Ducks vs Blues RECAP: Trevor Zegras Gets First NHL Point
The Anaheim Ducks faced the St. Louis Blues tonight for their fourth matchup of the season. Just a couple of nights ago, the Ducks dropped the first of their two-game series despite having a big night from Isac Lundestrom. Anaheim looked to bounce back and put an end to a 7-game losing streak.
In an amazing turn of events, Head Coach Dallas Eakins scratched Derek Grant and Nicolas Deslauriers in favor of David Backes and Danton Heinen. Troy Terry also drew back into the lineup at the expense of Max Jones. Those were the only changes to the lineup!
FIRST PERIOD
The Ducks entered tonight having been outscored 15-6 over three games against the Blues this season and in the first minute, you could see why as they had an early 2-on-1 opportunity. Luckily, Cam Fowler stepped up and dissolved a potentially dangerous situation.
Both teams spent the middle of the period pressuring the opposing team in their respective defensive zones leading to turnovers. Zegras in particular was in on the forecheck and also backchecking well from the jump - great things to see from the youngster.
After doing well not to get stuck in their own end, Anaheim had the first extended shift in the defensive zone where the Blues were able to get an offensive zone line change and draw a penalty. The first powerplay went to St. Louis as Josh Mahura went off for hooking. As play continued, Oskar Sunqvist walked right in and nearly scored on John Gibson, but Fowler cleared the puck out of the crease. Then, the Ducks' defense lost track of Sundqvist again as he sat right in front of the net. He received a pass and wrapped the puck around Gibson to take the early 1-0 lead with David Perron and Torey Krug drawing the assists.
With 38 seconds left in the period, Krug got called for interference on Rickard Rakell. Trevor Zegras had a wide-open net to shoot at from a tough angle but hit the side of the net to end the opening period. Overall, a solid period for this team.
SECOND PERIOD
With nothing to show for the remaining powerplay, the Ducks continued to look for the equalizer. They would get close as Cam Fowler sent a puck toward the net for a tip by Max Comtois, but Jordan Binnington was able to make the stop.
Halfway through the period, Jakob Silfverberg would go off for slashing. Immediately off the faceoff, Brayden Schenn got a shot off from the top of the circle and went off Fowler's stick straight to the top corner of the net to give the Blues a 2-0 lead. The Blues, ranked 28th in the league in Powerplay percentage entering tonight's game, went 2 for 2 on the man advantage up to this point.
Anaheim finally got on the board with under five minutes left in the second period. Ryan Getzlaf won a puck battle in the corner and sent a pass through the crease right to Terry's stick. Terry elevates the shot but it goes off the post and falls behind Binnington. The puck slips out from a sprawling Binnington as Comtois crashed the net. Comtois's shot goes off the body of Ryan O'Reilly and into the net giving Comtois a team-leading ninth goal of the season. Ducks cut the lead in half and now trail 2-1.
Troy Terry and Jakob Silfverberg would each get solid scoring chances before the end of the period but to no avail. Through 40 minutes of play, the Ducks still trailed the Blues 2-1 and held a 19-13 shot advantage.
THIRD PERIOD
The Getzlaf line with Terry and Comtois continued to wreak havoc on the Blues. They had another huge opportunity five minutes in as Getzlaf sent another cross-ice pass to a streaking Comtois, but he can't handle it and a mad scramble ensued. Getzlaf grabbed the loose puck and sent a shot off the right post. This line was buzzing from the start.
Moments later, the Getzlaf line nearly scored again and was able to draw a penalty on the play. Unfortunately, Anaheim couldn't get the powerplay set up in the offensive zone and missed a golden opportunity to even up the score. Naturally, as the penalty ended, O'Reilly received a lobbed puck as he exited the penalty box, but Gibson was able to make the stop with the right pad.
With 8:31 left in the game, Jani Hakanpaa was called for tripping, sending them back to the penalty kill where they were 0/2 on the evening. The penalty kill started strong until Jordan Kyrou walked along the baseline toward the net to get his shot off and Zach Sanford tapped in the rebound for his third goal in the last two games. St. Louis improved to 3/3 on the powerplay against the Ducks and took a commanding 3-1 lead with 6 minutes remaining.
With the empty net, Zegras tried a fancy move to get past Marco Scandella and was able to draw a penalty. Gibson would stay out of the net for the full 2 minutes of the powerplay to give the Ducks a 6-4 man advantage, but it wouldn't matter as the Blues killed off the penalty.
The Ducks would score one more with eight seconds left as Fowler caught Zegras driving the middle of the ice. Zegras zipped through the defense and lost control of the puck. Rakell picked up the loose puck and picked the top corner giving Zegras his first NHL assist. Ultimately, it wouldn't be enough as Anaheim would fall once again to the St. Louis Blues, 3-2.
QUICK OBSERVATIONS
The Ducks lost their 8th game in a row. Analysis: this is not good.
Trevor Zegras is the most exciting player the Ducks have had in quite some time. He played 20 minutes tonight and got the first NHL assist of his career. He's 19 years old.
Max Comtois continues to find the back of the net. Everywhere he goes, there's an opportunity for something to happen. He does need to improve defensively at times, but there's no denying the strides he's taken this season. He's 22 years old and leads the team with 14 points.
Ryan Getzlaf continues to remind fans just how good he can be. He had a number of passes to set up his teammates with golden opportunities. His line with Comtois and Terry had a big game.
Dallas Eakins iced one of the better lineups of the season scratching Deslauriers and Grant. This lineup was faster and, while it didn't result in a win, this was much better in terms of optimizing your talent.
QUOTE OF THE GAME
"David Backes has a spur up his saddle." - Brian Hayward
THREE STARS
Max Comtois
Rickard Rakell
Trevor Zegras