Slow out of the gate, the Ducks had closed like gangbusters to steal victory from the jaws of defeat in their two previous games. In the most entertaining of fashions, Anaheim had secured a pair of riveting overtime wins against Detroit and then Dallas.

Aside from giving their fans at the Honda Center a good case of apoplexy, it was hard to fault the Ducks for making things so interesting. After all, hockey, like most sports, is a bottom-line business and all that really matters are the results. And in that regard, the Ducks were clearly delivering. So what if it took them until the 11th hour to get going.

Thus, no one was much surprised Sunday night when the Ducks once again found themselves falling behind. Very early into the second period, coach Randy Carlyle's club was staring up at a 2-0 deficit to the visiting Vancouver Canucks. Well, what else was new?

But, hell, the Ducks knew how to dig themselves out of a hole, right? And there didn't seem to be any sense of panic on the Anaheim bench when the Canucks got the jump on them. Here was just another chance to excite the home folks by pulling another one out of the fire. The situation wasn't hopeless. This represented another great opportunity to build on the Ducks growing reputation as hockey's Cardiac Kids.

But, unlike, the previous two games, the Ducks weren't able to flip on the switch. When they tried, nothing happened. Everything stayed black. This time there would be no wondrous or awe-inspiring ending. All that took place was a disappointing and, potentially, critical loss.

Coming from behind is tough enough but trying to do so against the NHL's top team is more than tempting fate. It's borderline suicide. The likelihood that the Canucks would cough up any advantage was doubtful. The chances that they would surrender a two-goal lead was microscopic.

The Ducks were never able to mount any sort of a surge because Vancouver went into true lock-down mode. Fore and back-checking with a vengeance, the Canucks systematically smothered the Ducks offense.

The Ducks simply couldn't breakout. They were hemmed in and corralled. They were bottled-up and penned. Anaheim could find very little air to breath. With Vancouver's stout defense closing down on them, the Ducks must have felt downright claustrophobic.

Though the Ducks did manage 29 shots on goal, most of those attempts were from distance, poor angles and weren't of high quality. Though things weren't exactly a cakewalk for Canuck goalie Cory Schneider, neither was he under much duress while notching his first career shutout. Because of Vancouver's splendid defensive pressure, the Ducks weren't able to sustain any semblance of an attack.

Schneider was truly tested only four times on this night. Twice from on the doorstep by forwards Teemu Selanne and Corey Perry and twice more by stellar center Ryan Getzlaf who was denied on a quick wrist shot and then on a nifty deflection that Schneider repelled with a timely pad save.

Beyond that, he had it relatively easy. But the Canuck netminder did require some assistance from unexpected sources when the Ducks banged two shots off the post and clanked another off the crossbar.

Another slow start by the Ducks was ensured on this night when just 42 seconds into the game, the visitors lit the lamp. Center Manny Malhotra accepted a smooth feed from winger Jannik Hansen and rifled a shot from outside the right face-off circle that beat Duck goalie Dan Ellis high on the glove side.

The crowd had barely enough time to settle in and already the Ducks were down 1-zip.

A mere 17 seconds into the second period, it was Manny on the spot again. Capitalizing on a Duck turnover behind the net, it was Hansen once more setting up his linemate with a deft flip pass. From just outside the crease, Malhotra one-timed the feed and popped it into the far corner.

Just like that it was 2-0 and given the way the Canucks were stifling the Ducks at every turn, the prospect for another inspired Anaheim uprising just wasn't in the cards. The Ducks had played the hand of rallying from behind once too often. Vancouver called their bluff and the Ducks were forced to fold.

The league's top scorer Daniel Sedin provided some window dressing six-plus minutes into the third period after uncorking a slapper that was redirected off defenseman Andreas Lilja's stick. That made the count 3-0 and all the suspense that remained thereafter was whether Schneider would nail down that elusive first shutout. With plenty of help from his friends, he did precisely that.

For the heretofore resilient Ducks, it was a damaging loss. With games becoming precious and fighting for their very survival, the defeat dropped them into 10th place in the Western Conference though they are just a scant one point out of a playoff spot.

Another pivotal game awaits the Ducks this coming Wednesday when the gritty New York Rangers come calling. To say this contest is huge would be an understatement. It's virtually a must have for Anaheim. Should the Ducks falter against the Rangers, their postseason hopes will take a major hit.

It's time for the Ducks to ditch their maddening tendency to come out flat and then have to furiously make up ground. It's time for them to quit putting their fans through an emotional roller-coaster ride. It's time for the Ducks to do something they haven't done much of lately.

Namely, be a force from the opening whistle, control tempo and for heaven's sake, get on the board first.

The Ducks have worn us all out by being persistent practitioners of the comeback. It's time to rid themselves of that dicey habit and see what they can do with an early lead. Now, wouldn't that be a different approach?