The Anaheim Ducks hosted their Pacific Division rival Seattle Kraken on Sunday evening, their second meeting of four this season and last at Honda Center. The Kraken entered Sunday sitting in 2nd place in the Pacific with 27 points and searching for their 5th win in a row. The Ducks sit drearily at the bottom of the overall NHL standings and were hoping to return to the win column after dropping their last matchup against the lowly Ottawa Senators on Friday afternoon by a score of 5-1. John Gibson got the start in net for the Ducks, while Seattle sent out Martin Jones to man the Seattle crease.
The game started like so many Ducks games have this season, with the Ducks digging a hole for themselves early. In this game, it was extremely early. After digging themselves a 2-0 hole just 6 minutes into the game (it was 1-0 after just 33 seconds) with blown assignments low in the defensive zone, the Ducks controlled play. They tallied 3 powerplay goals and added another after forcing a turnover on the forecheck. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, as Seattle capitalized on the Ducks’ defensive zone breakdowns and ultimately earned 2 points in the standings.
Offense
Derek Grant returned to the Ducks lineup tonight after missing the last two weeks with an upper-body injury. This led Dallas Eakins to get in his lab and concoct a lineup to fit him back in. He decided to scratch rookie LW Pavol Regenda and iced this lineup…
Usually, I don’t care to critique the nightly lineup Dallas Eakins, and the coaching staff deploys. It’s usually suboptimal, but I find the bigger issue to typically be the system and style Dallas Eakins has the team play. However, tonight was a pleasant surprise in that department. Forwards supported defensemen on regroups and breakouts like they’ve seldom been coached to do this season. It led to defensemen having more options to move the puck up ice and forwards to find themselves in better positions to receive outlet passes with speed. As a result, the Ducks saw more success entering the zone and manufacturing chances off the rush. Dallas Eakins deserves props for this, and hopefully, we’ll see more of this flowing transition offense moving forward.
The Ducks’ power play also saw a huge boost tonight as they could tally 3 goals on 4 chances. It was a nice breath of fresh air from a team sporting the worst PP% in the league. Since the coaching staff made a few tweaks to the top powerplay unit a handful of games ago, that unit has been able to move the puck more efficiently and generate higher-quality opportunities. Trevor Zegras was moved from the right side of the umbrella, where he was utilized as a trigger man, to the left side, where he can use his playmaking ability and vision to set up his teammates. He was able to tally 3 assists on the powerplay tonight from that spot. Mason McTavish was moved from the net-front position to the right side of the umbrella, where he could find soft spots in the zone to unleash his lethal shot. Zegras found him with a cross-ice pass for the team’s 3rd goal. Troy Terry was moved from the left side of the umbrella to act as the net-front/low-release option. From there, he’s able to create jam plays to the front of the net or set up the bumper man for one-timers (he was able to accomplish both tonight).
Mason McTavish showed tonight that he’s the Ducks’ best 200ft center. He is effective low in his own zone, defending, supporting, and breaking the puck out. He makes good reads in the neutral zone in order to generate rush chances. When rush options aren’t available, he is effective on the forecheck and on the cycle. Max Jones is an excellent linemate for him, as the two of them make life difficult on opposing defensemen.
Tonight, we got the full Trevor Zegras experience. He dazzled offensively and on the powerplay with his three assists, was the main culprit on two defensive zone breakdowns, and took a bad penalty in frustration halfway through the 3rd period as the Ducks were attempting to mount a comeback.
Defense
There has been a theme to the Ducks defending this season. They forecheck well (as mentioned before), the 1-2-2 neutral zone trap is effective at denying easy zone entry, and (when applied correctly) the rigid man-to-man defensive zone coverage makes it difficult to create high-quality chances. However, that coverage scheme (like we saw tonight) can lead to miscues and opposing attackers finding themselves wide open in dangerous locations.
The penalty kill continues to struggle as tonight they killed 1 of 2 and still sit at the bottom in terms of PK% (65.8). In tonight’s game, the Ducks PK did a decent job of pressuring the puck carrier. However, Matty Beniers was able to get one past Gibson as he found a rebound in front with the Anaheim penalty killers too late in picking him up.
Goaltending
Another night, another game in which John Gibson tallied poor stats but did everything he could to keep the puck out of his net. His goals allowed included 3 in which Kraken players found themselves inexplicably alone in front of the net, a backdoor tap-in and a turnover that led to 2 teammates colliding into him. Gibson stopped only 14 of 19 shots and had a GSAx of -2.79 before Ducks defenseman, Kevin Shattenkirk, collided into him after Seattle’s 5th goal of the night early in the 3rd period. Gibson left the game with what looked like a lower-body injury and was unable to return. Anthony Stolarz finished the game in relief, stopping all 6 shots he faced.
Summary
We saw some positive strides in tonight’s defeat at the hands (tentacles) of the Kraken. The coaching staff made some much-needed adjustments, and the team’s top young talent produced. In a year where the Ducks now find themselves looking ahead to the top of the 2023 NHL draft, a loss with positive takeaways is what the team needs. There is still a lot to be desired in terms of roster deployment and lineup decisions to get the most out of developing young stars, but this was a step in the right direction.
The Ducks will be back at it as they hit the road to face the Nashville Predators on Tuesday evening. It will be the 1st game of a 4-game Central Division road trip.
Episode 110: Fly High Free Bird – Late Arrivals: An Anaheim Ducks Podcast
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