Tonight, despite being a good two and a half hours behind the opening face-off, I will be liveblogging (as I watch it) the Ducks-St. Louis Blues game. It marks the first times the Ducks will take on their former, still-sans-Stanley Cup ex-Captain Paul Kariya and his much improved team. Interesting factoid of the night is that two former-captains of the opposing clubs will be squaring off tonight: Chris Pronger, the former Blues Captain and present-Ducks Cappy vs. the so-called evil PK, who spent his first nine NHL seasons with the then-Disney-owned Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.


Quack, quack.


Ooh. And in other “Captain” return news? Tonight Captain Canada (aka Ryan Smyth) is squaring off with his ex-team, the Edmonton Oilers. Perhaps he’s skating around that smooth Edmontonian ice, planting his butt in front of Dwayne Roloson and mentally shouting, “How do you like them apples?” to Oiler GM Kevin Lowe.


Or, you know, maybe not.


In any case, pitting Anaheim’s 4-5-1 record against St. Louis’ 4-2-0 one may not look too promising, considering the significant upgrade the Blues made when they made their summer deals. In obtaining the evil PK, they also got themselves a great playmaker with a sweet touch for goals. He presently leads their club in points (7), and found that going pointless – as he did last Saturday against Minnesota – spells l-o-s-s. Thankfully, the Ducks usually find success against the Blues, boasting a 6-1-0 record since 2005, and generally respond with impassioned play following a disastrous game against the Stars on Saturday.


So, who’s going to rebound from their loss tonight and who’s going to continue the skid? We shall soon see.


Keep in mind, I have not read/seen/heard any bit of the game since it started, so if you know what happens next, just let me happy blog on until the final buzzer sounds.


One last thing: Down with the evil PK!


FIRST PERIOD.


My footage starts with 7:01 left in the first period. What’s with that? Just because they started their coverage with The Element, it cuts into game time? Uhh… no. Thankfully, it’s still zero for all, but I have no clue why St. Louis has a power play. Darn local scheduling.


5:01 – Okay, during a commercial break, I peeked at the EDM-COL game and see that I was right. Smytty’s team notched 3 goals to the Oilers’ paltry 1. Smytty hasn’t factored in on the scoresheet just yet, but ex-Duck Dustin Penner has the lone Edmonton goal.


5:01 – They review some of the plays that have happened in the first 12 minutes, and the evil PK appears on my screen. I find that I still recognize the way he moves on ice. It makes me feel a little melancholy. Back to the action.


4:29 – Andy McDonald goes down after he takes what appears to be an elbow to the face. There’s no call on the play, new-Cappy and one of the leagues’ most-hated, Prongs goes to argue the face. The refs don’t agree, so when the puck drops again, Ducks enforcer George Parros mixes it up at center ice (which, I notice, is where he fights most) against DJ King. When King manages to pull the Stache’s jersey over his head and Parros drops to one knee before the refs step in.


2:07 – Blueman Jamal Mayers takes a shot at the empty net – EMPTY because J.S. Giguere got caught behind the net. The puck rang off the pipes, and Jiggy dove in front of the net. Too little too late, but thankfully the hockeygods are smiling. In the midst of all that, the announcer was saying that Rob Niedermayer is out with a groin strain. He’ll be re-evaluated upon the boys’ return to Anaheim. Apparently the Ducks are carrying 7 defensemen and 11 forwards.


SECOND PERIOD.


19:27 – Jiggy makes snow angels in an attempt to smother the puck away from Keith Tkachuk. Had Tkachuk actually gotten the shot off, it would’ve been in. So far, a lot of lucky breaks.


18:23 – Second-year d-man Kent Huskins, who notched his first NHL goal just last week, takes a shot that goes off a Blues players’ stick, along Andy Mac’s skate and into the net! It’s 1-0, Ducks. Credit for the goal actually goes to Andy Mac since the puck touched him last before getting into the net.


13:16 – Scramble in front of Jiggy, but he’s able to keep the biscuit out. Phew! At the end of the play, players get tangled together by the net.


12:59 – The biscuit is in for the Blues. Keith Tkuchuk wasted no time taking advantage of a puck that bounced off Shane Hnidy (and, honestly, how many times has that happened, man?! I have a 10-game-grace period for newbies, and so far, I’m having a lot of trouble justifying your roster slot!) Nevermind that I can’t quite blame you if the puck bounces off you, but still!


12:51 – Travis Moen square dances with Matt Walker in a likely attempt to light a fire under the Ducks tails. As it was a lot of grabbing and bear hugging, it wasn’t a terribly successful duel for my dear Mo.


12:25 – The little ticker tape shows me that the evil PK registered a point on the Tkuchuk goal. Ew.


11:11 – Chris Kunitz gets stripped of the puck, then engages in a mouthing off. He ends up going off for interference for hitting a Blue.


