VIDEO: Ducks Drop Makeup Game To Blues

Photo: AP

By Richard Gonzalez

The Anaheim Ducks hosted the St. Louis Blues in their second game of back-to-backs. This game was originally played on Feb. 11, 2020, but was canceled due to a medical emergency to Blues’ defensemen, Jay Bouwmeester. This was the first time in Ducks franchise history this has happened. The game will be a full 60-minute game plus overtime if needed; also, Adam Henrique (26) and Ivan Barbashev (11) each got credited for the goals they scored during the first game. Anthony Stolarz will make his Ducks debut and Jake Allen was in net for the Blues.

The Blues took the game’s first penalty when he was called for hooking. The Ducks applied a lot of pressure and put up five shots on goal but could not convert. Jani Hakanpaa and Ryan Getzlaf would each get consecutive tripping penalties about five minutes apart. The Ducks would kill the first one but would give up a goal on the second one when Alex Pietrangelo’s slap shot got past Stolarz. The Blues outshot the Ducks 16-9 and kept the one-goal lead after the opening minutes.

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The second period was not that eventful until the midway point of the period. Both teams seemed to slow down their play to start. It opened up more when Jani Hakanpaa scored his first NHL goal to tie the game. It was short-lived as Zach Sanford scored late in the period to give the Blues the lead again. Josh Manson got heated over an icing controversy and started hitting everyone. Getzlaf and Pietrangelo got tangled but the refs quickly came and broke it up. The Ducks outshot the Blues, 10-9, but still down a goal after the second period.

The third period was more intense but as the second, neither team got called for any infractions. There were a few scrums but were broken up pretty quickly. Stolarz kept the Ducks in this game by his stellar saves as did Allen for the Blues. This Ducks had more of the scoring chances but the Blues would seal the deal with an empty-net goal. The Ducks were outshot 12-8 and dropped this game 4-2.

Analysis:

The Ducks really did not show any signs of fatigue in this game. They matched the speed and physical play of the Blues and had every chance to score to tie it again. Their only power play was still great besides not scoring. Hakanpaa scored his first-ever NHL goal so that was a treat for fans to see. He has been playing good the last few games and deserved to get the goal. Stolarz really impressed me tonight too. He is a bigger goaltender and can really move. He showed potential of taking over a back up role if Ryan Miller decides to hang them up. Overall, this was not a bad loss from the Ducks.

The league will determine if they will proceed with the remainder of the season as the NBA but suspended play indefinitely due to the growing concerns of coronavirus. As of now, the Ducks are scheduled to play the Los Angeles Kings this Saturday, March 14, 2020, at 1 PM.

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March 11th, 2020