Ducks Sink The Kraken

Photo: AP

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks hit the road for a quick trip to Seattle. John Gibson was in net against Joey Daccord. Leo Carlsson did not make the trip and is listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury.

Recap

The Ducks took the early lead with a goal by Frank Vatrano. He got to a rebound and did a spin-o-rama move to score the opening goal. Anaheim then added another goal when Brett Leason beat Daccord and the puck trickled past him into the net.

The Kraken would get one back late in the period. On a broken play, Eeli Tolvanen would get the puck in the slot and beat Gibson with a wrist shot. The Ducks held a 2-1 lead after the first 20 minutes.

Seattle got a power play to start the middle frame and didn’t score, but they did tie the game just before the halfway point of the period. After a turnover Oliver Bjorkstrand got the puck in the slot and beat Gibson.

Anaheim would answer about a minute later. Trevor Zegras would get to a loose puck in the corner and find Alex Killorn in front for the score.

The Ducks would extend their lead late in the period on the power play. Cutter Gauthier would score with a wrist shot through a screen that beat Daccord high. The Ducks also got a power play late in the period, but couldn’t convert. Anaheim led 4-2 after two periods.

Anaheim got another power play early in the third period, but again didn’t cash in. Seattle went on the man advantage halfway through the period, but also could not score. Zegras would then make it a 5-2 game with just over six minutes to go. Killorn took a shot from the slot and that deflected up in the air. Zegras grabbed the puck out of the air, put it down at his skates and then scored from the side of the net.

With exactly five minutes to go some chaos ensued in front of the Anaheim net. After a shot attempt was covered by Gibson, Ross Johnston and Tye Kartye went at it pushing each other. Jansen Harkins checked Kartye from behind and he went down to the ice.

Johnston threw a few punches while Kartye was down on the ice and he was ejected from the game as a result. Seattle went on the power play for four minutes as Johnston also got a double minor roughing. Seattle pulled their goalie for a 6-on-4 power play. Anaheim was defending the rest of the way and were able to keep Seattle off the board. The Ducks went on to win 5-2.

Analysis

The Ducks came out on a mission in the opening period of this contest flying all over the ice. They were throwing hits, shooting the puck, and built a 2-0 lead over halfway through the first period. The Kraken did respond with a goal late in the first period and then another in the second to tie the game just before the halfway point.

The Ducks did respond with two goals of their own before the second period was over. Gauthier scored a key goal on the power play in the final minute of the period to give Anaheim back their two goal lead. Zegras then put the game out of reach with about six minutes to go.

Anaheim put up 55 shot attempts to 54 for Seattle during even strength play. The teams were also almost even in puck possession at even strength play. The Ducks posted a CF of 49.54% and a FF of 46.99%. Overall, in all situations, the Kraken did put up 84 shot attempts to 65 for Anaheim, but that was largely due to the fact the Ducks were defending for the last five minutes of the contest. The Kraken had 21 shot attempts while on the power play in the third period alone.

The Ducks played well for most of the game until the last five minutes. The teams mixed it up after the whistle with Harkins checking Kartye, who went down to the ice trying to win an Academy Award. Johnston got a little overzealous throwing punches at Kartye who was down on the ice imitating a turtle. Johnston got an early trip to the showers as a result and Seattle got a four minute power play after it was all over. The Ducks were stuck defending against a 6-on-4 man advantage for four minutes, but were able to weather the storm and win. Thankfully Anaheim already had a three goal lead before the chaos ensued.

Team Notes/Stats:

The Ducks are 3-0-0 on the road when wearing the orange helmets.

Gibson is undefeated in regulation with a 4-0-1 record.

Leason has 8 points ( 3 G + 5 A) in his last 8 games.

Killorn has 7 points (2 G + 5 A) in his last 7 games.

Zegras has 7 points (3 G + 4 A) in his last 6 games.

Gauthier has 3 goals in his last 6 games.

What’s Next?

The Ducks host the Kings on Friday at 12:30 PM.

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November 28th, 2024