from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

Leading the overall standings with 27 points thanks to a 13-3-1 record certainly answers the call for a strong start -- and then some. And as Boudreau pointed out, they needed a strong start given the Pacific Division they play in, where San Jose, Phoenix, Vancouver and Los Angeles is hot on their trail.

No question, the star duo of Ryan Getzlaf (18 points) and Corey Perry (17 points) is doing its usual thing, leading the team in scoring, but what has made the difference in terms of consistency is the ability of the support group to provide impact, the likes of forwards Mathieu Perreault (14 points), Nick Bonino (10 points) and Dustin Penner (team-leading plus-15).

In fact, of the 17 Ducks forwards who have dressed for at least a game this season, all but one of them have averaged double digits in ice time, a testimony to the way Boudreau rolls four lines, more than many teams.

"I've always believed in the Boston philosophy, that you can't win with just two lines, or three lines, that you need four lines going," Boudreau said, crediting GM Bob Murray for giving him the assets to employ four lines.

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