Ducks Can’t Rally After Slow Start

Photo: AP

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks continued their homestand against the Minnesota Wild. Lukas Dostal was in net against Filip Gustavsson. John Gibson was activated off the IR and was the backup for this contest.

Recap

The Wild scored first a little over seven minutes into this contest. Jake Middleton scored on a one timer from the slot. Marcus Foligno then make it 2-0 less than two minutes later while on a 2-on-1 break. A few minutes later, the Wild were on a delayed penalty and Kirill Kaprizov scored on a wrist shot from the right circle. The Ducks suddenly found themselves down 3-0 in the span of about five minutes.

At the beginning of the second period, Trevor Zegras had a great scoring chance in the slot negated as he was hooked. He was awarded a penalty shot, which he beat Gustavsson on, but his shot went high over the net.

Both team had power play chances in the second period, but neither team scored. The Wild still held a 3-0 lead after two periods.

Robby Fabbri finally broke through for the Ducks with a wrist shot from the right circle in the opening minutes of the third period. The Ducks then had three power play chances, including a double-minor high-sticking on Zach Bogosian. Anaheim couldn’t cash in with the man advantage.

With less than six minutes to go, the Ducks turned over the puck behind their net and Marco Rossi ended up scoring as a result. Kaprizov added another goal on the power play with just over two minutes to go.

Mason McTavish scored on a deflection with about 13 seconds and Anaheim ended up dropping with one by a 5-2 final score.

Analysis

The Ducks had a rough start in this one giving up three goals in the opening period, but they did have some opportunities to get back in this contest. Zegras was awarded a penalty shot in the early minutes of the second period, but his shot went high over the net. Fabbri finally got the Ducks on the board to start the third and the Ducks then had three power play chances to try to pull within one goal, but couldn’t convert.

Special teams was a problem again for Anaheim. The Ducks went 0-for-6 with the man advantage. They were only penalized twice in this contest, but the Wild scored once in those two attempts. Faceoffs also continue to be a problem for the Ducks, who only won 41.7% of their draws. Anaheim is last in the league in winning face-offs.

In terms of even strength play, the Ducks did have more shot attempts 60 to 47 than the Wild. The Ducks had 35 shots on goal to 31 for the Wild. Anaheim posted a 56.07% CF and a 58.67% FF. Overall the Ducks were the better team at even strength, but that span of five minutes in the first period where the Wild scored three times did them in.

Team News/Notes:

Fabbri scored his 100 NHL goal.

Troy Terry took a high stick in the middle of the third period and did not return.

What’s Next?

The Ducks host the Columbus Blue Jackets 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!

November 9th, 2024