Lukas Dostal’s stellar goaltending and a relentless defensive lockdown propelled Anaheim to a crucial road victory, overcoming a cold power play to neutralize the Golden Knights' offense.
Desperate to even their second-round series before it transitions to Orange County, the Anaheim Ducks took on the Vegas Golden Knights for Game 2 of their series on Wednesday night in Las Vegas.
Vegas took a 1-0 series lead on Monday, winning 3-1 despite Anaheim being the better of the teams from an analytical or eyetest perspective.
A controversial call on Vegas’ eventual game-winner and stellar performance from Carter Hart, combined with a lack of critical execution from the Ducks, put Anaheim down a game for the second series in a row.
When it seemed like everything was status quo for the Ducks, Quenneville pulled a bit of a fast one just prior to puck drop. After morning skate and line rushes didn’t reveal anything different from how they lined up for Game 1, Mason McTavish and Ian Moore were scratched in favor of Ross Johnston and Jansen Harkins.
Here’s how the Ducks lined up to start this one:
Kreider-Carlsson-Terry
Killorn-Granlund-Gauthier
Viel-Poehling-Sennecke
Johnston-Washe-Harkins
LaCombe-Trouba
Mintyukov-Carlson
Hinds-Helleson
Lukas Dostal got the start in Anaheim’s crease and stopped 21 of 22 shots. In Vegas’ net, Carter Hart got the start and saved 25 of 27.
Game Notes
This may have been the Ducks’ best defensive game in a decade. They were pressuring in every zone, and locked down the area of the ice that had plagued them for as long as memory will serve: the net front.
The Ducks had potentially shot themselves in the foot early, doing well to draw seven straight minutes of power play time, with one being at 5v3, and couldn’t find a way to convert. However, at 5v5, they stacked offensive zone cycles together and were able to capitalize on the few defensive lapses they were able to manufacture from Vegas in this game.
“I think we did a good job defending. I think we did a good job doubling when we had the opportunity,” Jacob Trouba said after the game. “They’re a team that sustains a lot of O-zone time and can create a lot of chances. They definitely got a couple, and Dosty was big when they got them.”
Power Play-Vegas had an elite penalty kill in the regular season, and they’re displaying why in this series. The Ducks are now 0-9 through two games and only had six shots in five opportunities in this game. Vegas’ penalty kill is both active and contained, and every layer is adept at blocking or disrupting shots. They seem impenetrable at this point in time.
The Ducks found some things that seemed to work to an extent, like Granlund finding seams from his spot on the right flank to Carlsson on the left flank, as well as Carlson funneling pucks to the crease where Kreider was parked through Vegas’ diamond. That kill will be a tough nut for Ducks assistant coach Jay Woodcroft to crack.
Cycle-The Ducks attempted a few wrinkles on their forecheck and cycle in an effort to disrupt Hart’s rhythm and eliminate his vision. They began sending F3s to the blueline to draw all forwards from the low slot to make the low forwards’ job easier, getting to the net or getting first to pucks.
Leo Carlsson-This was a game, of which we’ve seen many of this playoff season, where Carlsson took control and refused to let his team lose. He was astute in every zone, breaking up rush attacks and cycles. He read plays away from the puck perfectly to put himself in positions to receive passes at full speed. The game seemed to slow down for him, as he was able to make connecting passes, anticipate defenders’ movements, and make critical plays at critical times.
Lukas Dostal-Dostal has strung together several stellar games in the Ducks’ crease, with this being his crown jewel to date. The team in front of him hasn’t been as mistake-prone, and the shots he’s seeing are coming off of more predictable sequences. With his positioning ability and his knowledge of angles, Dostal cut down on his rebound rate and gave shooters very little net to shoot for.
The Ducks will look to take a 2-1 lead in this series when it continues on Friday night at Honda Center.