Ducks Can’t Slow Down The Predators
By Michael Walters
The Anaheim Ducks squared off against the Nashville Predators in their last game of the 2022 year. John Gibson was in net against Juuse Saros.
Recap
The Predators struck first in this contest. After a failed clearing attempt, Colton Sissons got the puck in close range and beat Gibson over the shoulder glove side.
Brett Leason nearly tied the game up with just over six minutes left in the period. He beat Saros, but the puck rang off the crossbar and stayed out.
The Ducks tied up the game early in the second period. Urho Vaakanainen took a point shot that hit the back of Sam Carrick and deflected into the net.
Nashville would regain the lead off a face-off almost halfway through the period. Trenin got to a rebound and was able to flip the puck over Gibson to make it a 2-1 lead for the Predators.
Forsberg made it a 3-1 lead off a rebound from a Sissons shot. Gibson blocked the initial shot and then Troy Terry tried to clear the puck out of the crease with no luck. Forsberg was able to get a stick on the bouncing puck for the score.
The Ducks were awarded a power play late in the middle frame, but they couldn’t convert. They were down 3-1 at the end of two periods.
The Predators extended their lead halfway through the third period. The Ducks turned over the puck behind their net and Cole Smith found Thomas Novak in the slot. He beat Gibson high to make it a 4-1 game.
Late in the game Adam Henrique was called for a penalty. Roman Josi scored on a point shot where Gibson was screened during the power play. The Predators added one more goal in the final seconds of the game and won by a 6-1 final.
Analysis:
The Ducks got down early in this one, but then were able to tie it up in the beginning of the second period. The Predators then responded with two goals of their own in the middle frame. The Ducks had trouble clearing rebounds and it cost them twice in the second period. Anaheim had a solid start to the third period and created several good scoring chances, but couldn’t get one past Saros.
Anaheim gave up 40+ shots on goal against and had 27 of their own. The Ducks turned over the puck 15 times. This was a quick game with not that many whistles. Both teams had a power play with Nashville cashing in on their lone chance. Nashville owned the 5-on-5 play with a 58.46% CF and 56.73% FF. Ultimately the Ducks weren’t able to create many quality scoring chances or cash in on the ones they had. Anaheim also was too inconsistent with their play overall to expect a win in this one.
What’s Next?
The Ducks will host the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday at 7 PM PT.
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December 30th, 2022