The Anaheim Ducks had to work for their third playoff appearance in as many seasons in a 2-1 shootout win over rival Los Angeles at a sold out Honda Center. This game had everything you would expect from a rivalry; bone crunching hits, great scoring chances, and outstanding goaltending.
"Both goalies played tremendous tonight." Ducks defenseman Schneider said.
With 17 seconds left in the 3rd period, the Kings Alexander Frolov stole the puck from Schneider and ended up on a breakaway and looked to put the Ducks playoff hopes away for at least one more game. But, along came Jonas Hiller and made quite possibly the best save of his young NHL career.
"It was a tough game." Hiller said. "We got the two points and it's great to be in the playoffs."
The 2 points guaranteed the Ducks a visit to this years Stanley cup playoffs. It is the franchise's third straight playoff appearance, that is a franchise record. Now that the Ducks are in the playoffs, Ducks coach Randy Carlyle stresses that the team must not lose focus and continue to play well.
"Now we are in a position for home ice advantage." He said. "We just want to get our game to the level where we feel we can be competitive against the best teams."
Note: The Ducks extended their home winning streak to 10 games, a franchise record and the most by any team in the NHL this season. The Ducks were without the services of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Chris Pronger. Pronger is still serving his suspension for an alleged stomp on The Canucks Ryan Kesler. He will be able to return to the ice for the Ducks final home game on April 6th against the Phoenix Coyotes.
Quotes from Nhl.com
