For the Ducks, These Next 14 Games are Huge.

So it turns out the Ducks are going to be playing a whole mess of road games now. In fact, 11 of their next 14 games are on the road. One big plus is that of these 14 games, there are only 2 back to backs; the first two games (this Saturday and Sunday) and the last two games (2/18 and 2/19). There is also the All Star break that happens pretty much in the middle of these games (after game 6).

Even though the Ducks will be playing 11 of their next 14 games on the road, this road trip is looking very promising as far as being able to solidify their standings and be in serious consideration of a playoff spot. The Ducks currently have 52 points. Of those 14 games, only Phoenix, Vancouver, and Washington have more points than the Ducks. Other teams that are close behind are Montreal and Colorado but these teams have games in hand, so it's hard to say they're really behind the Ducks. With that said, the rest of the teams that the Ducks play are all in the bottom half of their respective conferences. Most of these teams also have losing records with the exception of the Sharks, Wild, and Blues.

After these 14 games, the Ducks will nearly have played three quarters of their season. With the relatively easy road schedule, it's going to be imperative that the Ducks play strong over these next several games on the road if they want to ensure that they make the playoffs.

The upcoming schedule for the Ducks and where the respective teams stand as of 1/14/2011 2:00 PM PST:

I see a huge opportunity for the Ducks to establish themselves in the playoff picture over this stretch of games. It's going to take some hard work and definitely some winning, but at this point, I don't think you can ask for a more favorable road schedule.