VIDEO: Ducks Rally Past Sharks

Photo: AP

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks finished their abbreviated road trip in San Jose against the Sharks. Derek Grant was out with an upper-body injury and the Ducks went with a 11 forward/7 defensemen lineup. Anthony Stolarz was in net against James Reimer.

Recap

Sharks scored first in this one as Kevin Labanc would beat Gibson just about four minutes in.

About one minute later and Nathan Beaulieu and Jonah Gadjovich would drop the gloves.

The Ducks tied up the game on Brett Leason‘s first goal of the season at about the 12 minute mark. John Klingberg found him next to the net for the score. Anaheim added one more goal at the end of the period as Trevor Zegras found Max Comtois, who buried the pass into the back of the net. Ducks were outshot 21 to 4, but held a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes of play.

Sharks started the second period on the play as Kevin Shattenkirk was called for hooking in the final seconds of the opening period. San Jose did not score with the man advantage, but Timo Meier would later score to tie the game almost halfway through the period.

The Sharks would score on another power play in the period, but Anaheim challenged the play for being offside. After a lengthly review, the officials determined the play was onside and as a result the goal counted. The Ducks then had to go shorthanded as a result, but they were able to kill off the penalty. The Sharks held a 3-2 advantage after two periods.

Tempers flared in the beginning of the third period as Dadjovich slashed Stolarz in the chest and Benoit came to his side. The end result was 4-on-4 hockey for two minutes.

With just over 10 minutes to go in the game, Tomas Hertl scored to make it a 4-2 Sharks lead. San Jose was also awarded a power play with just about six minutes to go. Things didn’t look good for the Ducks, but Mason McTavish jumped out of the penalty box and scored five hole on a breakaway to make it a one goal game.

In the final two minutes, the Ducks pulled Stolarz for the extra attacked and Adam Henrique would score to tie the game. He got to a loose puck in front of the net and scored before Reimer could cover it up. Bonus hockey would be needed to decide a winner.

Overtime & Shootout

During the overtime, the Ducks had a few chances to win the game, but had to settle for a shootout against the Sharks. Zegras and McTavish scored for Anaheim through three rounds and Labanc and Nick Bonino scored for San Jose. The shootout would go to the fifth round and Henrique would win it with a nice backhand shot.

Analysis

If you like bonus hockey and comebacks, then this was the game to watch. The Ducks were able to rally down by two goals in the third period against San Jose and win despite a rough performance. The Ducks didn’t have a shot on goal until about the 9 minute mark into this game. They were outshot in the game overall 52 to 25. Anaheim was also called for 5 penalties and killed them off except for one. This was all reflected in the puck possession numbers, which was a poor 36.26 CF% and 36.62 FF% for Anaheim during 5-on-5 play.

Despite being outplayed during of much of the even strength play, the Ducks found a way to force overtime to earn at least a point. And the fact they were able to earn the second point in the shootout is amazing. Stolarz was a big reason for the Ducks win as made a career high 48 saves in this game to keep the Ducks in striking distance late in the game. Obviously the Ducks can’t keep playing this way, but they have been fun to watch as of late.

What’s Next?

The Ducks host the Florida Panthers tonight at 6 PM.

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November 6th, 2022