Ducks vs Wild RECAP: One Goal, One Win

The Ducks returned home after dropping each of their first two games against the Vegas Golden Knights to play the first of two more realistically winnable games against the Minnesota Wild. The only change to the lineup from the Vegas series was moving Sonny Milano into the lineup for his season debut and replacing Isac Lundestrom.

First Period

The Ducks looked a bit shaky in the opening minutes of the game and it was very nearly 1-0 Minnesota less than three minutes in, but Victor Rask missed a wide-open net and the game remained scoreless. The Wild would get the first power play of the game as Sam Steel sat for hooking just 4:25 into the game, but no harm would come from it as the Ducks remained perfect on the PK.

John Gibson continued to be the only hockey player who looks like he has played before for Anaheim, as the Ducks looked like they would rather be anywhere else (this was also true of the player intros for the home opener celebration before the game, so if you didn’t see their faces, watch a video and have a hearty laugh).

The Ducks got a power play with 5:35 remaining in the opening period as Jordan Greenway would sit for Minnesota. However, Anaheim failed to produce anything really threatening outside of one Troy Terry chance in tight against Cam Talbot, and cut their power play a little short as Jakob Silfverberg sat for high sticking.

Josh Manson decided he had had enough of Jordan Greenway bumping him in front of the net and they threw a few punches at each other before taking coinciding roughing minors, giving us 4-on-4 with 39 seconds left in the first, where the period would end. Unfortunately, Josh Manson would sustain an upper-body injury during this skirmish, and he would not return to the game.

File that period into the “Could’ve been a lot worse and could’ve been a lot better” bucket.

Second Period

The beginning of the second period was a lot more encouraging for the Ducks, and it was Anaheim’s turn to narrowly avoid taking the lead on a Sonny Milano breakaway that Cam Talbot was able to stop. Another penalty against the Ducks, and another successful kill.

Both teams would then proceed to trade chances back and forth, with neither successfully beating the goaltender on the other end of the ice. At one point, there were about six or seven players in the blue paint keeping John Gibson company during a scramble, and still, the puck stayed out of the net.

At the end of two, the score remained 0-0, and both teams might consider themselves a bit lucky to be in that position. Being alive and tied in a somewhat sloppy game is exactly what you would ask of your team if they were just entering a phase of trying to be competitive after being one of the league’s worst teams last season. Win the third and win the game.

Third Period

The third period starts immediately with a penalty against Derek Grant, giving Minnesota their fifth power-play opportunity of the evening. Not exactly ideal after taking only two penalties total in the two games they played against the Vegas Golden Knights. However, the Ducks PK remained perfect and the Minnesota Wild power play moved to an impressive 0-for-16 on the power play this season. That’s some Big Duck Energy.

BUT FINALLY! THE DUCKS ARE ON THE BOARD AND IT’S NOT MAX COMTOIS!

A perfect pass across the ice from Kevin Shattenkirk found Nicolas Deslauriers all alone at the far post on an odd-man rush and the Ducks took a 1-0 lead with 15:49 remaining in regulation.

The Wild would respond with some sustained pressure in Anaheim’s end, but John Gibson would continue to stand tall for Anaheim and make the saves when needed.

With 3:44 left in regulation, John Gibson was steamrolled behind his own net by Nick Bjugstad while trying to play the puck in the trapezoid, and the Ducks got a power play as a result, as Bjugstad was hit with a charging call. The Ducks were happy to just let two minutes trickle off the clock without over-exerting themselves trying to double the lead.

The Wild pushed very hard for the final minute of the game but were unable to break through and John Gibson locks in a 34-save shutout.

Final Thoughts

All in all, this is exactly the kind of game that Ducks fans should get used to seeing. The defense wasn’t perfect, the offense is still working to find themselves and get back into a scoring groove, but John Gibson was there when he needed to be and the Ducks got a much needed win. The offense will continue to grow, the defense will continue to build chemistry, and the Ducks showed that they can win the games against tough opponents without needing a ton of offense. Playoff teams win sloppy games.

Game Flow and Heat Map Per Naturalstattrick

3 Stars

1) John Gibson

2) Nicolas Deslauriers

3) Kevin Shattenkirk

Next Up

The Ducks will be back at Honda Center on Wednesday night for the rematch against the Minnesota Wild, and that one is on NBCSN, so all eyes are on the Ducks!