At Honda Center last night (Dec. 21), there was only one team that played like it wanted to win its third consecutive game. It wasn’t the Anaheim Ducks. The performance was one of their worst in quite some time, in a game marred by a slew of mistakes, sloppy play, and worst of all, the loss of another young star.
The Ducks blew an opportunity to start their eight-game holiday season homestand on the right note. Further, pending the outcome of Leo Carlsson’s medical evaluations, the close of the 2023 portion of their season can go from bad to worse. Let’s look at some takeaways from the tough defeat to the Calgary Flames.
Negative: Special Teams Play Was Brutal
It’s been a while since the Ducks’ power play looked as bad as it did last night. Their entries were poor, there was minimal movement, and passes were often either sloppy or mishandled. They weren’t on the same page, either. There were a few instances where the puck was dropped back or thrown to an area of the ice with no Ducks player in the vicinity. Perhaps head coach Greg Cronin was trying to inject some life into his power play units, but it seemed like everyone was getting a chance. Jakob Silfverberg and Sam Carrick got multiple shifts on the man advantage. Adam Henrique got almost five minutes of power play ice, as did Frank Vatrano. Cronin also has been experimenting with units consisting of four forwards and one defenseman. The Ducks need to better capitalize and punish teams that take too many penalties. They did the opposite against the Flames, going 0-4.
It’s not as if their penalty kill was any better. Yes, they killed six of the seven penalties they took, but that was purely because of Lukáš Dostál’s brilliance. The Flames generated chances at will, and Dostál was up to the task all night. The scoresheet would’ve been much uglier had he not played his best game of the season. He made a whopping 41 saves.
Negative: Second Period Was Perhaps Worst 20 Minutes of Ducks’ Season
There’s not much to say here other than the fact that the Ducks played perhaps their worst period of the season in the second frame. They surrendered 25 shots, only had nine of their own, and spent eight minutes of the period shorthanded. That’s just not good enough. After the game, Cronin suggested that the Flames had more shorthanded shots on net than the Ducks had power play shots on net. He’s probably right.
They also took another penalty for too many men on the ice. When is that going to stop? Their focus just wasn’t there, and another one of these penalties was a microcosm of the night itself.
Positive: Jamie Drysdale and Mason McTavish Return
After 30- and seven-game absences for Jamie Drysdale and Mason McTavish, respectively, both skaters returned to the ice against the Flames. Both players appeared to play on minutes restrictions and were eased back into action. Drysdale played 14 shifts (17:25 time-on-ice – TOI) with none on special teams. McTavish played 17 shifts (13:24 TOI), much less than his normal amount, and with new linemates.
Related: Ducks: Drysdale’s Impact in Eventual Return From Injury
Both played with pace, poise, and energy, and their presence in the lineup was the only refreshing part of the contest. Drysdale is such a difference-maker on the backend with his ability to skate, see the ice, and break the puck out. Watching him grow the rest of the season should be exciting, even if last night’s effort didn’t inspire much confidence.
Negative: Ducks Lose Carlsson to Potentially Serious Injury
Beaten and outplayed at every turn, the Ducks surprisingly were within striking distance late into the third. One shot or one bounce and they were right there. But they couldn’t sustain any pressure, couldn’t make tape-to-tape passes, and refused to throw pucks at the net and crash for rebounds. The game remained 2-0 until a late empty-net goal, but you never got the sense that the Ducks were close to getting one past Jacob Markstrom at all.
Things went from bad to worse when MacKenzie Weegar fell and landed with his full weight on Carlsson’s right leg. Carlsson couldn’t put any weight on it and needed assistance from staff exiting the ice. He didn’t return, and it brought any noise in the building to a screeching halt. You could hear a pin drop in the arena.
Ducks Must Pick Up the Pieces in a Hurry
The Ducks have a day to regroup and they need to use it. Get a practice in, shake out the cobwebs, and reset. They weren’t sharp at all, and had minimal time on attack. The puck seemed to exit their offensive zone as soon as it came in.
The Ducks will face the Seattle Kraken on Saturday (Dec. 23) for the first time this season. The Kraken are not playing well themselves, presenting another opportunity for the Ducks to get back in the win column. The focus, however, will be on Carlsson and his health. Pat Verbeek’s attempts to ease him into NHL action and preserve his health could very well end in anguish, but time will reveal the extent of his injury. You can’t help but feel gutted for the kid. All we can hope for is the best-case scenario for the 18-year-old, who was in the midst of an impressive rookie campaign.
What did you think of the Ducks’ performance? Sound off in the comments below.
