Ducks Earn A Point In Colorado

Photo: AP

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks flew out to Colorado for a one game road trip against the Avs. Lukas Dostal was in net against Alexandar Georgiev. Anaheim would be without Frank Vatrano since his wife and him are expecting the birth of their child. Anaheim was also without the services of Isac Lundestrom (upper body) who is listed as day-to-day after a hit to the head he took on Wednesday night. Jansen Harkins was recalled from San Diego and drew in this contest as a result. Ross Johnston also played making his season debut.

Recap

The Ducks scored the first goal just over six minutes into this contest. Brian Dumoulin took a shot from the point which found its way to Georgiev, but wasn’t covered up. Leo Carlsson crashed the net and poked the puck in for the score.

Anaheim would then make it 2-0 towards the end of the period with a fortunate break. The puck hit the netting in Colorado’s defensive zone, but the refs didn’t notice and the teams played on. Samuel Girard got the puck and threw it out into the neutral zone. Dumoulin brought the puck into zone and took a shot which was blocked. Ryan Strome went to the front of the net and scored off the rebound. Ducks held a 2-0 advantage after the first period.

Colorado got on the board early in the second period. Anaheim did a poor line change which resulted in only four players on the ice. As a result, Casey Mittelstadt had a breakaway and scored on a backhand shot. With less than two minutes to go in the period, the Ducks got their first power play of the night. It only lasted 23 seconds however as Olen Zellweger was called for holding. Anaheim was then called for too many men on ice with 20 second to go and finished the period on the penalty kill.

The Avs would tie the game just 35 seconds into the third period while still on the power play. Ross Colton scored on a one-timer from the slot. Colton would strike again just over halfway through the period with another one-timer to make it a 3-2 advantage in favor of Colorado.

It looked like Colorado would earn a regulation win, but Anaheim pushed back in the final minutes. Miles Wood was called for slashing with just over five minutes to go. The Ducks didn’t convert, but then got awarded another power play when Cale Makar was called for tripping. Anaheim pulled Dostal and put all kinds of pressure on Colorado. Troy Terry would score on a wrist shot with 12.6 seconds to go in the game forcing OT.

In the extra session, Dostal made a couple of spectacular saves and it looked like the game would head to a shootout. Nathan MacKinnon had other plans, however, as he took a quick wrist shot beating Dostal to give the Avs the victory. Dostal got a piece of the shot, but not enough as it trickled past the goal line.

Analysis:

The Ducks were able to weather an early avalanche of chances by Colorado and answered with a goal. Anaheim also had a rare break go their way on their second goal. The puck was played into the netting, but the play continued as the refs missed the call and Anaheim scored.

The play could not be reviewed per NHL Rule 38.10, which states, “Goals will only be reviewed for a potential ‘Missed Game Stoppage Event in the Offensive Zone’ if the puck does not come out of the attacking zone again between the time of the ‘Missed Game Stoppage Event in the Offensive Zone’ and the time the goal is scored.” The goal was not reviewable since the puck came out of the zone before the Ducks brought it back in and scored.

Despite the early 2-0 lead and missed call, it was all Avs in the second and most of the third period. Colorado outshot Anaheim 26 to 11 in those periods and outscored the Ducks 3-0 until the dying seconds of the game. A couple of late penalties gave Anaheim life and despite not scoring on the power plays, they converted shortly after with an empty net to force overtime. Colorado won in OT, but Anaheim did earn a point.

This was an extremely rough game for Anaheim during 5-on-5 play. The Ducks only posted a CF% of 31.86% and FF% of 33.33%. Colorado out shot them 77 to 36 during even strength play and 99 to 59 in all situations. A couple of poor line changes didn’t help the Ducks cause either as they led to two goals for Colorado. A poor line change early in the second period led to a breakaway goal for Colorado. A second poor line change at the end of the middle frame resulted in a penalty and a power play goal to start the third for the Avs. Ducks might have been able to pull off a regulation win without those sloppy line changes.

Despite being out played for most of the game, the Ducks didn’t give up and were able to score in the dying seconds. They showed heart earning a point when they could have easily lost in regulation. This game did remind me of the 23-24′ Ducks where they would give up 40+ shots on goal and try to rely on their goalie to stand on his head. The difference this time though was they kept fighting and were able to scratch out a point where in the past this would have just been another regulation loss.

What’s Next?

The Ducks host the Kings on Sunday at 5PM.

Support us by becoming a DucksNPucks patron! Members can win game tickets, Ducks gear, and more!

Want to start your sports media career? Then Join The Puck Network!

DucksNPucks is part of The Puck Network, which covers the entire NHL. There are openings to cover your favorite team(s) and earn school credits! If you are interested, then apply by filling out the form here: Join Our Team. What are you waiting for? Start your sports media career TODAY!

October 19th, 2024