Goaltender Freddie Andersen even following the loss to Chicago, proved that he is the number one for Anaheim
The Anaheim Ducks may have lost against the Chicago Blackhawks, but 
Frederik Andersen has dazzled for the Ducks ever since he came back from his injury.
Andersen and the Ducks spoiled Jonas Hiller’s return to Honda Center when Anaheim doused the Calgary Flames 3-2 on Tuesday. Andersen stopped 32-of-34 shots faced and none bigger than a point blank glove save on Sean Monahan in the third period when Anaheim held a two-goal lead.
The Ducks (14-5-5) up until Friday’s 4-1 loss to Chicago, had won three-straight for the first time since Oct. 19-Oct.24. This is also Andersen’s first string of wins prior to being sidelined with leg tightness.
Anaheim (33 PTS) sit atop the Pacific Division and Western Conference and have squeezed out at least one point in 11 of their past 12 games.
During this win streak, the Ducks are minimizing mental breakdowns and Andersen is looking stronger and more confident in net.
Prior to his lower-body injury, the Dane quickly cemented his status as the best goalie in Anaheim when he posted an 8-1 record with a 1.63 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage.
When Andersen returned from injury, his numbers dropped along with his puck vision and confidence.
He went 1-1-4 with 2.66 GAA and .848 SV% when he returned to the lineup. During that span, he was pulled twice in three games.
On Oct. 12 against the Los Angeles Kings, Andersen allowed three goals on 10 shots including a terrible goal from Trevor Lewis near the blue line with no traffic in front of him. Then on Oct. 16 against the Florida Panthers, Andersen was pulled after giving up three quick goals on only five shots.
He later returned to the game in the third and finished with three goals on 19 shots.
There was concern whether Andersen was prepared for the driver’s seat as the Ducks’ top option and ready for additional starts with John Gibson (right) out long term with a groin injury.
During Andersen’s losing streak, he wasn’t seeing the puck,wasn’t reacting quickly enough, giving up deflating goals and overall lacked confidence.
Granted the team has suffered a slew of injuries, illnesses and the players in front of Andersen have been unreliable, turning the puck over too easily and giving up too many odd-man rushes.
However, Andersen’s shaky play inflicted serious concern on whether he’s the best goalie for the Ducks to reach their ultimate goal.
At one point there were rumblings on whether general manager Bob Murray should sign free agents Martin Brodeur or Tim Thomas to provide a veteran presence and serve as a plan B in case plan A of the having the two young goaltenders timeshare throughout the year.
In his latest showings, it appears Andersen has turned a corner.
Since he was yanked twice, Andersen and the Ducks have earned points in four of their last five (3-1-1), maintaining the top spot in the division.
If Andersen continues this upward trend, his status as the No.1 goalie in Anaheim won’t be in any jeopardy.
But it’s still only November and Gibson is young a few weeks away from returning. Since the season-opener, when Gibson gave up six goals, he’s gone was 2-1-0 with 1.02 GAA and .964SV% including a 38-save shutout over the Blackhawks prior to his groin injury.
There should be no reason to bench Andersen when Gibson returns unless he’s on another slide.
Copyright 2015 SportSpeak LLC, all rights reserved. For more coverage, follow @SportSpeakLA and @SportSpeakOC on Twitter.