The Anaheim Ducks brought a valiant effort this past Sunday (April 7) against the St. Louis Blues. Though they couldn’t complete the comeback and fell short in the shootout, it was one of their better performances of the season’s second half and yet another example of the potential this young roster has, particularly their forward group.
Tonight, we will be treated to the third freeway faceoff of the season between the Ducks and Los Angeles Kings. The Kings secured victories in both matchups so far, and are looking for another tonight as they attempt to hold off the Vegas Golden Knights and maintain their hold on third place in the Pacific Division. While the Ducks have a wonderful opportunity to make that race more interesting, they should expect the best the Kings have to offer. It is through that lens that we preview tonight’s contest and evaluate the keys to victory.
Kings Will Bring a Different Dynamic Than the Blues
In his comments following the loss to the Blues, Greg Cronin praised his team’s compete level but also noted that the Blues were in the second night of a back-to-back, and may not have brought their best given they were all but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Maybe he’s right. It’s human nature to be a little less motivated in the immediate aftermath of not accomplishing a goal of reaching the playoffs. That said, Cronin also made it a point that tonight’s game would be much different and that he was interested in seeing how his team responds.
With 93 points and five games to play, the Kings are unlikely to catch the second-placed Edmonton Oilers (99 points), meaning, they must fiercely defend their third-place positioning or else they may lose it. The Golden Knights are hot on their tails with 92 points. One of these teams will fill that final spot in the top three, while the other will slide into a wild card spot and a first-round date with either the Dallas Stars or Vancouver Canucks, most likely. Jockeying for the best playoff positioning creates an urgency and hunger that the Ducks haven’t done well against this season. In fact, they haven’t beaten a team currently in playoff positioning since Jan. 15, when they beat the Florida Panthers in overtime. How will they handle the urgency of the Kings? Not to mention, a big, heavy, and mobile forward group that includes Adrian Kempe, Quinton Byfield, Kevin Fiala, Anze Kopitar, and others? The point is, this will be an excellent test to see where the young Ducks are at.
Top-Six Needs to Keep Leading the Way
Outside of the dud against the Seattle Kraken last Friday (April 5), the top-six forward group for the Ducks has taken charge offensively in the last handful of games. The high-scoring affair with the Blues was yet another example of the potential a (mostly) healthy lineup can do for the Ducks. Mason McTavish has not played since he left the Flames win with an injury, but the contributions by key skaters on those top two lines have been plentiful.
Related: Ducks’ Top-Six Demonstrating Value Ahead of Final Legacy Night
Trevor Zegras continued his impressive return from injury with a slew of creative and supremely skillful plays in the Blues loss. He has been skating with Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano lately, a role formerly occupied by McTavish. Vatrano got back to his scoring ways with two tallies, giving him 32 on the season. Then, there’s the top line. Troy Terry tallied another assist, while Alex Killorn had two, and Leo Carlsson, well, has been the best player on the ice for the Ducks in the last two games. Even at 19, his skill and speed are a problem for defenders. Can you imagine the challenge he’ll pose when he hits his physical prime?
What we are getting from this group right now is exactly what fans were hoping to see from them as the season wound down: valuable time on ice together and productive reps. There’s still a long road to go, but this top-six group has largely been responsible for two five-goal outings in the past three games, and if the Ducks are going to have any chance against the Kings tonight, they’ll need more of the same.
Keys to Victory: Shoot the Puck Often & Send the Top-Six Over the Boards as Much as Possible
What we learned in the Blues game is that when the Ducks shoot the puck and give their best players chances to play their game, they can be successful. Vatrano, who epitomizes the concept of shot volume, acknowledged as much in his postgame interview, when he said, “Tonight, we got a lot of shots on net, and that’s why we scored five goals.” Vatrano, by the way, leads the team in shots on goal, and it’s not even close. He has 261, while Terry, who has the second-most, has 166.
However, the offensive rhythm won’t come if these guys can’t get on the ice, which is exactly what happens when the Ducks take penalties. The more they play, the greater chance they have to settle in, get puck touches, and create offense. Lately, finding the ice time for guys like Carlsson, Terry, Zegras, Killorn, and Vatrano hasn’t been a problem. They all played approximately 19 minutes or more against the Blues. You can expect to see these six jump over the boards plenty in what should be a passionate, competitive, and intense battle at Honda Center tonight. Puck drop is 7 PM PST.
