The Anaheim Ducks finally started scoring

After a couple months of making everyone’s pick as a Stanley Cup contender look completely wrong, the Anaheim Ducks are playing competitive hockey again.

The SoCal kids are proving that their success from Christmas through the All-Star Break was no fluke. They've bumped themselves up into third place in the Pacific Division, making for an interesting battle in the standings with the second-place San Jose Sharks.

There might not be a way of properly pinpointing what went wrong for Anaheim at the start of the season. It’s a bit easier, however, to see why the Ducks have found success at this point of their 2016 campaign. To put it simply: They finally started scoring. And they have a successful move at the trade deadline, that 2.28 goals-per-game average could potentially go up.

One of the most baffling things about Anaheim’s early-season woes was that it wasn’t giving up many goals to the opposition. Sturdy defense and a tough penalty kill remained constant in the Ducks’ game. Goaltending also proved to be on point, with rookie John Gibson stymying the competition since being recalled when Frederik Andersen was sidelined with the flu. His Rookie of the Month nod for December accompanied a 1.62 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.

Even with those pieces in place, the Ducks didn’t break out of their funk until after Christmas. The surge in their offense is responsible.

While it seems too facile to say that the Ducks struggle offensively when their big guns don’t play well, there’s no ignoring that they’re a better product when Ryan Getzlaf is playing well. The captain would probably never admit to it, but his health at the beginning of the season could have contributed to a cold streak. He underwent a non-emergency appendectomy in late October, and Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reported that in addition to missing four games after the surgery, Getzlaf “likely dealt with another injury.”

But Getzlaf has since gone from being benched for costly turnovers to leading the team with 42 points and 36 assists. As TodaysSlapShot summarized: “Even though the team features other star forwards like Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler, it appears that any and all Ducks’ success this year will hinge upon the state of Getzlaf’s success.”

His success as the setup guy has helped his linemates flourish, which is also a pivotal part of Anaheim’s success after the rough start to the season. Most notably has probably been his pairing with Rickard Rakell, who is having every bit the breakout season. The 22-year-old Swede has emerged on as an all-out force on a line with Getzlaf and David Perron — which, as Nick Forrester of SI.com reminded us, has allowed Bruce Boudreau to split up Getzlaf and Corey Perry and create some depth in the lines.

That being said, Anaheim could still use some firepower up front, and those offensive combos could get another jostle depending on what moves the team makes as the trade deadline approaches. TheFourthPeriod.com has the Ducks connected to wingers Andrew Ladd, Patrick Marleau and Jonathan Drouin. It isn’t clear, however, how active they are in the Drouin sweepstakes or if his skill set offsets his attitude enough to get Anaheim to be serious about making a move for him.

Whatever move the Ducks make, it will have to contribute on the offensive front. Scoring goals is the only way they’re going to be able to plan for hockey past the regular season.