filled him in on the contents of the 20/20 special).
In the #NHLDucks Practice Report: Staying sharp but having fun; @JohnGibson returns & more: http://t.co/UHVJwfPHQJ https://t.co/q5xeJr4DDX
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) April 25, 2015
But too much downtime provides the risk of falling into a listless trap. It's avoidable, the Ducks say, so long as the time off is managed effectively.
"Sometimes having such a long break can effect you in a negative way," Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler said. "We don't want that to happen. Even if you come out sluggish in the first period of Game 1, that can make a difference."
It's a fine line the team must walk. They need to continue to practice with a playoff-like intensity, while also recovering from the last series. Saturday's practice was exceptionally intense for this time of year, consisting of training-camp drills and conditioning, but it's the type of practice needed in order to avoid complacency.
And part of avoiding complacency means having some fun.
"That's why we played that game yesterday, 4-on-4, and that's why we played a little game at the end today," Fowler said. "It can't all be grind, grind, grind. It's a long enough year. Trying to put some fun into the practice. We'll start getting a lot more serious starting Monday."
Sunday will be an off-day for Anaheim. It's rare in the playoffs to have a day off that doesn't include travel or media of some sort, but the Ducks say that this off-day is well-deserved. By next week, they'll have almost everyone healthy and available, as well as the Black Aces from Norfolk in town practicing as well.
"To win a playoff series in this league, you have to earn every inch out there, and that can take a toll on your body," Fowler said. "It's a balance between kind of trying to recharge the batteries between the series, but at the same time, you have to get something out of it."
Goalie-Go-Round
John Gibson is back to practicing in full with the team once again and says he's completely up to speed and available for Game 1. However, he'll likely have to pry that job out of Frederik Andersen's cold hands, because the only goalie the Ducks used in the opening round did more than enough to win the playoff job outright.
Andersen won four straight and made an incredible game-saving stop in Game 3 against Winnipeg, and of the playoff goalies -- all 24 of them -- Andersen is 11th in save percentage (.924) and 13th in goals against average (2.20).
"Freddie deserved it. He played really well in every game," Boudreau said.
First round sweep already behind the #NHLDucks as they prep for the Second Round: http://t.co/fhC9wySqKV https://t.co/scMqs1AiBr
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) April 24, 2015
Not to mention, Boudreau is getting a little tired of being questioned for his goaltending decisions. He escaped that line of questioning in the first round, and was very happy with the outcome.
"Thank god, because they would have been just focused on one guy," Boudreau said. "Every time I put in a different goalie, they give me crap about moving my goalies around. So I'm glad we only used one goalie."
The great donut debate
East Coast vs. Canada? Having just returned from his native Canada this week, Boudreau decided to put an end to the age-old donut dilemma: Dunkin Donuts or Tim Horton's?
"Dunkin Donuts?" Boudreau said. "It's no Tim Horton's."
Case closed.
