Ducks Take Down Canucks

Photo: AP

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks returned home to play the Vancouver Canucks. Lukas Dostal was in net against Arturs Silovs.

Recap:

The Ducks went on the power play just over one minute into this contest. Anaheim couldn’t score and Tyler Myers jumped out of the penalty box and into the rush as the penalty expired and he scored to put the Canucks up 1-0.

Vancouver struck again with about three minutes to go in the period. Pius Suter scored to make it a 2-0 at the end of the opening period.

Anaheim responded with a pair of goals in the first half of the second period to tie the game up. Ryan Strome found Frank Vatrano at the left face-off circle and he one-timed the pass behind Silovs. A few minutes later Cutter Gauthier came streaking down the left wing and he took a wrist shot that beat Silovs glove side to tie the game.

The Ducks would take the lead when Ryan Strome scored with less than two minutes to go in the middle frame. Strome took a shot in the slot and beat Silovs low. Anaheim held a 3-2 lead after two periods.

The score remained the same until late in the third period. Jackson LaCombe would score in the slot with a wrist shot that beat Silovs over the shoulder with less than five minutes to go.

Vancouver would pull their goalie for the extra attacker and Troy Terry scored in the empty net. Anaheim won 5-2.

Analysis:

The Ducks got down early and eventually found themselves down by two at the end of the first period. Anaheim then came out flying in the second scoring three times to take the lead. They then added two more goals later in the third. This was a huge win for Anaheim as they are chasing the Canucks for the final wild card playoff spot in the Western Conference.

After having one their worst even strength games against Buffalo, Anaheim responded with a better overall performance. Despite the slow start, the Ducks posted a CF% of 51.72% and a FF% of 48.39% at even strength. Anaheim had a slight edge in shot attempts with 45 to 42 for Vancouver. Special teams wasn’t a factor in this game as both teams had two power plays and did not score.

Anaheim is 1-1-0 without Trevor Zegras. It would be great to see the Ducks earn another victory against Chicago on Saturday and win two out of three contests without Zegras. The Ducks got balanced scoring with goals from five different players. They are going to need to continue that trend if that want to make a strong push for the playoffs.

Team Notes/Stats:

John Gibson skated at practice before the game, but he wasn’t quite ready to return.

Anaheim had four multi-goal comebacks this season at homes with is tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for the league lead.

LaCombe currently has a four game point streak with one goal and four assists.

Terry also has a four game point streak with one goal and five assists.

Dostal has gone 6-1-1 in last eight appearances.

Anaheim is 23-0-3 when scoring three or more goals this season.

The Ducks are currently six points out of a playoff spot.

What’s Next?

The Ducks host the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday at 7 PM.

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February 28th, 2025