The Anaheim Ducks further enforced their “comeback kids” title as they defeated the Nashville Predators in a 3-2 win on Tuesday night. Anaheim found themselves fighting a two-goal deficit in the second period, but they were able to come back in the third and find success on Broadway. With this win, the Ducks became the first NHL team to record six third-period comebacks in one season across their first fifteen games. But what is the cause for this former bottom-of-the-league team’s newfound resilience?
Anaheim certainly has a bright future, as the franchise is rich with wildly skilled young players and a talented prospect pool. But with key contributors such as Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras currently on the IR and Leo Carlsson on a workload-management game schedule enforced by general manager Pat Verbeek, it is impressive to watch this team find continued success as unlikely suspects step up. Frank Vatrano appeared in 81 games during his first season with the Ducks last year and recorded twenty-two total goals. Now, just fifteen games into the season, he has recorded two hat tricks and sits at sixteen points overall. Similarly, Sam Carrick recorded seven total points in his fifty-two games with Anaheim last season and was often ruled out of games as a healthy scratch to allow ice time for more productive forwards. Carrick now has five total points on the season and scored the game-winning goal against the Vegas Golden Knights earlier this month.
One of the most apparent and impactful improvements that Anaheim has made so far this season is the team’s overall resilience. If the Ducks found themselves facing a two-goal deficit in the second or third period last year, you could almost certainly count them out of the game altogether. This season, however, Anaheim continues to stay motivated and demonstrate a “no-quit” demeanor on the ice until the final buzzer. Many are crediting this new attitude to head coach Greg Cronin as he continues to prove that he may have been the missing piece that the franchise needed to enforce their ongoing rebuild. Whether the credit is due to new leadership behind the bench or the developing skill of the team’s youth, it is apparent that the combination of these two factors are paving the way for the Anaheim Ducks’ future success.
