DUCKS VS AVALANCHE RECAP: Brick and Iron
FIRST PERIOD
The Anaheim Ducks headed into the second half of the back to back with the Colorado Avalanche Sunday night. Despite losing in OT on Friday, they played their best game of the season so far. Maybe it was the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade rumors? Maybe it was the “benching” of their “first line”? Whatever it was, the Ducks came out, played hard, but ultimately fell short in the end.
This game started out as a complete 180 from the first.
They got the lead early. Jakob Silfverberg took a face off win from Adam Henrique and sniped the puck in the top right corner. Ducks 1, Avs 0. Then came the 180. The Avs went onto to control the majority of play the rest of the period. They hit three crossbars/posts and if it weren’t for a couple of great saves by Gibby, they could have easily been down by a goal or two.
When you are a team that lacks scoring ability, you cannot have some of the mental gaffes the Ducks continue to have. Also, they cannot continue to have coaching gaffes they continue to have. Coach Dallas Eakins chose to hard match the Grant-Deslauriers-Rowney line against the MacKinnon line. Not a good call as that match up registered zero shots for and nine against.
Despite being up 1-0, the Ducks were down 13-7 in shots and needed to turn their game around in the second.
SECOND PERIOD
Although they never really controlled play in the second, it was an ok bounce back from the first.
The second had some back and forth moments until Ryan Getzlaf did a Ryan Getzlaf thing. Per Felix’s tweet below, Getzy set up Rickard Rakell for his first of the year with 11:55 remaining in the period.
The Ducks would close out the period up 2-0 despite trailing in shots 23-14.
THIRD PERIOD
The Ducks didn’t turtle! That term is a bit of a throwback to the most recent Randy Carlyle years, but I have seen versions of the “third period turtle” in Eakins’ stint as the Ducks bench boss.
The Ducks did well enough to hold off the Avs. They did end up allowing one goal to Avs forward Mikko Rantanen with 5:14 left in the period. MacKinnon hammered a turnover in the slot off of Gibson’s right leg pad and Rantanen was there to backhand the rebound into the net.
The Ducks would go on the powerplay with less than five minutes left. They were unsuccessful in converting the dagger goal, but Hampus Lindholm was able to launch a three-quarter ice empty netter to give Anaheim some insurance. It was Lindholm’s second goal of the season.
The game would end with the Ducks holding on to the 3-1 win. They grabbed three out of four points against a very strong Avalanche team. This game shows what happens when your best players produce.
QUICK STATS
Shots on Goal – ANA: 15 COL: 33
5v5 CF% – ANA: 39.08% COL: 60.92%
5v5 xGF – ANA: 1.39 COL: 1.8
5v5 xGA – ANA: 1.8 COL: 1.39
**All stats courtesy of naturalstattrick.com
3 STARS
1) John Gibson – Was the brick wall the Ducks needed him to be.
2) Ryan Getzlaf – Was dishing dimes all game.
3) Hampus Lindholm – Played 25+ minutes and had the hard match ups. Was rewarded with an empty netter for his second goal on the year.
**Bonus Stick Tap to Jani Hakanapaa – Guy has be solid and probably much better than Ducks fans expected.
NEXT UP
The Ducks will play the Arizona Coyotes at 6PM PST at the Gila River Arena on Tuesday 1/26