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Like Niedermayer's beard, Ducks' hopes growing

Submitted by administrator on Thu, 12/13/2007 - 16:32

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The cavalry hasn't come to the rescue yet. But it's in the building, and for the Anaheim Ducks that's room enough for optimism. Scott Niedermayer did not suit up for Wednesday night's game against Vancouver. Part of the reason was that morning was the first and only time he has skated with the full team in anything resembling a practice. The other part is that technically Niedermayer still isn't a member of the active roster, nor will he be until General Manager Brian Burke sheds $900,000 or so to satisfy salary-cap restrictions. Presuming Burke can make a deal in the next 48 hours, it's realistic to assume Niedermayer would make his season debut Friday against Minnesota. This much is clear: Niedermayer isn't that far away. In skating with a few teammates on Tuesday's off day, and with all of them Wednesday morning, he demonstrated that conditioning will not be a problem. "He was probably the fastest one out there," forward Drew Miller said of a drill at the end of Tuesday's skate. "And we've been skating all year. "It shows how good of a skater he is. Not many people are able to do it, but he's one of them that has that natural gift. It's fun to watch, and it's good to have him back." The issue at this point is getting re-accustomed to contact and game conditions. The pickup games Niedermayer played in the latter stages of his sabbatical, which included such retired players as Jeff Friesen and Travis Green, were helpful. But they weren't full-fledged NHL competition. Ducks coach Randy Carlyle indicated that at the outset he'd monitor Niedermayer's minutes and wouldn't use him extensively on the power play or killing penalties, saying he didn't want "to put him in an overwhelming situation." Still, the temptation is to think of the former captain as a panacea for a team that has struggled to find consistency. The Ducks are 15-14-4 after Wednesday's 3-2 loss to Vancouver, two points out of first place in their division but No. 7 in the Western Conference. And their special teams have been a disaster. They were fifth in the league on both the power play and the penalty kill last season en route to the Stanley Cup, but they currently are 20th in power-play percentage and 24th in killing penalties. Considering that Anaheim leads the league in penalty minutes per game (20.7), that spells trouble. "Killing eight, nine, 10 (penalties) is never an easy task," said the current captain, Chris Pronger. "Some games we're fortunate enough to do it. Other games it's going to come back and bite you. We've seen that the last couple of weeks." Ultimately, Niedermayer should dramatically aid both the power play and penalty kill. His steadiness and ability to control the flow of a game can help restore some of that missing consistency. Who knows? Having No. 27 back on the ice might even lessen that parade to the penalty box a bit, just through leading by example. "Everything really stems from just how focused and how prepared and ready you are," Niedermayer said Wednesday morning. "If you're not quite as ready as you need to be ... you might cheat. You might do something that you wouldn't normally do if you take an extra stride, or something like that. "It all mixes together. I'll try to be myself, I guess, and if that helps a little bit, then good. But I don't know if it will." If nothing else, it's a new challenge. For all that Niedermayer has achieved in this game, one thing he hasn't done is win back-to-back Cups. (Of course, neither has anyone else the past decade.) To pursue that goal after giving everyone else in the league a two-month head start ... if he can do it, it'll be quite a story. "It's a big challenge," he said, the salt and pepper stubble on his unshaven face a subtle reminder of last spring's playoff beard and the magic that came with it. "I'm excited to be back in this room with the players we have, the team we have, to try to do that. I know it's not easy, but that's why it's a fun thing to try to do." Put it this way: If Scott Niedermayer can have enough fun, the Ducks and their fans could have a blast again come spring.(Contact Jim Alexander at jalexander@PE.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)