VIDEO: Ducks Can’t Stop Rolling Leafs

Photo: Jae Hong/AP

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. John Gibson was back in net against Jack Campbell.

Ryan Getzlaf was honored before the game for earning his 1000th career NHL point.

Recap

Trevor Zegras stole the puck early in the game and had a chance to score, but didn’t convert. The Ducks and Maple Leafs generated some good chances, but there was no scoring in the opening period.

Toronto opened the scoring in the second period. Auston Matthews tipped a puck past Gibson for the early 1-0 lead. A few minutes later Michael Bunting scored on a 2-on-1 to give Toronto a 2-0 lead. The Ducks made a small push at the end of the period, but were still held off the board.

Getzlaf gave away the puck to start third period and Leafs made the Ducks pay for the mistake. Alexander Kerfoot would score to make it a 3-0 lead.

The Ducks then made a big push. Hampus Lindholm would get to a loose puck in the crease and shot it low past Campbell. Anaheim continued to attack and had Toronto on their heels. Eventually the Ducks would pull Gibson for the extra attacker.

The Leafs would score an empty net goal by William Nylander to put this game out of reach. Wayne Simmonds would add another to make it a 5-1 final.

Analysis:

The Ducks had a decent start to this game and had chances to take the lead multiple times early in this contest. Anaheim outshot Toronto 14-10 and held a 0.76 to 0.63 expected goals advantage per Natural Stat Trick in the first period.

In the second period the Leafs were able to control the play and put two up on the board. The Ducks had a power play opportunity but couldn’t convert. Anaheim also made a small push in the final minutes of the period and appeared to have some momentum starting the third. Unfortunately, a quick goal by Toronto took the wind out of Anaheim’s sails.

The Ducks were able to finally score and made another push for a good portion of the third period. Anaheim was able to put up 20 shots in the third period, but could only hit the back of the net once.

Despite the final score, the Ducks played decent for some stretches of this game. Anaheim won the face-off battle 62% to 38% and outshot Toronto 40-31. The line of Sonny Milano, Trevor Zegras, and Rickard Rakell was able to generate 20 shot attempts while playing 5-on-5. Zegras had a team high of 8 shots on goal. They didn’t score, but they did generate three dangerous scoring chances and nearly broke through in the beginning of this contest.

The Ducks did not play a complete game especially in the second period. However, if not for turnovers and some poor line changes in the second period, this could have been a closer game on the score board. The Ducks are going through growing pains, but are still playing better than last season.

What’s Next?

The Ducks will travel to LA to face the Kings on Tuesday night at 7:30 PM PT.

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November 29th, 2021