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Slumping Ducks ‘still make the same mistakes,’ says Boudreau

Bruce Boudreau

Anaheim Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau gives instructions during a timeout in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012. The Ducks won 2-1. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

AP

To hear Bruce Boudreau explain it, Monday night’s 3-1 loss to Toronto was deja vu all over again.

“We went over everything,” Boudreau said, per the L.A. Times. “Everything they do, we went over. Then, we still make the same mistakes.”

The 3-1 loss to Toronto was Anaheim’s third in a row and sixth in its last 10. Boudreau described his club’s recent play as a “funk” and, judging by the schedule, it’s easy to see when the funk started (which sounds like a Bootsy Collins lyric, but I digress):

-- On Jan. 15, the Ducks pounded Vancouver 9-1 for their eighth straight victory, putting them at 36-8-5 on the year and first in the NHL.

-- Since then, the Ducks have gone 7-7-2 and a startling 4-6-2 at the Honda Center, a place where they normally terrorize opponents (remember, Anaheim started the year 20-0-2 at home).

A big reason for this failing? The power play. A unit you’d expect to thrive with the likes of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry has failed to click of late, scoring just once in its last 19 opportunities. Offense in general has been an issue for the Ducks since the beginning of February, as they have 19 goals in nine games -- an average of 2.1 per.

All that said, don’t expect the Ducks to keep struggling.

The schedule maker was very kind to Anaheim with regards to the stretch drive, as the Ducks play the majority of their games against teams on the outside of the playoff picture. That includes five contests against the Alberta teams (Calgary x2, Edmonton x3), two against the Canucks (who the Ducks are unbeaten against and have outscored 16-5) and single affairs against Washington, Florida, Winnipeg and Nashville.