Ducks vs Wild RECAP: Wildly Disappointing

The Anaheim Ducks returned to the ice after a disappointing showing against the San Jose Sharks to take on the Minnesota Wild for a two-game homestand before another trip to Arizona. Minnesota is one of the teams that the Ducks need to try to take points from at any opportunity, and this one was not a step in the direction they want to go.

1st Period

The game started with a good offensive push from the Anaheim Ducks, with only one or two scrambles in the defensive end to make sure that Gibson wasn’t hung out to dry. The Ducks didn’t officially record a shot for the first seven minutes of the game, but I could swear they had at least four scoring chances.

John Gibson made a massive save on Joel Eriksson Ek, but the Wild would take advantage of the Ducks’ disorganization in the defensive zone and a turnover from Jacob Larsson is potted by Ryan Hartman. 1-0 Wild with 12:33 left in the 1st.

The Wild would add another on the next shift as the Ducks continued to be a complete mess in their own zone and Kevin Fiala scores to make it 2-0. There are second chance opportunities, the occasional third chance opportunity, and then the extremely rare fourth chance opportunity. This was a fifth chance opportunity, and the Ducks’ good start can go ahead and be flushed down the drain now.

The Ducks would finally get on the scoresheet with a penalty for tripping against Jani Hakanpaa. Shots on goal going into the power play were 8-0, but hey, advanced stats like xGF are for nerds. 2-0 is a dangerous lead, right? ….right?

The Ducks killed off the penalty, which was a nice relief, despite that being the expected result with the Ducks having a top-five penalty kill in the NHL and the Wild having the league’s worst power play. On that note, I was surprised to see that the Ducks are not in fact 31st in the league on the power play. Take that Minnesota!

The Ducks would get their turn on the power play for a holding the stick penalty called against Kevin Fiala. A chance to get their first shot on goal of the game before the first period ends and we all have a good laugh to keep from crying. The Ducks didn’t get a shot on goal in the first 54 seconds of the power play, so Marcus Foligno wanted to help out and took a delay of game penalty. 1:06 of 5-on-3 action.

Good lord….they didn’t get even a shot on the 5-on-3. A SHOT LATE IN THE POWER PLAY! It didn’t go in but PROGRESS!

The first period ended 2-0 Minnesota with shots favoring the Wild 9-3. The whole thing was a yikes. Even the first couple minutes, where the Ducks played actually kind of well because of their inability to put legitimate pressure on the goaltender resulted in their offense continuing to be anemic.

2nd Period

The 2nd period started with a penalty against Hampus Lindholm after he ran into Joel Eriksson Ek trying to get to a puck that was floating through the Wild’s zone. Kind of an unfortunate penalty, but not the way you want to start a period that needs to be a response to a rather disappointing first period.

With 12:48 remaining in the period, Kevin Shattenkirk filled his nightly quota of taking a penalty, this time for cross-checking. Wild back to the power play, and keep in mind, shots are still 9-3 at this point. The game is almost halfway over and I’m not sure the Ducks get to 10 shots on goal tonight.

With their fifth shot on goal, Sam Steel absolutely rips a backhander into the top corner and just like that, it’s 2-1. Shots are 12-5, so still work to be done, but that’s a hell of a start in the right direction.

The second period ended at 2-1, and the Ducks somehow come through 40 minutes with only a one-goal deficit. This has been a very ugly game for a majority of the 40 minutes played, but a one-goal deficit is a one-goal deficit. Play a good third period and this is a very winnable game.

3rd Period

Another period and another early penalty from Anaheim. This time, Ryan Getzlaf called for slashing, which probably ended up being a good penalty, as Kaprizov was in alone on John Gibson before Captain Dad caught him from behind.

The Ducks continued to push forward offensively throughout the period, but the lack of the “finish” ability continued to plague them. Carter Rowney had a glorious opportunity with 7:54 left in regulation to tie the game, but the puck luck was determined to not go Anaheim’s way.

A penalty against Anaheim with 5:45 left in regulation would put the Wild on their fourth power play of the game, with a chance to put the game away with a late goal. They would do just that right as the power play expired, and with 3:45 left in the game, it was 3-1 Wild.

John Gibson abandoned the crease with just over a minute to go in regulation and the Ducks needing a pair.

Final Thoughts

Part of me feels like the Ducks are just a couple of bounces and properly handled passes away from the offense clicking. The other part of me looks at the scoreboard and realizes that this team is in serious need of an ability to find the back of the net. You won’t win too many games without getting shots on goal, so maybe start there and try to build your way toward the goals. Also, when you do get a chance to take a shot, please put the puck on net. I hate seeing a good scoring opportunity hit the glass.

Either way, there’s plenty for the Ducks to work on before they can truly start a winning streak that can put them firmly in the playoff conversation. On to the next.

Up Next

The Ducks will be back in action for game number two against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night.