Anaheim Ducks goalkeeper Lukas Dostal made his best John Gibson impression as the Ottawa Senators took it to him.
The first period went like this: Ottawa is big and played very responsibly defensively, downright frustrating Anaheim. Parker Kelly scores early on a high tip that blows over Dostal’s left shoulder 1-0 Sens.
Stutzle gets injured and remains out for the game leaving the Senators with only 11 forwards.
Ottawa’s first power play ends up in the back of the net only 9 seconds into it. Simon Benoit gets caught not playing the man or the puck, and Alex DeBrincat slams a back door pass home to make it 2-0. As with most games, DeBrincat plays well against Anaheim. This is a recurring theme.
The only notable Ducks highlight was Adam Henrique having a breakaway and a backhand shot that missed wide right in a clear Scott Norwood impression. The period ends 2-0 with little Ducks fanfare or energy—shots 12 to 5 Senators.
The ice seemed to tip toward the Ducks goal as the second period started. However, Troy Terry plays without fear, constantly challenging the center of the ice, almost always outnumbered, and rings one off the post. The Ducks rally with some offensive pressure, and with 6:30 to play in the second, the Ducks even up the shot differential to 17-17.
Then Ottawa picked up their already physical game. Even short-handed up front, they began to exert their will upon the short-stacked Ducks. An absurdly bad line change from Anaheim leads to a 3-0 breakaway against the Ducks netminder. Lukas Dostal was deliberate and played it as well as possible, resulting in two lightning-quick saves, and the beer league level defensive blunder was thwarted. Dostal is heating up, but the team in front of him is ice cold as the period ends with the Ducks down two and the shots 24-17 Senators.
The third period started as the second ended with Ottawa continuing to pepper quality chances against a very game Lukas Dostal. It’s 31-20 shots now. Frank Vatrano had an opportunity rebuffed and, in response, brought his stick up high on Travis Hamonic. Only Vatrano leaves the ice after the scrum, and a good Ducks penalty kill is spoiled with 4 seconds left as the Senators take advantage. Flat-footed defense and a sweet pass to (who else?) Alex Debrincat gets behind them, and Alex is alone on Dostal. He buries the puck and effectively the game. 3-0 Senators. What do you expect when the 7th overall ranked power play faces an Anaheim penalty kill that is barely 31st. That Senators power play has feasted against the hapless Ducks going 5 for 11 against them, converting at a 45% clip.
Alex DeBrincat is officially a Duck Killer, as he particularly enjoys playing Anaheim. He glided through the game with an infuriating glee, grinning the entire time like a kid with a well-worn N64 light gun. Alex reminded me of the dog snickering in the classic game. He has a very flashy 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in only 14 career games against Anaheim. As mentioned? Official Duck Hunter.
The rest of the game was a trade-off of penalties. A little four-on-four time featuring Trevor Zegras drawing a penalty and then committing a penalty to bring about the four-on-four. Lukas Dostal got run by Rourke Chartier. During the collision and subsequent goalie interference, the puck slid in, but the officials quickly waived the goal off. Cam Talbot continues his mastery against the Ducks with his 4th shutout against them and a stellar 16-7-2 record, boasting a 1.93 GAA with a .936 save percentage.
Dostal saves 35, but he is essentially alone in this endeavor, and Anaheim loses 3-0. During the game, a very audible hot mic caught a Senator yelling at Sam Carrick, “What the F is that?” (Expletive Deleted, kinda)
Ducks fans concur as we painfully await the obvious changes that need to be made. For example, why did management let Eeli Tolvanen, endorsed by Teemu Selanne himself, slide via the waiver wire to the Seattle Kraken? I would say that claiming Jayson Megna made much less sense. Embrace the tank.
The Ducks play again tomorrow night in the second of back-to-backs against the mighty Toronto Maple Leafs. If anyone needs me, I’ll be drinking.
Episode 108: Merry LAPmas – Late Arrivals: An Anaheim Ducks Podcast
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