Ducks vs Coyotes RECAP: Why Blow Only One 3-0 Lead When You Can Blow Two?
The Anaheim Ducks returned for game two against the Arizona Coyotes after blowing a 3-0 lead in humiliating fashion on Monday night, conceding all three goals in less than four minutes to go from a 3-0 lead to a 3-3 tie in the 2nd period. The Ducks would go on to lose that game, so how would they respond? By scratching….Troy Terry? And Danton Heinen again? Yep, guess that’s how we solve the problems.
Narrator: “The problems were not solved.” The Ducks would blow another 3-0 lead for the second consecutive game and would end up with one point out of what definitely should have been four points. Oh well. Fire everyone and launch this team into the sun.
1st Period
The first five minutes of the game featured a bit of back and forth action, with only one scoring chance generated by the Milano-Getzlaf-Jones top line. Unfortunately, Isac Lundestrom would get the first penalty of the game 200 feet from his own net, sending the Coyotes to the first power play of the game. The penalty kill was successful, but at the same time, not great. The Coyotes got a couple of really good looks and Ryan Miller was able to keep the game scoreless.
The Coyotes would carry a majority of the possession over the middle parts of the period but without any real high danger chances. I will give the Ducks the credit that despite their offense floundering just about any scoring opportunity they come close to generating, they’ve done a much better job recently of not letting teams take wide-open shots from the middle of the slot. I can’t wait to see how this takes ages for me throughout the rest of this game.
After a period in which virtually nothing of high interest happened, Max Comtois just happened to slap a rebound between his own legs and slip it five-hole past Darcy Kuemper to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead with 11 seconds remaining in the period. Not the prettiest period, but we’ll certainly take it as a way to close out the opening 20. 1-0 after one, with shots tied at nine apiece.
2nd Period
The first eight minutes of the middle frame were pretty much the same as the majority of the first period. Virtually no space, and very little room to create plays. BUT THAT DOESN’T MATTER! Josh Mahura hits a point shot that may or may not have been deflected by Zegras to extend the Ducks lead to 2-0. Either way, 2-0 Ducks with 11 minutes left in the middle frame.
The next couple shifts would be increased pressure on the Coyotes by the Ducks’ forecheck, and the consistent pressure would lead to a too many men penalty against the Coyotes. Ducks to their first power play…
Unfortunately, the power play would not be fruitful, despite a couple of high-quality looks in front of Darcy Kuemper. The difference in the power play since Zegras has joined the Ducks is night and day. Zone entries and smooth, offensive zone time have probably tripled, and shots on goal are not only more frequent but of better quality as well. Goals will come over time.
The Ducks would get their second power-play opportunity on a tripping call against Arizona. Zegras made a fantastic pass to Sam Steel that went off his knee after he was knocked down and then had a one-time shot opportunity. Max Jones would end up getting a goal on the second power-play unit on another rebound cleanup in front of Darcy Kuemper, and it’s 3-0 Ducks! Power play goal! Offense!
With 48 seconds left in the middle frame, Ben Hutton would take a delay of game penalty. Unfortunate timing for it when you’re trying to protect a 3-0 lead, especially after Monday’s game, but hey, it’s Ducks hockey. Never easy, and never boring. The Ducks would survive the final seconds of the period, and I mean every possible sense of the word survive. The horn sounded with about 8 players piled on top of Ryan Miller in the blue paint, with no whistle sounding. 3-0 Ducks after two, Ducks leading in shots 20-14.
3rd Period
The third period got underway with killing off the remaining minute plus of the Coyotes power play and even featured a very good shorthanded chance for Sam Steel that Kuemper was able to foil. Darcy Kuemper would leave the game with 16:29 remaining in regulation and Adin Hill would take his place. Not sure what happened to Kuemper, but well wishes to him and we hope he’s ok.
The Coyotes get on the board with 9:55 left in regulation to break Ryan Miller’s shutout and make the score 3-1. Not a whole lot Miller could’ve done about it, with a deflection in front sending it over the glove of Miller. Also, maybe only playing to not lose can sometimes cause you to start losing. Things to think about when protecting leads.
Conor Garland would add another goal with 8:11 left in regulation to make it 3-2, even though it was technically Jani Hakanpaa that put the puck past Ryan Miller. Classic. -insert “Ah shit here we go again” meme here-
Max Jones got frustrated once again and started hitting people and luckily came out with only coincidental minors between himself and Oliver Ekman Larsson. 4-on-4 with 7:59 left in regulation, so let’s maybe try to lock this down and break some momentum?
Rickard Rakell seems to be the only player on the ice still trying to generate offense, as everyone else is scared to go any further than the opposing blue line for fear of being caught too far up the ice. The ol’ Randy Carlyle School of Turtling to protect a lead. Not ideal.
Phil Kessel would score the equalizer with 3:21 left, because of course. Why not? Who cares, honestly?
The Ducks remembered that the game wasn’t over at this point, thankfully, and was able to secure at least one point and force OT. I hate it here.
Overtime/Shootout
Adin Hill and Ryan Miller both made some quality saves in OT. Shattenkirk had a lot of ice time and Zegras didn’t have as much, because of Eakins. The ducks didn’t score, but neither did AZ. On to the shootout.
Nick Schmaltz - Stopped by Miller
Trevor Zegras - A BEAUTY INTO THE TOP CORNER!
Conor Garland - Scores
Max Comtois - Stopped by Hill
Christian Dvorak - Scores
Rickard Rakell - Misses the net.
Coyotes win the shootout.
Final Thoughts
Good lord. The Ducks seem determined to prove me wrong at every turn. As soon as I believe they might be a playoff contender, they play atrocious hockey, and then as soon as I give up on them completely, they find ways to win games. My final thoughts here are that I need to stop having thoughts about the team altogether to protect my mental health.
But seriously, figure out how to stop making 3-0 leads disappear. It’s awful.
Up Next
The Ducks’ next game will not be until Saturday evening when they will take on the Vegas Golden Knights.