The Anaheim Ducks could not pull off the upset of the Los Angeles Kings last night, falling 5-4 in a close, high-scoring affair. While it would’ve been poetic for the Ducks to snap their season-worst 12-game losing streak by beating their arch-nemesis and send them into their first-round matchup with the Edmonton Oilers a little flustered, it wasn’t meant to be. With all that’s left for the Ducks to do this season is reflect and clean up their lockers, here are some takeaways from the third and final edition of the 2022-2023 Free Face-Off with the Kings.
Positive: Ducks Get a Great Start & Good Offensive Support
The Ducks had the kind of start to the game that made you think they would jump all over the Kings on this night. After all, it was the last game of the season; they had nothing to lose. They got a nice opening goal three minutes in, involving, as usual, two of their most reliable contributors, Cam Fowler and Troy Terry.
Fowler smoothly carried the puck into the offensive zone, waited until Drew Doughty came over, and slid the puck over to Terry, who finished his 23rd of the season. It was the first of two nice-looking goals for the Ducks’ offense on this night. Great start. It was a decent period until Anze Kopitar tied it up on what looked like a high-stick to deflect the puck down on a point shot.
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The Ducks battled back by trading goals with the Kings in the third period to keep things interesting. Their final goal of the season was a nice display of one-touch passing between their three best forwards this season – Terry, Trevor Zegras, and Adam Henrique – and gave Terry his second point of the night and 61st of the season.
Yes, the offense this season was one of the league’s worst, but it’s nice to see the puck move like this from time to time.
Negative: Penalties, Penalties, Penalties…
The Ducks of old took a lot of penalties by virtue of their nastiness and physicality. They stuck their helmets in their opponents’ chests; they forechecked and wore teams down. Sure, they took a lot of penalties, but they killed them off, capitalizing on their own opportunities or minimizing a power-play’s momentum by playing a structured, disciplined game.
This version of the team just doesn’t have that, and it showed on Thursday. Granted, the Kings have a solid power play that looked great last night, but the Ducks gave up two goals on the man advantage, including a five-on-three chance. You just can’t win games when you’re playing so much special teams. Surely they know that, and it’s been written about ad nauseam, but they will continue to struggle if both sides of their special teams can’t improve.
Negative: Ducks Had Nothing for the Kings This Year
This was a Freeway Face-Off series to forget for the Ducks. They went 0-3 against the Kings and were outscored 15-7. It also showed how much further along the Kings are then the Ducks. With their veterans, Doughty and Kopitar, and great drafting by management, the Kings have a highly impressive pool of prospects despite not spending too many years out of the playoffs. Their shrewd operation has them back in Western Conference contention, while the Ducks, who have a similarly impressive pool of talent, still remain at least a season or two away from making some noise.
Ducks Lock in a Top-3 Pick with an Awful End to Season
This game summed up the Ducks’ season pretty well. The usual suspects provided the scoring, there were too many undisciplined penalties, and goaltender John Gibson was left out to dry far too often. The loss concluded a downright pathetic ending to 2022-23, in which they lost 13 straight. Yes, that’s correct. They didn’t pick up a win during the season’s final month.
The bright side of it all is that the Ducks have the highest probability of winning the NHL Draft lottery – or the right to select Connor Bedard – and can fall no lower than third overall. In a top-heavy draft loaded with game-breaking talent, it’s something to look forward to. Nobody in the organization would ever say it, and rightfully so, but fans have known for a while that this is where they were heading: a countdown toward May 8, when the draft lottery will be announced.
It would be a bummer not to get Bedard after one of the worst seasons in franchise history, especially when you consider other franchises in recent memory that churn out terrible seasons for top-overall picks. But, at the least, the Ducks will select a player with the potential to move the franchise forward overnight. Stay tuned!