Just when it seemed there was no way out, after the Ducks had flailed through a 1-7-2 start and couldn't find line combinations that clicked, necessity became the mother of their reinvention.
On Dec. 18 they were lumped at the bottom of the NHL standings with Toronto and Columbus, at 11-14-5. Faced with falling prohibitively far behind the playoff pack before the new year, Bruce Boudreau came up with an unlikely plan for a coach known for teams that attacked fiercely and defended somewhat casually: the Ducks would compete by learning to play solid, rugged defense.