Why Are The Ducks Good on the Road?

The Anaheim Ducks have become somewhat of a powerhouse when on the road, and tonight, they can move atop the Pacific Division with a win at the New York Rangers.

NHL teams generally learn about themselves while at home and then prove themselves on the road. The Ducks have established that with a gritty showing on an eight-game road trip that ends tonight at Madison Square Garden.

They've lost the first two games of the trip but pulled themselves together and went 4-0-1 in the next five. If they can beat a somehow-hot Rangers team tonight, they will have earned 11 out of a potential 16 points on this trip.

10% of the Ducks' season was on this trip. They've grinded out three one-goal victories. The Rangers understand that, having gone 3-6 on a nine-game road trip to start their season and people had them written out until they won a couple games against the Islanders, Sabres, and Hurricanes.

One more point for the Ducks means they will move ahead of the Sharks in the most competitive division in the NHL. So here's some reasons why the Ducks are flirting with first place in their division.

Stars

Yes, that's right. Stars. Stars were being stars. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry delivered offensively. They've combined for 13 points over the past five games.

Only one small trade, but a big deal

The Ducks acquired Mathieu Perreault from the Washington Capitals and it has definitely paid off on the scoreboard and offensively. He has 13 points in 14 games, helping the offense that lost Beleskey, Jakob Silfverberg, Saku Koivu, and Teemu Selanne to injuries.

Rookies
Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen have stepped in for Sheldon Souray and Luca Sbisa and gotten the job done. Lindholm is a plus-11 averaging 19:25 a game. Vatanen is plus-3 playing 18 minutes a game.

Secondary scoring
A solid collection of players including Nick Bonino, Emerson Etem, Andrew Cogliano, and Kyle Palmieri have helped chip in goals for this team.

Bruce Boudreau
His ability to hold a team together despite what happens around him is a big plus for a guy who's used to holding one together.

The Ducks are playing well and they show it offensively. Tonight, they take on a team that has played well of late, the New York Rangers. Can they steal two points away from Madison Square Garden? We'll find out!