The Anaheim Ducks officially entered week two of their 30th NHL season when the puck dropped in yesterday’s contest with the visiting Boston Bruins (Oct. 22). The Ducks are playing well but continue to fall short in close games. Going into this one, they were on the wrong side of two consecutive one-goal games, falling to the Dallas Stars 3-2 and the Arizona Coyotes 2-1.
In their special edition threads for the second time, the Ducks fought hard once again but couldn’t replicate the magic they created while debuting the uniforms in their 6-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Let’s look at some positive, negative, and neutral takeaways from the 3-1 loss to the Bruins.
Positive: Game Was a Dead Heat for 40 Minutes
The game was evenly contested for 40 minutes. Everywhere you looked on the scoresheet, different statistics told an eerily similar story. Shots after 40? 18-17 in favor of Anaheim. Ten penalty minutes for the Ducks to eight for the Bruins. Neither team converted any power play chances. Faceoff win percentages were split 51-49 in favor of the Bruins. Giveaways were tied at five. The offensive weapons for each team – David Pastrnak, James van Riemsdyk, Brad Marchand, Troy Terry, Trevor Zegras – were getting looks at the net but nothing was going in. It set the stage for a big third period, and a chance for the Ducks to steal another win from a potential challenger for the Stanley Cup.
Positive: Vatrano-McTavish-Strome Line Continues Hot Start
Things were looking up when the Ducks started fast in the third period, led by none other than the Frank Vatrano-Mason McTavish-Ryan Strome line. McTavish scored his second of the season, while Strome and Vatrano picked up their fourth and first assists, respectively. They were threatening the whole game, producing multiple scoring chances, odd-man rushes, and good looks at the net.
Vatrano’s nifty clear in the defensive zone sprung McTavish, who made a great pass to Strome on a two-on-one. McTavish followed his pass to the net and put himself in position to convert any potential rebound, which he did. Despite being an effective line all season thus far, they were held scoreless in the previous two games. It was a positive sign to see them put some points on the board in this one.
Neutral: How Did the Ducks Do on Special Teams?
It feels necessary to address special teams play each game because it’s played a huge role in determining outcomes. That ended up not being the case against Boston, where there were no goals on special teams for either side. On a day where the Ducks were a bit better with limiting infractions, they held the Bruins’ vaunted power play unit scoreless. That’s not an easy thing to do.
Related: 4 Takeaways From Ducks’ 2-1 Loss to Coyotes
Granted, the power play struggled once again. The Ducks failed to capitalize on each of their four opportunities and have now only converted one power play opportunity in five games. They’ve been burned by inefficiency on special teams, and are not capitalizing on chances to return the favor. That’s just not a successful or winning combination.
Neutral: Player of the Game for Boston: Linus Ullmark
Offensively, the volume of late has been much improved. Unfortunately, they are running into goalies that they can’t solve. Linus Ullmark kept the Ducks at bay in a back-and-forth third period, holding them to one goal despite the 31-shot effort, their second straight game eclipsing the 30-shot mark.
Rookie Matthew Poitras was also a hero of the game for the Bruins. He had two goals, the first two of his career, in the third period.
Neutral: Player of the Game for Anaheim: John Gibson
The 30-year-old veteran netminder was stellar. As always, he came ready to play. The early going suggests he has a far better team in front of him this season than previous ones, which helps, but he did John Gibson things against the Bruins. He made stops with confidence, poise, and athleticism. He had some help early when the Ducks coughed up a breakaway opportunity for Jake DeBrusk, who hit the post.
Going into the third, you knew that the Bruins were going to bring everything they had. They didn’t want to lose to the Ducks. While Gibson stood tall, the Bruins produced two goals in a five-minute flurry that was the difference in the game. Overall, three of the four goals came in a six-minute burst in the third, and outside of that, it was a goaltending duel. High marks to both men in goal on the evening.
These Are Tough Ones to Lose
These last few losses have been heartbreakers. The Ducks are putting together great games but aren’t quite finding enough to put them on the winning side. They are outshooting and outhitting teams; they are playing inspired. Win-loss column aside, it’s such a refreshing and encouraging start for a young team that appears starving for some success.
This team is in a new environment trying to forge a new identity. Make no mistake, this transitioning team is finally all-in on its young talent. It’s all about them now. Head coach Greg Cronin has praised all of them so far. Hopefully, in due course, the wins follow. There are 77 games remaining, but you don’t want to fall too far behind too early. Their next chance to get back in the win column is Tuesday (Oct. 24) when they battle the Columbus Blue Jackets, one of the “must-watch” games I featured before the start of the season. Leo Carlsson versus Adam Fantilli. Should be a fun one. Look out for a preview soon.
What did you think of the Ducks’ performance against Boston? Sound off in the comments below!
