The Anaheim Ducks and Tampa Bay Lightning faced off for the second time in two weeks last night when they battled for 65 minutes plus a shootout at Amalie Arena in Tampa. Jake Guentzel netted the only goal of the shootout and gave the Ducks their fourth loss in five road trip games (albeit this was an overtime loss) with one final matchup looming before they head home. Let’s dive into what we learned last night.
Unlike the First Matchup, Ducks Couldn’t Keep Lightning Stars Off the Scoresheet
The Ducks did a superb job limiting the big guns of the Lightning in their first matchup (Jan. 5). In the 4-1 victory, they kept Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, and Nick Paul off the scoresheet. Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, and Guentzal connected for a power-play strike but were otherwise shut down. It was one of the Ducks’ best defensive games of the season. John Gibson made 36 saves and delivered his 200th career win in the process. Last night, however, was a different story.
These players were all over the stat sheet yesterday. Point, Guentzel, and Cirelli scored goals, Kucherov had two assists, while Hagel and Hedman had an assist apiece. The Ducks didn’t help themselves by giving the Lightning five power play tries. The Lightning converted on two of them and looked pretty dynamic and efficient doing it. When all of these guys get involved, they are a hard team to keep up with. However, the Ducks deserve credit for raising their level of play, as they often have this season against quality opponents, and keeping pace by getting timely scoring from both the usual suspects and some lesser-seen scorers. Troy Terry scored his 15th of the season, Leo Carlsson got his ninth, and Robby Fabbri got his seventh.
The Ducks didn’t have anything for Andrei Vasilevskiy, another “big gun” for that franchise, in the shootout. He stopped all three attempts with ease, and Guentzel played shootout hero.
Carlsson and McTavish Connect for Sorely Needed Production
Carlsson got some ice time with Mason McTavish last night, which worked to their benefit. The two youngsters, who haven’t quite taken the leap we all thought they might, fed off each other and connected for a huge goal that tied the game halfway through the middle period. McTavish got in on the forecheck, found Carlsson open in a good spot, who let it rip and beat Vasilevskiy to the short side. It was Carlsson’s first goal since Jan. 2 and just his second since Dec. 20, a span of 15 games.
Related: Ducks Second-Half Players to Watch: Leo Carlsson
The Ducks have been able to hang in games with elite opponents despite inconsistent production from Carlsson and McTavish, two players many of us thought would be right next to Terry atop the team scoring list. They play different styles of game – Carlsson’s is a bit more predicated on speed than that of McTavish – so I thought they wouldn’t be a good match on a line, but maybe I’m wrong. Killorn was the third forward with them last night, and the trio was able to generate a good amount of offense, including 12 shots on goal. More of this line to come, perhaps?
Lukáš Dostál Was Sensational
The Ducks survived this game and got into overtime because Lukáš Dostál played a fantastic 65 minutes of hockey. He delivered yet another 30-plus save performance, turning away 32 and standing tall in critical moments, including a Lightning power play with five minutes remaining. His biggest play of that penalty kill was not a save but rather a clutch poke check at the top of the crease when there was a defensive coverage breakdown in front of the net.
Playing at the top of the crease, thereby shrinking what is already tight space for a puck carrier to work with, Dostál was able to disrupt the play without any issue. He went on to stop the lone shot on goal in a back-and-forth overtime session and gave his team a chance in the shootout by turning away two of the three shooters. He and Gibson have proved to be a capable tandem in net for the Ducks this season.
The Reigning Champs Are Up Next…and Then a Second Time
The Ducks will finish the road trip with their first of two straight matchups with the reigning champion Florida Panthers, before coming home and playing them again next Tuesday (Jan. 21). What lies ahead for these critical contests?
Well, they could benefit from another strong showing to complete the trip. Long road trips this season have not been kind to the Ducks, who have struggled to pick up points on not only this trip but also during their Eastern Canada swing in December. They need to extract the positives out of this one and be ready for the physical and skillful challenge that Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Sasha Barkov, and Sam Reinhart represent. The first of their two matchups is Saturday at 6 PM EST at Amerant Bank Arena.