10:31 – The glass pops out, in one piece, and smacks down on the ice. Everybody chills until they can replace it. Nice things are said about the demi-penalty killing-hockeygod Samuel Pahlsson. Without warning, I instantly start boo’ing when Kariya touches the puck… AND THEN HE SCORES! The jerk! Ugh. It’s 2-1 Blues.


9-something – Brad May takes on Barrett Jackman at center ice. They twitch for a while before May grabs on and trades some shots. They get separated before anyone goes down and May makes a beeline for the lockerroom. NOT good. The camera focuses on blobs of blood on the ice, and I wonder who paid the price.


7:33 – A scrum along the boards after Francois Beauchemin takes a hard knock in an ugly hit that splits the skin under his nose. Mark Mowers comes in to defend his honor, but-


RYAN GETZLAF has an UPPER BODY INJURY?! Since WHEN?! He’s to be re-evaluated after the 2nd period ends. Whereas the other injuries only worried me slightly, losing Ryan has sent me into panic mode. I’m nauseated with vague memories of last season’s December game against San Jose when a number of my boys went down with injuries.


This is NOT good. See, the evil PK has his minions out in the crowd someplace, poking pins into voodoo dolls. I’m sure of it. sigh


4:08 – Odd line out on the ice: Parros – Pahlsson – Moen. ‘Nuff said.


3:14 – WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?! The evil PK strikes again, with a long pass for Brad Boyes that has nothing but net to aim at. It’s 3-1 Blues. It is maddeningly frustrating to watch Kariya, Kariya, Kariya. Ugh. Go away!


2:22 – I can barely finish typing before Miller-Perry-Mowers knock one home on a tap-tap-tap play. The Ducks are within one.


0:05 – Kuni gets a pretty chance one-on-one with Manny Legace, but the netminder drops down and blocks it.


The second intermission report indicates that the Blues have a massive advantage over the Ducks with SOG (26-11) and that the Blues have doubled up on the scoring chances (ANA 6, STL 12). Power Play advantage also goes to the Blues, who converted 2 of 4, versus the Ducks 0-for-1. If I was a numbers gal, which I’m not, I’d have to say the Ducks might have to work a tad bit harder to pull a W out of this.


THIRD PERIOD.


20:00 – Brad May back on the bench. Ryan Getzlaf still MIA.


16:40 – One of the newbies, Maxim Kondratiev, has been making some really sound defensive moves all night. Well done, kiddo.


13:11 – OMG. Another post. This time it’s Martin Rucinsky angling for Jiggy, and it pops off the pipe. I’m sweating this game, more so because it’s hot thanks to the numerous SoCal fires raging around, but also because of moments like these.


10: 40 – The Ducks can’t score on the second power play opportunity they get this period, despite a nice move made by Todd Marchant that went off the post. We could’ve tied it up there.


9:27 – Corey Perry is holding is face. Why?! Oh, well, there’s the trainer shoving tissue up Pears’ nose. Is it bloody? What’s wrong?! Ugh, I’m feeling the paranoia of more injuries!!!


Well, whatever, he’s not going to be put in the IR for a bloody nose. Relax… ooh-saaaa…


Oh. Nevermind. It was a high stick. He’s fine. Moving on.


9:14 – Pronger hits the post! OMG. All the post-hitting in this game!!! Paul Kariya is going off on the refs, absolutely going boinkers! It’s kind of funny to watch, actually.


Ooh. It looks like Berrett Jackman split his lip open on May’s fist during the fight, so the blood on the ice was probably his. His mouth is a bit swollen with a protective jaw casing around it.


7:22 – Anaheim can’t capitalize on the PP. They seriously need to find a way to get them goals goin’, particularly on the PP.


7:10 – Sammy gets a few face washes, as does Travis Moen, and everyone jumps in to tango.


6:53 – Mo and Sean O’Donnell get to take a seat for roughing, and I can’t help but wonder at some of the lopsided calls in this game. But of course, as an Anaheim fan, I’m sure it’s just my imagination. (sarcasm).


The announcers are stating that the evil PK said it was “tough” for him to watch the Ducks win the Cup. I’d gloat, but it just isn’t my style. Plus, that’d be kind of mean of me. I play nice. Usually. Back into the final minutes.


5:20 – The Ducks get another shot at an abbreviated power play, but give up a shorthanded chance to the Blues! A two-on-one for St. Louis that results in yet another shot ricocheting off the post behind Jiggy! muted scream Another wasted PP. The boys look beyond tired in these closing minutes.


0:32 – Oh, for the hockeygod’s sake! Another Kariya goal?! An empty netter. This game is over, with the evil PK factoring in on every single goal. Obviously, the Cup going to his former team must’ve really been a bitter pill that added incentive to really stick it to us. UGH.


I can’t really blame the Ducks for this one, but dang. I just hate losing to the evil PK. Watch tomorrow for something more coherent. I’m just disapopinted now. The effort and the heart were there, but somehow, the Ducks’ mojo just wasn’t making that magic…