PHT’s Three Duds of the Week: Byfuglien, Vokoun and Anaheim’s Big Three

Mike Halford

Nov 7, 2011, 6:45 PM EDT

1 Comment

Ryan Kesler, Bobby Ryan, Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Andy Sutton

Every Monday, we’ll highlight (lowlight?) three of the NHL’s biggest duds from the past week.

1st Dud (tie): Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan, Anaheim Ducks

Key Stats: You’ll see.

The Ducks wrapped up their seven-game road trip with a 5-0 loss to Detroit on Saturday, one coach Randy Carlyle called their worst game of the year.

“We were just doing nothing,” Carlyle said. “It was like we were standing still and they were skating. They had their skates on and we were in street shoes.”

The loss put Anaheim at 1-3-3 on the trip with just 11 goals scored. Here’s what each of the “Big Three” did during the seven-game stretch.

Perry: 2G-3A-5PTS, minus-5

Getzlaf: 2G-2A-4PTS, minus-6

Ryan: 3G-0A-3PTS, minus-4

As a result, the Ducks are now 5-6-3, dead last in the Pacific Division and tied for 13th in the Western Conference.

2nd Dud: Dustin Byfuglien, D, Winnipeg Jets

Key Stat: 14 games played, one goal.

Consider the following snippet from a piece entitled “Wandering Byfuglien earns fans’ adoration, barbs“.

Jerseys with his name and number on the back litter the crowd when the Winnipeg Jets play at home.

Someone even changed the lyrics of LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem to include the line “Every day I’m Byfuglien”—instead of “Every day I’m shufflin’ “—and put it on a T-shirt.

There is no shortage of opinions when it comes to Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien, but his name was being used in vain on Sunday night following Winnipeg’s 3-0 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers got the insurance goal in the third period when Byfuglien tried an ill-timed pinch in the Rangers zone. Marian Gaborik easily finished off the resulting 2-on-1.

The Jets are 3-2-1 on the trip, but Byfuglien’s penchant for roaming all over the ice is driving some fans up the wall.

Big Buff’s been a mess this season and easily Winnipeg’s biggest letdown. Even on the rare night when he’s putting up points, he’s still playing poorly.

“Byfuglien had two assists and yet his night was still disappointing,” Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun wrote following Winnipeg’s 3-2 loss to New Jersey. “Hate to pick on one guy, but he has been a disappointment for the most part this season.”

3rd Dud: Tomas Vokoun, G, Washington Capitals

Key Stat: 11 goals allowed over last three starts.

Tomas Vokoun’s numbers on the year — 7-2-0, .915 save percentage, 2.54 GAA — are hardly dud of the week material.

But his numbers over the last three games? Oh yeah, those are dud worthy.

Vokoun is 1-1 with a 4.68 GAA and a .833 save percentage. He was fortunate not to get tagged with a loss in Vancouver — he got pulled after three goals; Michal Neuvirth allowed the eventual game-winner — and flat-out copped to killing his team in Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the Islanders.

“The first two and the fourth one, you can’t win when your goalie gives up three bad goals,” Vokoun told Capitals Insider. “As much as we play hard, tough on back-to-back nights, I didn’t help the guys much, obviously.”

Vokoun’s poor play has re-opened the door for Neuvirth to get some more starts. He looked great in Friday’s 5-1 win over Carolina, stopping 24 of 25 shots, and should see more action this week as the Caps have another Friday/Saturday back-to-back (a home-and-home against New Jersey.)

If you’d like to weigh in with your duds of the week, add ‘em in the comments section below.

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