Column: Ryan Getzlaf carries the Ducks to another win in Game 4 against the Oilers
Ryan Getzlaf turned 22 during the Ducks’ 2007 Stanley Cup run, standing out as a support player on a star-laden roster and positioning himself as a potential future leader of championship teams.
He fulfilled that promise with Team Canada at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics and again at last year’s World Cup tournament, but he and the Ducks haven’t gone as deep into the playoffs as they did in that triumphant season a decade ago.
Getzlaf will celebrate his 32nd birthday next Wednesday. If the Ducks’ season is still alive then, it will be because he has taken the team upon his strong back and is leading the way forward not only with his familiar slick playmaking skills but with his surprising goal production.
The Ducks’ captain orchestrated a second-period rally against the Oilers on Wednesday by scoring twice and assisting on Rickard Rakell’s goal and then set up Jakob Silfverberg’s winner 45 seconds into overtime as the Ducks won, 4-3, and tied their series against Edmonton at two games each.
It was a stunning loss for the Oilers and a momentous step forward for the Ducks, but after a chorus of whoops and hollers and loud music seeping through the locker-room doors, they were surprisingly calm, none more so than Getzlaf.
“What a game,” he said, a small smile the only sign of his emotions.
It became a tense, close game that turned into a Ducks victory because of his leadership. The Ducks trailed, 2-0, after the first period and the crowd at Rogers Place was anticipating a win for the home team.
A few choice words from Getzlaf began the process of changing that. He insisted again, as always, that there are no great secrets or motivational speeches in the team’s locker room, but he had found other ways of leading his teammates back onto a winning path.
“I was really disappointed with the way we played in the first period,” he said, adding a chiding note about another less-than-perfect penalty-killing effort. “Our PK has got to find a way to get the job done a little bit and we’ve got to find a way to dig in. I thought we lost a lot of battles in the first period.
“I’ve always said that I can say anything I want in the dressing room but I’ve got to go out and live it, and I tried to do that in the second period and the group just went along with it and kept playing.”
The magic words? “We talked about the little things we need to improve on. And the things that we need to do to turn the game around and we were able to do that tonight,” he said. “Gave up one late there. Really nice to go out there and get one in OT.”
Getzlaf downplayed his role in that overtime goal by Silfverberg, who has scored at least one goal in each game of this series.
“I made a terrible pass to him in the neutral zone, which forced him to forecheck. He got in on that forecheck, forced the guy up the wall,” said Getzlaf, who had four goals and eight points in the series. “It was a well-executed forecheck. [Rakell] went in, made the guy turn the puck over, I was able to get it over to Silvy and he does what he does.”
And the Ducks did what they did, which is follow his lead.
“You just go out and play. That’s just it,” he said. “You’ve got to win more battles than the guy across from you. That’s playoff hockey. We’ve got to, as a group, keep moving forward. We haven’t accomplished anything yet. All we did was get our home ice back. We’ve got to take this one, breathe the next day and a half and get ready for Game 5.”
That game will be played on Friday at Honda Center, with Game 6 back here in Edmonton.
“I feel good right now. It’s a fun time of year,” Getzlaf said. “I love playing now. Things don’t always go your way — believe me, I’ve been on the other side of it too. It’s one of those things where I’m going to focus every day on doing my job, not anybody else’s.”
Earlier this week, Oilers Coach Todd McLellan acknowledged the imprint Getzlaf had made on the series.
“He’s been a tremendous player. I think he’s their best player,” McLellan said. “He’s been through it. As a real young player he was lucky enough to play on their fourth line when they won the Stanley Cup and he learned the ropes that way.
“Looking back on some of the other finals-series type situations, he’s played in the Olympics, a World Cup. He’s at the peak of his career right now. There’s a lot of things. He’s been through a lot and drawing on that experience. He has that positive impact for their team.”
He did it again Wednesday.
Follow Helene Elliott on Twitter @helenenothelen
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