VIDEO: Ducks Earn Point Against The Kings; Getzlaf Has Surgery

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks announced yesterday that captain Ryan Getzlaf had to undergo surgery on Monday to repair a fracture to his zygomatic bone (cheek) and recovery time could be up to two months. Screwed on to be placed in his cheekbone in order to stabilize the bone. Getzlaf will have to wear a face shield for a while once he returns.

Cam Fowler and Ryan Kesler both has been skating and progressing well. It appears that both are set to return on schedule, but both could return sooner. According to general Bob Murray, Fowler has been able to do lateral movements in the gym. Kesler has been working on his stride and building his muscle strength.

The Ducks met the Los Angeles Kings for the first time last night without the above players and also without Patrick Eaves. John Gibson squared off against Jonathan Quick in the net.

First Period

The Ducks opened up the scoring when Brandon Montour tried a wraparound attempt that failed, but Jared Boll was in the right place at the right time and hit the loose puck into the net. Later Ondrej Kase was knocked out of the game by Kurtis MacDermid on a late hit. Kase never returned to the game and MacDermid was given a five minute major for interference and a game misconduct. As the major penalty expired, Sami Vatanen blasted a shot past Quick to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead. Towards the end of the period, Anze Kopitar scored and the Ducks lead 2-1 after one period.

Second Period

To start the middle frame Quick and Corey Perry got tangled up which lead to a melee behind the Kings net. Shortly after, Perry would be again in front of the net as Rickard Rakell sent a slap shot past Quick. Quick complained about being interfered with Perry. The referees reviewed the play and the goal stood because the Kings defenseman pushed Perry into Quick. The hitting picked up with Josh Manson knocking Alec Martinez out of the game for a short time. Chris Wagner also was in the mix shortly after in a separate play. The Kings did get one goal before the period ended to make it a 3-2 deficit.

Third Period

The Kings brought pressure and tied the game on a Dustin Brown goal. Later in the period, the Kings thought they had taken the lead, but a review of the play showed that Drew Doughty was offside disallowing the goal. Montour and Kopitar got tangled up by accident sending Kopitar to the locker for a while as he landed awkwardly. It looked the Kings took the lead again, but Gibson’s mask had fallen off from the initial shot and the play was blown dead by rule. Gibson had to exit the game and Ryan Miller came in to finish. The teams remained tied at 3-3 and went to overtime.

Overtime

Both teams had chances, but the Kings ultimately won when Nick Shore scored sending the puck over Miller’s shoulder and in.

Analysis

This was one of the most entertaining games of the season. There was plenty of scoring, hitting, injuries, and momentum shifts as well. The Ducks built the early lead and maintained it for two periods, but the Kings were able to rally to pull off the win. The Ducks have to be frustrated to left the game slip away, but they also have to look at the positive; they were able to compete with one of the league’s best teams while being without four of their top players. Unfortunately, the Ducks may be without Kase for some time too now. The Ducks did get plenty of power plays in this game and if they could have capitalized on those chances, then they probably would have won this game.

What’s Next?

The Ducks face the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. It’s military appreciation night!

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November 8th, 2017

Filed under: Ducks News Tagged: Anaheim Ducks, cam fowler, ducksnpucks, los angeles kings, patrick eaves, Ryan Kesler