VIDEO: Lightning Down Ducks

Photo: Canadian Press

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks finished their road trip in Tampa Bay against the Lightning. Ryan Miller was in net against Andrei Vasilevskiy. Hampus Lindholm returned to the lineup after having been on the IR for a few weeks.

Brayden Point would get Tampa Bay on the board first late in the opening period. A point shot by Jan Rutta would be blocked by Miller, but then hit Point in the back and laid in the crease. Point turned and then shot the puck in the net before Miller could cover it up. The Ducks would then get a bounce of their own shortly after. Tampa Bay had a power play and Nikita Kucherov tried to clear the puck out of the zone. The puck would deflect off an official and land right on Derek Grant‘s stick. He broke in all alone and beat Vasilevskiy to tie the game.

Become a Patreon for a chance to win game tickets, gift cards, and more! www.patreon.com/DucksNPucks

In the second period, Tampa Bay would score first to take a 2-1 lead. Anthony Cirelli would get to a loose puck behind the Anaheim net and then make a pass to Kucherov, who beat Miller with a shot at the far post. The Ducks would respond with a goal by Rickard Rakell. Anaheim was awarded a power play and Rakell would blast a shot over the shoulder of Vasilevskiy. The goal was scored just as the penalty expired so officially it didn’t count as a power-play goal.

Tampa Bay would reclaim the lead on the power play. Victor Hedman would break in on Miller and beat him between the arm and the body. It looked like Miller made the save originally, but the puck squeezed through him and then rolled past the goal line. Former Duck Pat Maroon would then add to the lead. A point shot would get deflected near the front of the net. Maroon was there to pick it up and shoot in the open net. Tampa Bay led 4-2 after two periods.

Teemu Selanne Joined Us On Our Latest Podcast

In the final period, the Ducks got into penalty trouble. Troy Terry would get called for slashing and Anthony Cirelli would score to make it 5-2 Tampa Bay. Tempers then flared late in the game. Cirelli and Korbinian Holzer would get tangled up in the corner. Nick Ritchie would get into the mix as well with Cirelli appearing not to let Holzer up off the ice. In the end, Tampa Bay got a power play and Ondrej Palat scored to make it 6-2, which would be the final.

Analysis:

The Ducks played a decent game for the first 30 minutes. The second half of the game was a different story. Anaheim took too many penalties and Tampa Bay scored three times on the power play. The Ducks actually outshot the Lightning 38-27 overall, but Vasilevksi played a solid game. Miller didn’t have his best stuff and probably wanted a couple of those goals back he let in. The Ducks return home on Monday to face the New York Islanders.

Become A DucksNPucks Patron!

If you enjoy DucksNPucks, then consider supporting us at www.patreon.com/DucksNPucks.

Want to start your sports media career? Then Join The Puck Network!

DucksNPucks is part of The Puck Network, which covers the entire NHL. There are openings to cover your favorite team(s) and earn school credits! If you are interested, then apply by filling out the form here: Join Our Team. What are you waiting for? Start your sports media career TODAY!

November 24th, 2019