The Anaheim Ducks dropped their fourth straight game but delivered one of their better performances of the eight-game homestand in a tough, grind-it-out battle with the Winnipeg Jets (Jan. 4). The win pushed the Jets past the Colorado Avalanche for the top record in the Central Division, while the Ducks remain seventh in the Pacific.
The Ducks got the game’s first goal. They were disciplined and took less penalties than their opposition. They outshot and outhit the Jets and won 60% off of the faceoffs. Those are part and parcel of any formula to win a hockey game. It just didn’t go the Ducks’ way. Let’s look at the positives from the game.
Ducks Played a Disciplined 60 Minutes
The Ducks knew that they needed to minimize the penalties if they were going to win. And, for the first time in a long time, they did that. Not only were they generally disciplined, but they also took fewer penalties than the Jets did. In fact, they surrendered one power play to the Jets all night, and it was a pretty marginal call. Radko Gudas did pin Mark Scheifele to the wall, yes, but it was weak. It’s a shame that the Jets got their insurance marker on the power play that followed.
The even-strength play was a breath of fresh air and gave the Ducks plenty of time to settle into their game plan. They still need to work on their puck retrievals, but you can see the difference in their flow and gameplay when they are not interrupted by constant penalty killing. They skate better. They move better and faster. And the puck gets into the hands of playmakers more regularly. The Ducks have the talent (when healthy) to be effective on that side of the game. It showed last night.
McTavish Shines Again; Zegras Gets Extended Minutes
Mason McTavish scored the only goal on a night where the Ducks had more than enough shots and scoring chances to win the game. They just didn’t score on enough of them. In some cases, they sacrificed a good look at the net for an extra pass. On the goal, Alex Killorn carried the puck into the zone and made an excellent pass to McTavish, who slid into an open area of the slot to receive the pass. He beat Laurent Broissoit with a nice backhand. It was his fifth point in the last five games, and he looks every bit as dangerous as he did before he missed a handful of games in December with an injury. He continues to be a major factor in this offense, and his sophomore season stat line to date is now up to 26 points in 31 games. Frank Vatrano collected his 10th assist and 28th point of the season. Killorn, while not fleet of foot, collected his third point in five games and seems to be settling well into a top-six role with the Ducks.
Related: Ducks’ McTavish Leading an Elite Class of NHL Sophomores
Trevor Zegras started the game with Adam Henrique and Max Jones but finished it playing with guys up and down the lineup after Jones left the game. He was double-shifted for much of the third period, and the fact that he didn’t appear fatigued by the end of the game because of it was a good sign. Throughout the game, he was aggressive, shifty, and got plenty of touches. In particular, he tried to finish upstairs on his backhand as he put his shoulder down and drove the net during the Ducks’ comeback bid in the third. The Ducks needed his playmaking last night. They got it, and while it didn’t produce goals, it did produce chances and some reason for optimism that he’ll continue to get even better as the second half of the season continues. His 24 minutes was a season-high for him and among forwards in the contest.
Players Stepped Up in Shortened Bench
For the second time this season, Jones left the game with an injury. Tough luck for the big power forward, who has seen increased opportunities lately, given the lack of healthy top-six forwards in the Ducks lineup. He left the game after a heavy reverse hit and was doubled over on the bench before exiting. His energy and physicality are useful aspects of the lineup, so losing him for any amount of time would be a tough blow.
Bo Groulx filled in his place alongside Zegras and ran with it. He was fast, he hunted pucks down and didn’t look overwhelmed at all. Stepping into a top-line role as the bench gets smaller is never easy, especially when you are not consistently in the lineup to begin with. Kudos to Groulx for making the best of an opportunity created by a shortened bench. Several other plays saw increased ice time as a result of Jones’ departure. Henrique, Killorn, and Vatrano all finished the game with approximately 20 minutes on the ice.
Ducks Need to Close the Homestand with a Win
The Ducks enter the eighth and final game of the homestand with a 1-5-1 record. Not the results they were looking for during the holiday-season stretch of hockey, but it’s time to turn the page on the previous seven and look ahead to the Detroit Red Wings, with whom the Ducks have a long and storied history. Fitting that the Sunday evening game is one of the many ‘legacy nights’ the Ducks are holding during their 30th season celebration. The Ducks have many significant triumphs over the Red Wings and will be looking for one more on Sunday. Puck drops at 5 PM PST at Honda Center.
