The up-and-down season continued for the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night (Dec. 9) when they fell to the Montreal Canadiens via a 3-2 shootout loss. The Canadiens are one of the few teams the Ducks have a legitimate chance to beat. Outside of the Canadiens’ improbable run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, both teams are in the midst of a long, drawn-out rebuild. They have talent on both sides of the puck but have yet to take meaningful strides.
Last night was a high-paced game with plenty of chances for both sides that didn’t go the Ducks’ way. Here’s a look at why this game was part and parcel of the Ducks’ 2024-25 campaign so far and where they go from here.
Trouba Debuts for Anaheim
The bizarre and unfortunate Jacob Trouba saga ended with the New York Rangers trading him to the Ducks on Dec. 6. His post-trade remarks that the Rangers threatened to bench or waive him until he accepted a trade suggested an ugly attempt, quite frankly, to remove Trouba’s leverage in trade talks and signaled an unceremonious and disrespectful end to the captain’s tenure. Such is life in an old head-run professional sports franchise.
Related: Ducks Acquire Trouba From Rangers in Exchange for Vaakanainen, 4th-Round Pick
We’ll see if the Rangers’ loss is truly the Ducks’ gain. Trouba is only 30 and can pack a punch defensively with his size, physicality, and leadership. He and Radko Gudas lead in a similar fashion and should be good mentors for the young Ducks defensemen. Trouba made his debut last night and ate major minutes (22:35 of ice time) but registered a minus-1 due to a severe miscommunication between him, Cam Fowler, and goaltender Lukáš Dostál in the defensive zone that led to the tying goal. He’ll improve as he gets more time with his new teammates.
Troy Terry Dominates with Help from Veteran Supporting Cast
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Troy Terry carries the offense, but it’s not enough, and the Ducks lose. Familiar, right? Terry was sensational last night with two goals and six shots on net, including another attempt that rang off the post in overtime, almost netting him a hat-trick.
His seventh and eighth goals of the season gave him the team lead over Frank Vatrano, who has also come on as of late after a terribly slow start. A stable of veterans helped Terry out last night – Fowler’s shot attempt off the rush left a rebound that Terry put in the back of the net, while Alex Killorn and Vatrano facilitated Terry’s second marker on the power play. The goal temporarily gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead in the second period.
The Ducks entered the 2024-25 season with the pieces in place to make significant improvements offensively, thereby lessening the responsibility placed almost squarely on Terry’s shoulders. However, several things have made Terry, once again, one of the few sources of offense. Those “things” are the return of the injury bug along with underwhelming seasons by several players. He may be able to continue his 66-point pace, but it will be difficult if his teammates don’t hop on the train with him.
Goaltending Wasn’t the Issue (Again)
Dostál started for the first time since his win over the Ottawa Senators (Dec. 1) and surprisingly faced minimal action. The Ducks carried the play and limited the Canadiens to 21 shots. Picking up a point is great, but on a night when they limited the opposition’s offense, their goaltender made the stops he needed to, and they carried the play for most of the game, the Ducks should have won the game.
Dostál and John Gibson have not been the problem this season. Dostál’s playing time has decreased significantly since Gibson’s return, whose .914 save percentage (SV%) complements Dostál’s (.921) quite nicely. Neither of them gets the goal support they need. The two-goal effort last night was the sixth time in eight games the Ducks have scored two goals or less. We know that two goals are more than likely not going to get it done.
Side Note: Where is Mason McTavish?
For the second straight season, Mason McTavish entered the campaign tabbed as a breakout candidate and was predicted by many (including myself) to emerge as one of, if not the best, of a young crop of Ducks forwards. Yet, nearly a third into 2024-25, McTavish has both missed time due to injury and failed to take a leap forward in the way other third-year forwards have around the league. He is barely on pace to eclipse the 40-point mark, which would be the lowest total of his three full seasons.
McTavish has scored two goals in 20 games, and both came in meaningless closing moments of losses to the Chicago Blackhawks (Nov. 3) and the Minnesota Wild (Nov. 8) – a month ago. He played a big role in the Ducks’ lone scoring sequence last week in the loss to the Vegas Golden Knights (Dec. 4) and has had a couple of stretches where he demonstrated some playmaking, but they are too few and far between for a player of his caliber.
He is far from the budding star we saw in the opening months of 2023-24, and it’s a big reason the Ducks don’t have a stronger offensive attack. His lack of production is not the only reason they don’t, but it’s a significant one. It needs to change with the long- and medium-term losses of Trevor Zegras and Leo Carlsson, respectively.
Ducks Need to Beat Sens Before Heading to Toronto at End of the Week
While two goals in a losing effort are nothing to write home about, the Ducks can be somewhat happy that they carried the play against the Canadiens. That, combined with a recent win over their next foe – the Senators – should give them the confidence to put together another strong effort on their Eastern Canada road trip. Look out for a preview in the coming days.