Ducks 10 Game Review: Games 21-30

Logo: Anaheim Ducks

By Thomas Harrington

Anaheim completed its most successful 10 game segment of the season, going 7-1-2, picking up 16 points, and winning their last five games in a row. That win streak has propelled the Ducks into second in the Pacific Division. Given the team’s struggles through the first month and a half of the season, that’s pretty impressive.

Best Forward

Anaheim’s best forward over the last 10 games was once again Ryan Getzlaf. He was tied for the team lead in goals with four and led the team in points with 10. He scored the overtime game-winning goal against the Carolina Hurricanes, and was one of the primary reasons for Anaheim’s epic comeback win against Washington, recording three points in the come-from-behind victory. Anaheim has dealt with injuries and inconsistencies all season, but Getzlaf has been one of the few bright spots through the course of the entire season.

Worst Forward

The Ducks’ worst forward over the last 10 games was Ryan Kesler. As a shutdown center, he was effective over the last 10 games. However, while he shouldn’t lead this team in points, he should be one of Anaheim’s better offensive players. Instead, he recorded one power play assist and no goals over the last 10 games. While he looks worlds better than he did last year, I still don’t think Kesler is 100%. Hopefully, he’ll get better as the season goes on and his play will pick up, especially his offense.

Best Defenseman

Brandon Montour was Anaheim’s best defenseman over the last 10 games. With Cam Fowler out, he really stepped up his game, scoring two goals and seven points, leading the defense in points and tying for the lead in goals. He led the defense with two powerplay assists and led the defense with a +5 rating. While he’ll never be a shutdown defenseman, he did play well defensively over the last 10 games as well.

Worst Defenseman

Andrej Sustr was the Ducks’ worst defenseman over the last 10 games. He actually spent most of that time in San Diego, where he hasn’t been lighting the world on fire with the Gulls. He was called up for one game, the disastrous loss to Nashville. He played just over 11 minutes, the fewest of Anaheim’s defensive core, and only three forwards played less than he did. He’s clearly been surpassed by several of Anaheim’s young defensemen.

Between The Pipes

In net, John Gibson wasn’t as dominant as he was early in the season, but he still played well overall, going 5-1-1 in eight games. He was pulled in the game against Washington, as he was rattled early by some weird goals and questionable officiating. Besides that game, he wasn’t great against Nashville but allowed only seven goals against in his other six starts. Ryan Miller went 2-0-1 in two starts, picking up the win when he came in to relieve Gibson against Washington. Both goalies had a save percentage above .920 over the last 10 games, and they are one of the best goaltending duos in the league.

Injuries and Rookies

Anaheim continues to be a pile of walking wounded, but a number of players did get healthy over the last 10 games. Corey Perry, Cam Fowler, Patrick Eaves, and Korbinian Holzer all missed all 10 games with injuries. However, Carter Rowney returned from injury and played in five games. Hampus Lindholm also missed six games with an injury, but is healthy and playing now.

Anaheim continued to play a number of rookies, especially on defense. Some nights, four of their six defensemen were rookies. Marcus Pettersson, Jacob Larsson, Andy Welinski, and Josh Mahura all patrolled Anaheim’s blueline. Even with Pettersson gone, the other three figure to get a decent amount of ice time going forward. Larsson was the only rookie defenseman to appear in all 10 games and he recorded one assist. Pettersson actually recorded four assists and his game had seen a noticeable improvement in recent weeks, one of the reasons why he was an attractive option for Pittsburgh in the trade. Mahura had one powerplay assist, a number that should go up the more he plays in the NHL. Welinski went scoreless. At forward, the only rookies dressed were Kalle Kossila and Kiefer Sherwood. Sherwood played in all 10 games and had two assists. While he doesn’t have the offensive acumen of some of Anaheim’s higher-end prospects, he brings a ton of energy to every shift and is one of the team’s better forecheckers. Kossila played in five games, centering the team’s fourth line, and scored one goal.

Final Thoughts

A few other things that caught my eye over the last 10 games. Daniel Sprong made an immediate impact in his first game as a Duck, scoring one goal on four shots and forming some nice chemistry with Nick Ritchie and Adam Henrique. Pontus Aberg, Ondrej Kase, and Ritchie all also scored four goals, tying for the team lead with Getzlaf. Aberg continues to be one of the stories of the season, and his nine points were second only to Getzlaf. He’s a streaky scorer, but when he’s going, he’s one of Anaheim’s most dangerous forwards. Rickard Rakell scored only two goals, but he did score his first five-on-five goal of the season.

Since returning from injury, Rowney has really solidified the Ducks’ fourth line and been one of Anaheim’s most consistent players since returning to the lineup. Henrique led the team with seven assists, and his nine points were tied with Aberg for second on the team. Similar to Rowney, the addition of Jake Dotchin has helped give Anaheim some stability on its bottom pairing. He has yet to record a point with the Ducks, but he’s provided relatively stable defense. Josh Manson scored two goals over the last 10 games, his only points over that span. More importantly, his defensive struggles from early in the season seem to be mostly behind him.

The Ducks are playing their best hockey of the season right now. Their offense has come alive, and most nights, their defense is much better. They are still giving up too many shots more often than not, but the shot disparity is not as bad as it was early in the season. Hopefully, a mix of a healthier lineup and the new additions of Sprong and Dotchin will help keep this momentum going and firmly entrench Anaheim in a playoff spot.

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December 7th, 2018