The Anaheim Ducks didn’t get off to the best start on their six-game road trip, but they finished it off with a flourish. After losing both halves of an East Coast back-to-back, they demonstrated determination against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a comeback win and closed it out with consecutive wins.
Terry Ends Goal Drought, Fowler Has Multi-Goal Night
A 17-game goal drought for Troy Terry was snapped on Jan. 24 in their 5-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes. He put a set of nifty moves on defenseman Jusso Valimaki before ripping a shot high on the short side past Connor Ingram. While the goals had been quite dry for Terry over the last month and a half, the points haven’t stopped coming as he’s been more of a playmaker during the goal drought.
Still a mainstay on the Ducks’ top line, Terry has worked well with Adam Henrique as the pair have adjusted from playing with Trevor Zegras to Mason McTavish. He is a restricted free agent at the end of this season and will be in line for a huge pay raise.
Defenseman Cam Fowler also found the twine against Arizona. In fact, he did it twice. It was just the third multi-goal game of Fowler’s career. He has seven points in his last four games.
Now the longest-serving active player in franchise history after Ryan Getzlaf’s retirement this past summer, Fowler has been an ever-consistent presence on the top pairing and the top power play unit.
Shattenkirk Out with Lower-Body Injury
Kevin Shattenkirk missed Anaheim’s game against the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 26 with a lower-body injury. Shattenkirk didn’t appear to be in any distress during their game against the Coyotes, playing just over 20 minutes in the win.
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With Shattenkirk out, Colton White remained in the lineup for the second consecutive game after drawing in against Arizona. If Shattenkirk’s injury proves to be a long-term ailment, the Ducks would be missing one of their veteran leaders and another right-handed shot on the blue line after Jamie Drysdale suffered a long-term injury back in October.
Vatrano Gets First Ducks Hat Trick
Frank Vatrano hasn’t found the back of the net very often in his first season as a member of the Ducks, but he was certainly eager to impress against the Avalanche. He was at the forefront of the offense in the come-from-behind victory, scoring their first and last goals of the game. It was the third hat trick and the 13th multi-goal game of his career. That makes five goals in his last five games and goals in consecutive games for the first time in his Ducks career. After signing a three-year deal this past offseason, it hasn’t been the smoothest transition for the former New York Ranger but this performance could be what kickstarts the goalscoring for him.
Though the “Tank for Bedard” trope will be unhappy about how often the Ducks won on their latest road trip, it’s important to remember that these wins are still beneficial for the players, young and old. Seven points from a possible 12 aided by some of the team’s key players can be something to smile about.
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The Ducks return home for one game before the short break for All-Star weekend. Then they’ll head back out on the road for a couple of games before returning home on Feb. 10 to face the Pittsburgh Penguins in Rickard Rakell’s return to Honda Center.
