Ducks Hang On in Chicago

After the triple overtime marathon loss earlier in the week, the Anaheim Ducks were not only having to rebound from a game that drained a ton of energy, but they would have to do so in enemy territory, as the series shifted to Chicago for Game 3 on Thursday night.

In order to rebound, the Ducks were going to need top end performances from their best players and both Ryan Getzlaf and Frederik Andersen stepped up to give them that game.  Getzlaf picked up a pair of assists on two Anaheim goals, while Andersen was on top of his game, making 27 saves for the win, as both players were the most notable for the hockey pool as well.

A late 2nd period goal by non-pool defenseman Simon Despres stood up as the winning goal of the game, as it was the last goal of the game.  The Ducks defense and goaltending not only withstood the pressure from the Blackhawks, they limited them to only 10 shots on goal in the 3rd period, cruising to a 2-1 victory in the game and a 2-1 lead in the series.

Despite the win on Tuesday night, the Blackhawks were still making changes to their lineup on Thursday night, as Box 4 forward Antoine Vermette was made into a healthy scratch again, already having spent some time in the press box in the opening round of the playoffs.  Vermette has not been effective for the Hawks in these playoffs, scoring 1 goal and 1 assist in 10 games, a real disappointment for the two pool teams that picked him up.

Game 3 in the West wasn't nearly as fruitful as Game 3 was in the East, but changes were still abound, as we have a new name holding on to the 3rd place standing.

Thor has overtaken Stacey M. for the position and put a couple points in between, not to mention sitting only 1 point back of 2nd place, Jesse P..

Meanwhile, at the top of the standings, Fontanna continues to pull away a bit, thanks to having the right names on their list from both teams.  Fontanna's team now sits at 211 points and is still the only team in the pool over 200 points, as their lead is now 13 points and seemingly insurmountable.

And just to review, Jesse is now sitting at 198 points, Thor is now in at 197 points, Stacey M. comes in at 195 points, while Sean L. now trails further behind at 189 points.

An updated list of injuries can be found here.