The Anaheim Ducks used the holiday break to reset and regroup.
In five post-Christmas games, Bruce Boudreau's club has posted a record of 4-0-1, and, as a result, climbed into third place in the Pacific Division - and therefore a playoff spot - after a potentially disastrous 1-7-2 start to the season.
There's still much to be done in order to even start thinking about a return to the Western Conference Finals, but Ryan Kesler believes the group's now on the same page, at least.
"We've battled hard. We've fought through a lot of adversity this year, everybody personally and as a team," Kesler said, according to Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times. "We're playing well. We've found our identity. I think with this team it starts with defense first and then we're going to create off that."
This recent run of success lends credence to that defensive mentality.
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 27 | Philadelphia | W 4-2 |
| Dec. 29 | Calgary | W 1-0 |
| Dec. 31 | Edmonton | W 1-0 |
| Jan. 1 | Canucks | L 2-1 (SO) |
| Jan. 3 | Winnipeg | W 4-1 |
Despite the early struggles, Kesler maintains the players were always behind Boudreau, who found himself planted firmly on the hot seat.
"I think the coach did a good job of telling us to hit the reset button after Christmas. He told us to have a good break and come back and play and start a new year, a new season, and just go out and do what we do," he said.
"Everybody has faith in Bruce. We as a team have never strayed away from that. We like him as a guy and as a coach. We've worked for him and we're going to continue to work hard for him."
Offensively, the Ducks still find themselves dead last in goals for, with only 73 through 38 games. So even as rookie John Gibson emerges as a high-end option in net for Anaheim, the sticks will need to get going in order for the team to become a true threat.
