Ducks Downed 3-1 By Golden Knights

Photo: AP

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks squared off with the Vegas Golden Knights following a 2-0 win on Saturday night in San Jose. Jackson LaCombe was out again due to feeling ill. Urho Vaakanainen drew in as a result. James Reimer was in net against Ilya Samsonov.

Recap

Vegas struck first just over six minutes into the game. Cam Fowler turned the puck over in the corner behind the Anaheim net and Brett Howden scored on a rebound to make it 1-0. Anaheim would then answer back a few minutes later. After a turnover at the Ducks blue line, Troy Terry would get a breakaway and score to tie things up at one apiece. The teams remained tied 1-1 at the end of the first period.

Trevor Zegras got a breakaway early in the second period, but he was denied by Samsonov. The Golden Knights then went on the power play and appeared to score, but the puck was hit with a high stick so the goal was waved off. Towards the end of the period, Vegas had another power play and both teams nearly scored. Mark Stone got the puck at the side of the net and tried to roof a shot over Reimer, but he flashed the glove for the save. The Ducks had a counter rush, but Ryan Strome‘s chance went off the crossbar. The teams remained tied heading to the third period.

The Golden Knights took a 2-1 lead early in the third period on the power play. Tomas Hertl was able to score in close at the side of the net on a pass from Stone. Isac Lundestrom broke his stick while trying to kill the penalty, which made didn’t help Anaheim’s cause. The Ducks had a power play chance, but couldn’t convert. Pavel Dorofeyev then beat Reimer over the shoulder to make it 3-1 with just under six minutes to go. The Ducks tried to pull Reimer with just over two minutes to go, but Anaheim was called for a penalty, which essentially ended any comeback attempt. Ducks lost by a 3-1 final.

Analysis:

The Ducks got off to a faster start in this one as compared to the season opener. The Golden Knights struck first, but the Ducks quickly responded with a goal. Anaheim nearly scored again in the first period, but rung a shot off the post. They outshot Vegas 10-6 in the opening frame.

In the second period, Vegas controlled most of the play posting a CF% of 63.89% and FF% of 68.97% at even strength. Vegas had 18 shots on goal to just five for Anaheim. They appeared to take the lead on a power play, but the goal was called back for being hit with a high stick. The Ducks were able keep the game tied despite being outplayed in the middle frame. In the third period, despite a big push by the Ducks, the Golden Knights scored on the power play and again at even strength to pull away with this one.

Turnovers proven costly in this contest as they led directly to two goals for Vegas. Special teams were also a factor in this one. The Ducks went 0-for-1 on the power play. The Golden Knights converted once in four attempts with the extra man. Anaheim has yet to score with the extra man. The Ducks were the slightly better team at even strength in terms of puck possession, putting up 58 shot attempts to 49 for Vegas. Anaheim has been effective in blocking shots as they stopped 15 in this contest. Overall, good road performance, but they just came up short.

Team Notes/Stats:

Robby Fabbri played in his 400 NHL game.

What’s Next?

The Ducks will play their home opener on Wednesday at 7 PM against Utah.

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October 13th, 2024