I know what some of you may thing to that headline, however you have to look at the cold hard facts.
Bobby Ryan, Corey Perry, and Ryan Getzlaf accounted for 44% of Anaheim’s regular season offense. 44%!
In the post-season, the same trio has account for 66% of their post-season goals (6), including 2 by Ryan.
Losing Bobby Ryan for what can only be called a “boneheaded” play, as it was completely preventable, is such a tableturner for this series. And to top it all off, there are reports that other Ducks aren’t too happy about this turn of events either.
With Bobby Ryan out of the lineup, it’s going to make it extremely difficult for this Ducks team to succeed offensively in the next two games and in Nashville at that. Nashville is one of the most hostile places in the playoffs, especially in games 3 and 4. Nashville has NEVER lost a game 3 at home, and seeing the way they finished off Game 2 last night, these turn of events may have turned the whole table in the Predators favor
Games 3 and 4 are going to prove pivotal for the Predators. They earned a split in Anaheim, although they could have come out with a win last night if that first 5-on-3 wouldn’t have occurred, and as the only team to beat Nashville in Game 4 is Chicago, I find it hard to believe that Anaheim can win either of the next two games without Bobby Ryan.
Yes, he’s THAT important to Corey Perry/Ryan Getzlaf and the Ducks.
Use this comparison: Bobby Ryan is to Corey Perry/Ryan Getzlaf what Martin Erat was to Patrick Hornqvist/Sergei Kostitsyn. Remember when Erat got hurt? That line collapsed. There is SO much chemistry built in that line that a sudden shock to the system, especially in the playoffs, may hurt Anaheim’s chances of leaving the first round this year. If the Predators can stay out of the box during the remainder of the series, then this one could be over next Friday night
Game 3 is tomorrow at 5pm CST at the Bridgestone Arena. If you thought Games 1 and 2 were good, you haven’t seen anything yet
Thanks for reading!
~KM
I’m honestly more worried about these 2 games after the suspension. Could it really hurt the Ducks? Obviously. But it could also get them mad. It could be something they rally around and use as extra motivation. They could come out with a vengeance tomorrow they wouldn’t have had if this didn’t happen. And even without Ryan they still have a 50 goal scorer and a 30 goal scorer, they still have 4 guys with between 68 and 98 points.
And what about all the other guys who have been taking cheapshots? The way the Ducks have been playing I wouldn’t be shocked to see them more agitated and more dirty after this and pull the Preds (O’Brien) into taking more dumb penalties.
I just don’t think taking one guy out makes these next two games freebies.
And I still don’t understand, and will NEVER understand, how this incident got so much attention when Perry’s stick to Pekka’s groin didn’t.
With something that happens in game, you can almost always cut the guy a little slack. In the heat of the moment, things are movie quickly, you do something stupid like stomp a foot. But Perry’s thing wasn’t even during play. The period was over and he blatantly roshamboed Pekka for no reason. I thought it was all about intent to injure? A stick to the gonads is the ultimate intent to injure.
I really think the loss of Ryan is going to hurt them. Plus, if what I’m hearing was true, Andy Sutton called Ryan a “goon” in passing under his breath during the media scrum after practice yesterday. If so, then that shows a bit of dissension among the ranks, which does nothing but to work in our favor
As for Pekka? I completely agree. You will get no argument from me on it