Splitting It Up

A tense weekend of a home-and-home series against our Northern neighbors, the San Jose Sharks, yield a split. Two points, Anaheim; two points, San Jose. Sunday's loss marked the end of the Ducks' game winning streak at four, and prompted me to take a look at the numbers.What worked for Anaheim Saturday that didn't work for Anaheim Sunday?Well, the most obvious answer is, of course, penalties. In Saturday's contest, Anaheim gave San Jose's 3rd-in-the-NHL-ranked power play only three chances wherein one led to a San Jose goal. But on Sunday, Anaheim gave San Jose seven chances with the man-advantage, including a full sixty second two-man advantage.Now, nevermind the bad officiating that went down in the third period. We all know that the refs are well-versed on Anaheim's tough guy rep and sometimes let that influence their vision, but it says something when even the opponents acknowledge that the calls went their way.Even Sharks forward Jeremy Roenick said...