Ducks vs Kings RECAP: Will Ryan Getzlaf Retire as a RW? More at 11.
The Anaheim Ducks (14-27-7) start off this week with the first of a 4-game mini-series against the Los Angeles Kings (17-22-6) and while neither team is fighting for playoff position, this series could determine quite a bit for both teams. The teams are 2-2 in the first four matches of the season, so the season series and bragging rights are up for grabs.
In a weird sequence of events, Ryan Getzlaf starts on the 4th line at right wing, because why not. Anthony Stolarz gets the start against Jonathan Quick. And San Diego Gulls captain Sam Carrick was inserted into the lineup once again.
Let's see what happened!
FIRST PERIOD
The first five minutes had a lot of dump-ins and no whistles, but the scoring would soon get started by LA. Anze Kopitar sent the puck behind the net and on a lively bounce off the boards, Dustin Brown received the puck, dropped it to Sean Walker, and Walker let it rip from the blue line. Haydn Fleury was battling in front and likely acted as a slight screen and Stolarz just whiffed with his glove. The Kings took an early 1-0.
Soon after, Drew Doughty was called for high-sticking, giving Anaheim the first power play of the game. The Ducks couldn't get anything going against the 6th-ranked penalty kill in the league, though they didn't challenge them much at all. The Ducks are now 11 for 110 with the man-advantage further solidifying their throne at the bottom of the league.
On yet another lively bounce on a shot wide of the net, Mikey Anderson scored another goal for the Kings, his first of the season. The puck shot right off the boards in the trapezoid back through the crease and right in front of the net. Anderson grabbed the puck and buried a backhander. Unfortunate bounce, Kings increased their lead to 2-0.
Over the last few minutes, you could tell the Kings were aiming for the boards behind Anaheim's net. Overall, a rough first period for the Ducks.
SECOND PERIOD
After a quick start in the offensive zone to start the period for the Ducks, Jamie Drysdale would get them on the board for the first time tonight. Danton Heinen received a long lead pass from Drysdale as he was entering the Kings' zone. He kept it along the boards and sent a pass back to Drysdale entering the zone late. Drysdale sent a low shot toward Quick and right through the legs for his third goal of the season. Ducks cut the lead down to 2-1.
Haydn Fleury started to stand out in this period. He had a few opportunities to lead the rush down the ice including a beautiful cross-ice pass for a scoring chance. Unfortunately, that pass went to Jacob Larsson who missed everything.
With 24 seconds left, Max Jones was assessed a penalty. Getzlaf was able to get a breakaway but wasn't able to finish leading to the end of the period.
This was a pretty uneventful period. It had "back and forth" moments, but not much action. The boards were still very much alive, but the Ducks didn't seem to take advantage of that. The Kings would take the 2-1 lead into the third period along with another 90 seconds of a power play.
THIRD PERIOD
The Ducks penalty kill was able to shut down the remaining time on the LA's power play to open the period, which was a good sign. This didn't last long though as Volkov would be sent off for tripping while reaching for a loose puck. The Kings haven't been great at the man-advantage either as they've struggled to put the puck in the net. Derek Grant led a rush shorthanded but wasn't able to score as the penalty ended.
The pace picked up quite a bit from where we left off in the second period. Rickard Rakell had a few odd-man rushes up ice in the same shift while also being on the receiving end of rushes but no goals for either. The Ducks did a much better job of getting their sticks in passing lanes, but their turnovers continued to keep things interested.
With under 2 minutes left, Head Coach Dallas Eakins used his team timeout for the first time this season (probably) to draw up some plays with Stolarz on the bench. Of course, he decided to go with Steel and Grant to start off. Anaheim dumped the puck in and couldn't gain possession. Brown grabbed the puck and sent it into the yawning net for the dagger. The Ducks pulled the goalie again and Trevor Moore would score in the empty net again. The Kings would go on to win 4-1 and the tank is still going strong.
QUICK OBSERVATIONS
While there's speculation that Ryan Getzlaf was on the wing due to the nature of his injury, in what world do you actually list him as a right-wing? Of course, it took 10 minutes before we saw him switched back. If he's fighting through pain, he shouldn't have been in the lineup. If this was a coaching decision, good Lord, CMON EAKINS. I’m blowing this way out of proportion, but just let me have my moment.
Haydn Fleury continues to have good moments on his new team. He's a smooth skater and is patient as he waits for passing lanes to open up when leading the rush. Had a great setup for Larsson earlier in the second period as well. He also stepped up as Andy Welinski left in the first period due to an injury.
Anthony Stolarz comes back down to earth but still had a solid game. He's very calm and collected and uses his size to his advantage.
Tonight was another missed opportunity to wear the reverse retro jerseys while the Kings wore theirs. I know they just wore them, but still, in a game against the Kings, it would have been a cool time to do it.
QUOTE OF THE GAME
"Our game summary tonight is all about the D." - John Ahlers
The Ducks return to Staples Center for the second of their 4-game series on Wednesday at 7pm PDT. We'll see you then!