from Eric Stephens of the OC Register,

The ability to win once in this Western Conference quarterfinal series has never been more daunting. A bottomless 8-1 destruction delivered by the Sharks in Game 3 on Monday night put the Ducks on the playoff ledge just three games in, with the waters of elimination waiting below two nights from now.

This was the worst defeat in the franchise’s postseason history. Even with recent excruciating playoff failures, the Ducks’ postseason résumé has been respectable. Two trips to the conference finals in the previous three seasons. Just two playoff sweeps against them in 29 series. Two trips to the Stanley Cup Final, with one glorious title....

“One win,” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said, visibly fuming. “We got to win a game now. Our focus got to be to win that Game 4 and that’s all we can do.”...

Something is needed. Or maybe something is needed beyond what this group can deliver once this season is done. A team that survived a blistering rash of injuries in the first half of the season managed to survive their mistake-prone play after getting healthier and somehow finished second in the Pacific Division....

Capping the awful night was Getzlaf’s personal meltdown, first sitting for four minutes in the third period to serve slashing and roughing penalties and then essentially being ejected with a 10-minute misconduct. The Ducks were unglued, racking up 20 of their 28 penalty minutes when them the game was lost.

Asked if he let frustration get to him, Getzlaf said, “Yeah. Kevin asking me to leave was a polite way to finish his night,” in referring to referee Kevin Pollock.

“From my perspective, it’s hard to forget what we just did,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. “Very undisciplined. Very disappointed in our reaction in the hockey game. Those are the things we have to address.

“You’re not going to give yourself any kind of an opportunity when you take the number of penalties we took. And I call them selfish penalties.”

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Watch the game highlights below...