Ducks Come Back To Beat Red Wings

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks closed out their homestand against the Detroit Red Wings. John Gibson was in net against Alex Lyon. Earlier in the day Robby Fabbri underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and is expected to be out 6-8 weeks.

Recap

The Ducks jumped out to an early 1-0 in the opening moments of this contest. Olen Zellweger took a point shot that made it’s way through traffic and to the back of the net to give Anaheim the early lead.

About six minutes later Detroit would tie the game up on the power play. Marco Kasper beat Gibson on his stick side from the slot. The Ducks would then get called for back-to-back penalties late in the first period. The Red Wings would capitalize as Jonatan Berggren scored from in close during the 5-on-3 power play. Detroit held a 2-1 advantage at the end of the first period.

The Red Wings then extended their lead to 3-1 early in the second period. The Ducks turned over the puck and Lucas Raymond scored on the impeding rush beating Gibson low.

The Ducks pulled back to within one late in the period on a power play goal by Trevor Zegras. He was in close to the net and lifted the puck over the shoulder of Lyon for the score. Anaheim was down 3-2 heading into the third period.

Anaheim would then pull even early in the third period, again on the power play. Troy Terry scored on a wrist shot from the left circle that beat Lyon high.

Halfway through the period, Cutter Gauthier scored beating Lyon down low. Cutter’s first NHL goal gave Anaheim a 4-3 lead. Less than a minute later Ross Johnston would score on a redirect and suddenly Anaheim was up 5-3.

Alex DeBrincat would score on the power play with just under four minutes to go to make it a one goal game again.

Detroit pulled their goalie for the extra attacker in the final minutes and Ryan Strome scored in the empty net to secure the victory. Anaheim won by a 6-4 final score.

Analysis

This was an extremely entertaining game to watch, especially in person. The Ducks got off to a great start, but then saw themselves get into penalty trouble giving Detroit the momentum. Down 3-1 in the second period, Zegras scored on the power play, which put a big jump in the step for Anaheim. The Ducks applied all kinds of pressure to finish off the middle frame. The momentum carried over to final period as they tied the game up and then got two quick goals in a minute.

There were numerous feel good moments in this game. Gauthier finally getting his first NHL goal was a relief to him and the Anaheim faithful. The ketchup bottle is now open and flowing for him.

Zellweger continues to impress this season. He is playing well in all areas of the rink and in all situations. He has excelled as the quarterback on the power play and factored in both power play goals tonight. Anaheim went 2-for-4 with the man advantage.

Zegras’ power play goal in the second period really gave the team life. It was only his second goal of the season, but he has been playing well in many other areas. He has been moving the puck well, creating chances for his teammates, and has been more responsible defensively. He also laid a big hit on Jeff Petry.

Special teams again was a big factor in this game. It was great to see the Ducks getting the power play going more lately, but they also did give up three power play goals against in four chances for Detroit. It didn’t cost Anaheim in this game, but they definitely need to be better on the penalty kill.

On our last podcast, we discussed the rough start for Anaheim, but also how there have been some bright spots this season. Bookmark this game as a glimpse of the future of this team, which we hopefully will see more of on a nightly basis.

Team Notes/Stats:

The Ducks won their first multi-goal comeback game of the season scoring a season high six goals. Anaheim had 13 different players record a point in this contest. That is the most since 14 players recorded a point against Vancouver on February 19th, 2022.

Cutter Gauthier scored his first NHL goal, which was set up by two fellow Boston College alumni, Drew Helleson and Brian Dumoulin. Ross Johnston scored just 38 seconds later, which was the first time since April 18, 2024 that the Ducks have scored two goals in less than a minute. Frank Vatrano and Jackson LaCombe scored just 29 seconds part against Vegas back in April.

Olen Zellweger scored a goal and had two assists. It was his second career three-point game.

Leo Carlsson recorded his seventh multi-point game with two assists. Cam Fowler had nine when he was a teenager for Anaheim and Mason McTavish had eight. Carlsson has 38 career points passing Jamie Drysdale for the second-most by a teenager in franchise history. Cam Fowler still hold the record with 53 points.

John Gibson is 2-0-0 on the season with a GAA of 3.01 and a SV% of .908.

Cam Fowler has missed the last couple of games with an upper-body injury and is expected to be out 2-4 weeks.

What’s Next?

The Ducks travel to Dallas to take on the Stars Monday at 5 PM.

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November 16th, 2024