If you had told me this morning that the Anaheim Ducks would give up six powerplay opportunities in this game to the Edmonton Oilers’ number one powerplay in the league…and the Ducks would win? I’d check you for a fever. If you told me that the Ducks would be outshot by the Oilers 22-2 in the third and they’d win? I’d have to have you committed. Stranger things have happened (see: the Vikings coming back from 33-0 at the half to win 39-36 over the Colts today), so it felt like it was in the cards. However unlikely, both things happened tonight in Rogers Center.
Coming into this game, Connor McDavid is riding an 11 game point streak. That sounds great, but he had 25 points in those 11 games. That’s insane. He has 60 points in 31 games. Leon Draisaitl has 52 points in the same 31 games. These two are the modern-day Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. Extrapolate those point totals to see what I’m talking about. 158 points for McDavid and 137 for Draisaitl. Those are ‘80’s hockey numbers. Clearly, the Ducks would have to keep those two monoliths in check to be able to have a chance.
Little did they know they would run into the immovable object personified in one Lukas Dostal. Let’s get to the game.
Despite all of the hype, the story of the first period was a rookie sensation, Mason McTavish. Continuing his World Junior’s success in this building, he was electric. Down one goal courtesy of a Darnell Nurse seeing-eye wrister from the point, Mason went to work. The Ducks relentlessly forechecked against the Edmonton defense leading to multiple turnovers. After a failed Ducks power play, Jayson Megna pulls the puck off the wall in the Oilers zone and gets it to McTavish. Mason gets two Edmonton defenders to lock on him while Sam Carrick slips in behind the D. Mason McTavish makes a nifty ten foot backhand pass under sticks for an easy back door tap-in for Carrick. 1-1 game. Not satisfied with the highlight reel pass, Mason sets up two more golden opportunities that weren’t converted. A pro-level first period for Mason as his move to center keeps paying dividends.
Troy Terry had another outstanding game as he drew a penalty, a cross-check to the back. On the ensuing man advantage, the Ducks have excellent puck movement, and McTavish executes another sweet pass. A slick behind-the-back feed that Cam Fowler one-time bombs through traffic. The Ducks cash in the power play. 2-1 Ducks.
A disturbing trend happens at the end of the period, and the Anaheim Ducks take a penalty. Kulak gets tripped by Jakob Silfverberg, and the parade to the box begins. The Ducks survive to the end of the period against the NHL’s top power play that is finishing at a 31.9% dominating clip. The period ended with a score of 2-1 Anaheim.
The second period began with a little carryover from the late Oilers power play. Simon Benoit looked very good early in this game and had some out-of-position, good recovery stops. Shortly after, Evan Bouchard telegraphs a pass at the Ducks blue line, and Ryan Strome gets a stick on it. Strome is off on a breakaway that he confidently finishes. He’s missed a few of these lately, which was a feel-good moment for him. To this point, the Ducks have played hard in front of Lukas Dostal. These past two games have felt like a tribute to every rec league player that has had to suit up a defenseman between the pipes, and you always play hard for the backup. It’s 3-1 Ducks.
The Ducks then started giving up penalties at an alarming rate. John Klingberg trips an Oiler behind the Ducks net, but they escape the power play. I’m not one to get on the officials too hard, generally. However, this game was an absolute disaster for the Zebras. Troy Terry has the puck and is completely boarded in his defensive zone, and as the puck squirts free, Trevor Zegras catches a skate with his stick, and tripping is the call. All while Terry is still collecting his faculties on the ice. Just…bad officiating all night. Naturally, the Oilers dunk this one, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins from the ever-present Connor McDavid. This goes in with just 28 seconds left in the period. Goals in the last minute of a period are absolute killers, the sort of deflating, gut-wrenching goals that challenge a young team like the Ducks. The period ends 3-2 Ducks, the second consecutive game in that they have held the lead going into the third.
The third starts and Strome trips McDavid just 18 seconds in, and Dimitri Kulikov trips number 97 only a minute fifteen later. That same Connor McDavid that drew both of those penalties knocks home a pass from Draisaitl, and it’s a tie game at 3-3. At this point, the Ducks have absorbed 7 minutes of power play time and look exhausted.
Then a funny thing happened. Klingberg takes an innocuous wrap entry on the half wall, shoots it at the net, and with Evan Bouchard completely screening the goalie Stuart Skinner (is he even here? I didn’t notice him all night), it blows by him, and it’s 4-3 Ducks. At this point, the shots are 32-17 Edmonton, and the Ducks won’t have another shot on goal for the remainder of the game.
Finally, mercifully, we get to talk about the real star of the game. Lukas Dostal was the best player on the ice in the game, with the two best players in the world on the opposing team. With multiple saves on single rush attempts, flashy glove work, and outstanding positioning, he was laser focused. Dostal took over the game and saved 22 shots in the third period ALONE. He only needed 23 saves total for the win in the last game. Zach Hyman was broken after his four shots, and multiple attempts were turned away by Dostal. McDavid buzzed, and Draisaitl dazzled, but Lukas understood the assignment. Lukas Dostal faced 49 shots, saving 46 of them and saving the game for Anaheim. It was a heroic effort from Dostal to elevate the Ducks to earn only their 3rd win in regulation and their second win in a row. Honorable mention to John Klingberg for getting back-to-back game-winning goals, only the second Duck to accomplish the feat.
The Anaheim Ducks will enjoy that winning feeling for the long flight home to Orange County tonight. The Ducks finish up their five game road trip just up the five freeway versus the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night.
Episode 108: Merry LAPmas – Late Arrivals: An Anaheim Ducks Podcast
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