Anaheim “Ducked” Over

By Eddie Richard

Pre-game:

The Anaheim Ducks (9-7-0) are seeking to redeem themselves after getting smoked by the Colorado Avalanche 8-2, which was their worst game so far in the early season. The Florida Panthers are playing their second back-to back games, which they lost to the Los Angeles Kings 2-1.

The Ducks announced they recalled Tristan Luneau from his conditioning stunt with the San Diego Gulls. Leo Carlsson is a healthy scratch (eye roll), Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad made their season debuts. John Gibson will be back in net and will face former Ducks player, Anthony Stolarz. Gibson has won his last two starts and Stolarz is looking forward to taking his second start against a California team.

Tonight, the Ducks will host their Hockey Fights Cancer night. I send all my love to any and everyone who has been affected by cancer. I want to give a special prayer and condolences to my best friend Lauren Boardman, who lost her father this week. I also want to send my love to Mike’s father who recently beat cancer and sister-n-law who is battling. You are my brother, your family is mine. Let’s send our prayers to Lauren, Mike’s family and all of you.  F’ cancer.

Game Summary:

The First:

It had an even feel between both teams with each trading off scoring opportunities. The Ducks were more defensively sound this period than they were the whole game against the Avalanche. Their ten blocked shots showed their commitment to providing support for Gibson. Eetu Luostarinen and Oliver Ekman-Larsson would give the Panther the two-goal lead.  Former Duck, Dmitry Kulikov would get the game’s first penalty with an interference call, but the Ducks could not convert with the man advantage.  The Ducks were not able to find their way on the score sheet and took their first penalty from Ryan Strome’s slashing penalty with less than two seconds left in the first.

The Second:

The Panther’s had some Michael’s secret juice (Space Jam reference) and came out firing in the second. The Ducks were able to kill the penalty. The Panther really brought out their efforts by through everything on net. The Ducks continued their defensive support and were credited with 20 blocked shots in that period. Ilya Lyubushkin (Quack/cross-checking) and Kevin Stenlund (Purr/interference) trading penalties from their respective teams, but each were killed.

The third:

Someone threw fire on the gas or gas on the fire for the third. Tempers started when Jackson LaCombe took a tripping call against Captain Aleksander Barkov. LC was first assessed as a major penalty. That was made so they can review the call. Ultimately, it was ruled a minor penalty for tripping. The first controversial call came against Mason McTavish. He was assessed a “roughing” call after being accosted by Anton Lundell.

Ducks killed that off. Aaron Ekblad got a tripping penalty and the Ducks finally got on the board. Frank Vatrano got to a puck in the slot and scored after Stolarz made an intial stop. The big controversy then came when the Ducks appeared to tie the game up. Jakob Silfverberg made a wrap around attempt, which at first was called no goal. The play was reviewed and the War Room in Toronto determined there wasn’t enough conclusive evidence to say the puck crossed the line.

Here are a few photos of the play. First an overhead shot zoomed in.

Here is a zoomed in shot from the front of the net.

Here is a link to a video of the play.

https://x.com/DucksNPucks/status/1725748624469188672?s=20

Let there be light? The Ducks were completely dominate in the third. They outshot the the Panthers, 16-6. Despite the them being ‘Ducked over” they continued to fight and make the Panthers and the refs earn the win. There is nothing else to discuss, but the trending topic.

Final Score:

Ducks lost 2-2, ask the official Anaheim Ducks social media team. 

The good, the bad and ugly…….fugly:

The good; Pavel Mintyukov. He played approximately 19 minutes. He had one shot on goal and three blocks. His back and forecheck made him stand out. He broke up numerous plays and played one of his best defensive games of this season.

The bad: The Ducks were credited with 29 blocked shots. They must find a way to put more pressure on the opponent’s rush.

The ugly: The refs. They seem so unconfident and do not know how to properly call a game. They could not make a decision when they are at ice level.

The fugly: Toronto. The situation room is obviously smoking some kind of illegal narcotic to not see what the hockey world saw. Fine me for my truthful comments too.

Analysis:

The Ducks did have a decline in the second period. However, they were even in the first and absolutely dominated in the third. The fight in this team is something else. Passion, determination, and doubt are fueling this team. The fire and the passion of this team is something we have not seen in a long time. This was a disappointing loss, but this kind of crap is going to fire up our boys. This has the fans fired up too. This Ducks team is dangerous and will keep making a splash.

Lastly, for fans: “Fuck times 44!” Thank you, @Ducksfan2318.

Next Game:

The Ducks will host the season the St. Louis Blues on Sunday November 19^th, 2023, at 5:00PM

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November 17th, 2023