Ducks @ Red Wings RECAP: Ducks Cap Off Successful Road Trip With 2-1 OT Loss to Red Wings
The Anaheim Ducks (23-16-8, 54 points) squared off against the Detroit Red Wings (19-20-6, 44 points) on Monday evening, concluding a 5-game eastern swing and also completing their final game before the NHL All-Star break. While they did not play particularly well at 5v5, the Ducks secured their 8th point of a possible 10 points on this road trip, forcing overtime and ultimately dropping the game 2-1 to the Red Wings.
Dallas Eakins Returns From COVID-19 Absence; Josh Manson Sidelined with Finger Injury
Ducks Head Coach Dallas Eakins made his return behind the bench in this game after having missed the previous five games due to COVID-19 protocol. In addition, Josh Manson did not appear in tonight’s lineup due to a finger injury sustained in Anaheim’s previous outing against the Ottawa Senators. In Manson’s place was Josh Mahura, who slotted in alongside Cam Fowler on the Ducks’ top defensive line in this game.
Team Rankings Heading Into Tonight’s Matchup (per ESPN & Evolving Hockey)
Anaheim Ducks
Powerplay: 7th in NHL in PP% (25.0%); 27th in NHL in xGF/60 (6.08)
Penalty Kill: 7th in NHL in PK% (83.3%); 23rd in NHL in xGA/60 (7.99)
xGF% at 5v5: 21st in NHL (48.3%)
CF% at 5v5: 19th in NHL (48.6%)
Detroit Red Wings
Powerplay: 26th in NHL (16.4%); 21st in NHL in xGF/60 (6.59)
Penalty Kill: 23rd in NHL (77.0%); 15th in NHL in xGA/60 (7.34)
xGF% at 5v5: 23rd in NHL (47.0%)
CF% at 5v5: 29th in NHL (45.5%)
1st Period
The Ducks controlled play for most of the opening frame, but the Red Wings came on very strong during the last few minutes. Ultimately, Anaheim was out-chanced and out-shot at 5v5 in the 1st period, posting a 25.1% xGF% and 40% CF%, respectively. The Ducks also gave up 5 High Danger Chances to the Red Wings, while only generating 2 such chances themselves. With just 37 seconds remaining in the period, the Red Wings broke a scoreless tie when Dylan Larkin caught Ducks defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk flat-footed on a breakaway chance, and then beat John Gibson on the backhand for his 23rd goal of the season, giving Detroit a 1-0 lead heading into the 2nd period.
2nd Period
The Ducks took very little time to bounce back from their poor finish to the 1st period. With 17:31 remaining in the second frame, Adam Henrique generated a transition opportunity for Anaheim and assisted Rickard Rakell on his 10th goal of the season and 2nd goal in his last 2 games, tying the game at 1-1. This was the only goal tallied during the 2nd period, and the Ducks entered the final period with a chance to notch their 4th win in 5 total games on this road trip. Overall, the Ducks were the better team at 5v5 during the 2nd period, earning a 54.1% xGF% and a 59.3% CF%.
3rd Period
The final period of the Ducks road trip began in a frenetic fashion, with a number of odd-man rushes and substantial offensive zone time for Anaheim. An unfortunate consequence of this lightning-quick pace was a nasty offensive zone collision between Ryan Getzlaf and Max Comtois, which appeared to result in the loss of at least one tooth for the Ducks captain. With 13:19 remaining in the period, coincidental minor penalties were called on Nicolas Deslauriers and Dylan Larkin, resulting in 2 minutes of 4v4 play that did not result in any additional goals. After a long stretch of relatively low event play, Dylan Larkin entered the Anaheim zone and fired a shot on goal which was saved by John Gibson. The rebound deflected off the skate of Filip Hronek and into the back of the net with 3:49 remaining, giving Detroit an apparent 2-1 lead. However, the officials determined that the puck was deliberately kicked into the net, and the goal was waived off, reverting the score of the game back to 1-1. Neither team was able to break the tie in regulation, and the Ducks headed to their second overtime of this road trip having secured their 8th of 9 possible points thus far. In the 3rd period, Anaheim posted a dismal 37.5% xGF%, but a more respectable 46.7% CF% at 5v5.
Overtime
The extra frame was highlighted by a controversial quick whistle by the officials on an apparent puck cover by John Gibson after a save. However, Gibson did not actually freeze the puck, and instead was attempting to flip it to the other side of the ice to help facilitate a Ducks breakaway opportunity. Instead, Detroit won the ensuing faceoff, and defenseman Jordan Oesterle scored the game-winning goal, lifting the Red Wings to a 2-1 OT victory.
Final Thoughts
Although the Ducks did not post impressive 5v5 numbers on their road trip, they finished with an impressive 3-0-2 record, securing 8 of a possible 10 total points, and heading back to Orange County into an extended All-Star break with overwhelmingly positive vibes.
3 Stars
1. Rickard Rakell (10th goal of the season)
2. John Gibson (2GA, 2.82xGA in All Situations)
3. Sam Carrick (59.34 xGF% at 5v5)
Up Next
The Ducks (23-16-9, 55 points) will now enjoy an extensive break heading into NHL All-Star Weekend and will return next Friday, 2/11 at Honda Center to face the Seattle Kraken, with the puck dropping at 7 pm PST.
Note: all statistics included in this article are per Evolving Hockey, Natural Stat Trick, and ESPN.