Ducks vs Coyotes RECAP: Zegras and Drysdale Are Fun; Everyone Else Is Not
The Ducks returned to action after Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale both potted their first career NHL goals in the first game of this series against the Coyotes. It would still require OT to get the W, but the Ducks were able to get the job done and for once, turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 win and not vice versa.
This game did not go as well for Anaheim…..at all. It was bad.
1st Period
The first period was….well, not great. The Ducks came out with some good jump in the first few minutes and then for whatever reason, could not get out of their own zone for the remaining 15 minutes of the period.
The Coyotes took a 1-0 lead on a perfect deflection in front of the net by Derick Brassard that Ryan Miller had virtually no chance on. Then came the 2-0 goal from Jacob Chychrun just over two minutes later to really deflate the Ducks.
Troy Terry had a really nice skillful play that enabled him to draw a penalty and put the Ducks on the power play, but Rickard Rakell decided that he had no interest in that and took a penalty to make it 4-on-4 35 seconds later. With the 35 seconds of power-play time the Coyotes had after the 4-on-4 ended, Derick Brassard again had a great redirect and made it 3-0 Coyotes. Shots on goal favored Arizona 14-5, and the play on the ice reflected those totals.
Not ideal, but hopefully Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale can once again dig the Ducks out of the hole they put themselves in and lead them to the promised land for the second consecutive game.
2nd Period
The Coyotes scored 30 seconds into the 2nd period with Derick Brassard completing his hat trick just over 20 minutes into the game, but I’ll be honest. I missed this goal because I was busy watching Ohio pull the 13 seed upset over Virginia in March Madness, and I had to eventually get one upset right on my bracket because UC Santa Barbara and Winthrop didn’t get the job done.
Anyway, the rest of the 2nd period outside of one good shift from the Ducks was outrageously boring and not fun to watch. The Ducks didn’t really have any jump and the Coyotes weren’t exactly looking to push the game to a blistering pace while holding a 4-0 lead. Eating clock and just trading possession with no chances suits them just fine.
The quick flurry from the Ducks with about three minutes left in the 2nd helped to close the shots on goal counter just a bit, but since none of them got past Antti Raanta, it doesn’t really matter at all. 4-0 Coyotes after 2, shots on goal favoring Arizona still, now by a 19-15 total count.
3rd Period
The Ducks got an early power play in the 3rd period, and Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale together made it arguably the best power play we’ve seen all season. The Ducks controlled the entire two minutes in Arizona’s zone, and they did everything right except score.
Adam Henrique finally broke the shutout with just about five minutes left in regulation, and Trevor Zegras added another assist to his NHL point total.
Clayton Keller added an unnecessary 5th goal for the Coyotes, and the final score ended up at 5-1.
Final Thoughts
Another day, another crushing loss for the Ducks. Nothing will change here until something big changes in the organization. I’m not really bringing you news here that you didn’t already know, but it’s the truth.
The question is now whether or not the Ducks will try to make a majority of their moves at the deadline in a couple of weeks or if they want to wait until the offseason and clean house then.
3 Stars
1. The Crash the Pond Discord chat
2. Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale on the power play
3. Corey Perry’s shootout goal for Montreal
Up Next
The Ducks will begin a five-game road trip on Monday with their first stop being in Minnesota to take on the Wild, a team that has been downright terrifying this season, to put it mildly.