Jason Blake News

Corey Perry recorded his second hat trick of the season and fifth of his career, leading the Anaheim Ducks to a 5-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.

Welcome to LCL where we take a look around the league for recent changes to line combos or power play set ups.

The trade deadline is coming up, meaning that Pacific Division general managers will have some important decisions to make about key personnel.

ANAHEIM When he's here, he's playing in the NHL. Even when he's not here, he's still playing - that's playing - for a living.

The trade deadline is rapidly approaching and the Ducks are in an interesting position.

The Columbus Blue Jackets' disappointing season may have hit a new low point on Wednesday.

ANAHEIM Nick Bonino is the Ducks' third-line center at the present - and the future if he continues to take hold of the position.

When Ducks GM Bob Murray announced a month ago that everyone on his team, excluding veterans Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne , could be traded, it opened the floodgates for rumours involving his team's Big Three: forwards Ryan Getzlaf , Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry .

The Phoenix Coyotes' Jason LaBarbera, left, makes a save on a shot by the Ducks' Niklas Hagman as the Coyotes' Ray Whitney watches during the third period.

GLENDALE, Ariz. The Ducks are going to ride Jonas Hiller as long as they can and the goalie insists that he definitely has "a lot of gas left in the tank" after making his 43rd appearance in the team's first 49 games.

Bruce Boudreau wasn't out of a job for very long, due in part to the timing of Randy Carlyle being fired, and in part to his reputable resume and personality being known around the league.

GLENDALE, Ariz. The Ducks were shut out on their attempt to be the host of this year's NHL All-Star game or the 2013 contest, but they're not giving up in their desire to bring the league's midseason party to Anaheim.

Beginning with tonight's game against Phoenix, the Ducks have just 34 games to leapfrog five teams and make up the 12-point difference that separates them from the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Congested standings in the Western Conference make it more difficult to ascertain which teams will be buyers and sellers leading up the February 27th trade deadline.

SHOCK AND THAW: After early season struggles that led to coaches' firings, Kings and Ducks appear to be warming up as NHL's second half awaits The Kings appear to be listening and responding to new coach Darryl Sutter, who is 9-2-6 since taking over for Terry Murray.

Next up is the rookie and format-defying rebel without a cause, Chris.] I had a hard time picking my Most Valuable and Least Valuable Players for the Ducks through this point in the season.

The Ducks forward has been the subject of trade talks and rumors since early December, largely due to Anaheim's abysmal first half performance.

With Sidney Crosby out with post-concussion symptoms , does the NHL lack real superstars? [Sports Illustrated] You've read Jen's recap of the Ducks' Casino Night.

The Anaheim Ducks ' recent hot streak may seem surprising given their current place in the standings.

Personally, I feel that NHL executives made a mistake by moving the trade deadline from March into February.