The 2024-25 season for the Anaheim Ducks is officially underway, and it has gone just about how most of us expected: they’d play the rebuilding San Jose Sharks competitively, and then struggle against the elite Vegas Golden Knights on the tail end of a back-to-back. The result? An opening weekend split that included a shutout win and goals from three different sources, but also some signs that indicate the campaign will have its ups and downs.
Tonight (Oct. 16) is their home opener, where the Ducks have historically found plenty of success, including last year’s 6-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Frank Vatrano scored a hat trick, Pavel Mintyukov netted the first goal of his career, and the Honda Center crowd was set ablaze by the energy exhibited by the Ducks’ new-look lineup. Other than the debut of brand-new uniforms, what does tonight have in store for us? Let’s look at opening weekend themes and storylines as we preview their home-opening tilt against the Utah Hockey Club.
Goaltending Looks Strong Early
Due to the injury to John Gibson, the Ducks began the campaign with a new and unexpected goaltending tandem that includes Lukáš Dostál and waiver-wire acquisition veteran James Reimer. Both performed admirably in their appearances, with the former delivering a 30-save shutout, while the latter gave a solid 29-save effort that kept the Ducks within striking distance for most of the game against a Golden Knights team that scored at will (12 goals) in their first two games. As a young team in the second night of a back-to-back and icing their backup goaltender, holding the Golden Knights’ high-flying attack to two goals through the first 54 minutes of the game is a win in itself.
Related: Anaheim Ducks’ Goaltending Outlook Following John Gibson Injury
More of the same will be needed from Dostál, Reimer, Gibson (when he returns), and anyone else who mans the crease in Anaheim for the Ducks to have success this season. The position has always been a strong point for the franchise, and it will need to continue to be while this young roster finds its groove. Expect the young Dostál to start tonight in the opener and demonstrate once again that he has the ability to be a leading man in net, healthy Gibson or not.
Top Line Needs to Get Going
Something noticeable about the first two games? The lack of production from the Ducks’ top forward line, a trio that currently includes Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, and Alex Killorn. On paper, the line is talented and diverse in the ways it can be effective. Through two games, they’ve been relatively quiet. All three have logged shots on net, but they are pointless. Understandably, they will need some time to settle in and there are numerous reasons why it might take a while. For starters, Gauthier is three games into his NHL career. So far, he certainly belongs at this level, and it’s only a matter of time before he nets his first career goal. He is the new addition to the trio, while Carlsson and Killorn have experience playing together from the previous campaign. Carlsson himself is hardly 60 games into his NHL career, and Killorn, as the veteran of the trio, has the responsibility to make sure the other two are set up for success on the ice. That means retrieving pucks, battling in the corners, and occupying defenders so the other two have space to make plays.
Forward lines don’t click overnight, but it can’t take too long for this trio — not to mention a few other Ducks forwards — to start producing or else the Ducks will get off to a slow start that will be difficult to recover from. To date, Troy Terry is the only top-six forward to produce a non-empty net goal for the Ducks. He did so in typical Terry fashion with a perfectly placed wrist shot on a breakaway in the loss to the Golden Knights. Carlsson, Gauthier, and Killorn jumped all over the Utah Hockey Club in their Oct. 2 preseason victory; let’s see if they can do the same tonight.
Power Play Needs a Score
Speaking of very early-season needs for this team, how about a conversion about the man advantage? They have yet to convert on a power-play opportunity in six tries. It’s unfair to jump all over a team when they’ve only played two games, but improved performance on special teams, especially on the power play, was perhaps the most glaring before-the-season need for the Ducks.
The Ducks trotted out a four-forward, one-defenseman power-play unit against the Golden Knights, which makes sense. We knew that Mintyukov, Tristan Luneau, or Olen Zellweger would likely quarterback a unit that featured dynamic skill at every other position. Thus far, it hasn’t been successful, but like every other aspect of the game, it will take time to warm up. The Ducks can really increase their confidence by converting tonight when they inevitably get a power-play chance. Look for any one of a number of young stars on the Ducks to create man advantage magic tonight.
Ducks’ Player to Watch: Mason McTavish
Mason McTavish was appropriately labeled as a breakout candidate in 2024-25. The strong and skillful 21-year-old is pointless so far but has put together two-straight 40-plus-point seasons and is bound to put together a near-point-per-game season sooner or later. He has begun the season at center, flanked by newcomer Robby Fabbri and Trevor Zegras. He and Zegras have the makings of a creative and flashy duo but have not played regular season hockey together before. Soon enough, they will connect on scoring chances. It’s just a matter of time. The success of the Ducks’ season depends on it. He is one of a few who can deliver in a major way in the Ducks’ home opener tonight.
Ducks Owe it to Themselves to Start Fast
The Ducks will debut their home oranges tonight approximately a year after they debuted their 30th season uniform in their 2023-24 home opener. It will be a festive night at Honda Center and the Ducks owe it to themselves and their faithful to come out fast and build off the positives they’ve built in the first couple games. With a roster that includes six players under 20, the learning curve is steep, but they have a very winnable game in front of them. Expect them to feed off the home crowd and deliver their second-straight convincing home-opening win.
