Ducks Earn A Point Against The Flames

Photo: NHL

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks hosted the Calgary Flames on Angels Nights at the Pond. John Gibson was in net against Dustin Wolf. Troy Terry did not play as his wife is expecting the birth of their child. Ross Johnston drew into the lineup as a result.

Recap:

The Flames got a power play in the opening minutes of this contest when Johnston was called for high-sticking. The Ducks were able to kill off the penalty. Anaheim got their own power play just past the halfway point of the first period, but they couldn’t convert.

Calgary got the first goal of the game with just under a minute left in the opening frame. Blake Coleman redirected a wrist shot by Joel Hanley that hit MacKenzie Weegar before going into the net. Flames lead 1-0 after the first period.

Early in the second period Drew Helleson collided with Connor Zary in a knee-on-knee collision. Zary went down in a heap and had to be escorted off the ice. The play was reviewed and a major penalty for kneeing and a game misconduct was called against Helleson. Jakob Pelletier was called for roughing.

The teams played 4-on-4 hockey for two minutes and Alex Killorn would score as the penalty for Pelletier expired. Killorn brought the puck in the slot and he would wrist the puck over Wolf’s shoulder for the goal.

The Flames then had three minutes left from the major penalty, but the Ducks were able to kill off the penalty.

Calgary did score later in the period to take a 2-1 lead. Nazem Kadri redirected a pass from Weegar past Gibson for the score. Flames lead 2-1 after two periods.

Jake Bean was called for hooking just over six minutes in the third and the Ducks converted on the power play. Cutter Gauthier took a shot from the point and Mason McTavish redirected the puck downward past Wolf. There would be no more scoring in regulation and bonus hockey would be needed to determine a winner.

In the extra session, Jackson LaCombe nearly ended the game on a breakaway, but was hooked on the play, which wasn’t called. Shortly after Pavel Mintyukov was called for interference and the Flames would score on the power play to win.

It was a strange ending as Jacob Trouba tried to clear the puck behind the net, but it bounced off the boards and right into the crease. Jonathan Huberdeau was in position for the easy tap in goal. Ducks lost 3-2 in overtime.

Analysis:

The Ducks were down by one goal on two separate occasions in this contest and fought back to tie the game each time. Anaheim ended up losing in overtime with some controversy. LaCombe had a breakaway chance and was hooked, but the officials decided not to call a penalty. On the next sequence they did decide to call a questionable interference penalty on Pavel Mintyukov. The Flames scored on the power play off an awkward bounce leaving a sour taste in the Anaheim faithful.

It was certainty a rough way to lose a game and probably one of the strangest plays I can remember in Ducks history. Anaheim played a competitive game coming back from behind twice and nearly winning this contest. The absence of Terry didn’t help especially in the cases of Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano, who the three together have been the Ducks best line especially as of late.

Special teams play was fairly even with each team scoring on the power play. The Ducks have really struggled on the power play and only scored their 5th power play since the beginning of December. In terms of even strength, Calgary put up 59 shot attempts to 45 for Anaheim. The Ducks posted a CF% of 43.27% and FF% of 42.5%. Calgary had the better scoring chances with a xGF% of 61.2% and they had 11 high dangerous attempts to 6 for Anaheim.

Team Notes/Stats:

The Ducks scored on the power play and are now 5-for-48 without Trevor Zegras.

Mintyukov became the third-fastest defenseman (95 Games)  in Ducks history to record 30 NHL assists. Cam Fowler achieved the feat in 74 games and Sami Vatanen did it in 87 games.

Alex Killorn scored his 224th goal which is eighth most among players from the 2007 NHL draft.

The Flames have won 9 straight games on the road against the Ducks.

What’s Next?

The Ducks hit the road and play St. Louis Thursday at 5 PM.

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!

January 8th, 2025