A late lead vanished as crucial mistakes allowed the Sharks' rising star to seize victory, capping a frustrating night for the Ducks.
For the first time in recent memory, the Anaheim Ducks began a meaningful April schedule, as they traveled to Northern California to take on the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday.
The Ducks entered this game a bit more black and blue than desired after losing in overtime to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday in Anaheim. They were looking to snap a two-game winless streak and extend their two-point lead atop the Pacific Division standings.
For the Sharks, this was their most meaningful game to date, as they entered play in control of their own destiny, two points back of a wild card spot, and with two games in hand on the team in that second wild card spot entering Wednesday, the Nashville Predators.
The Ducks would be without their captain, Radko Gudas, who sustained a lower-body injury during last week’s game against the Calgary Flames. Defenseman Pavel Mintyukov missed this game as well with a lower-body injury, the second game he’s missed in the last three with this seemingly nagging ailment.
This was also the Ducks’ first game without leading goalscorer Cutter Gauthier, who sustained an upper-body injury early in Monday’s game against the Leafs. He’s designated as “day-to-day,” but Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville stated he’s “very questionable” to return to action for their upcoming weekend back-to-back on Friday and Saturday.
Ducks prospect Nathan Gaucher (22nd overall in 2022) made his NHL debut in this game, centering the listed fourth line between struggling forwards Mason McTavish and Frank Vatrano.
Here’s how the Ducks lined up in this game:
Kreider-Carlsson-Terry
Killorn-Washe-Granlund
Viel-Poehling-Sennecke
McTavish-Gaucher-Vatrano
LaCombe-Trouba
Moore-Carlson
Zellweger-Helleson
Lukas Dostal got the start between the pipes for the Ducks, and he saved 17 of 21 shots. In the San Jose crease stood Yaroslav Askarov, who stopped 28 of 31.
Game Notes
Due to this game including one of the more encouraging 58 minutes the Ducks have put together this season, it resulted in one of the more disappointing outcomes, as they were on the receiving end of a series of events that saw a late lead evaporate along with two points in the standings.
The Ducks were playing how they’ve wanted to play all season, limiting shots against to the perimeter and limiting total time spent in the defensive zone to “one-and-done” sequences followed by swift, connected breakouts.
Once again, big mistakes at critical times cost the Ducks in this game, mistakes that came at the hands of an opponent they’ll have to manage for the next 10-15-20 years: Macklin Celebrini, who found ways to take over shifts when they mattered most.
“Guy’s a pretty special player. Tonight, he scored a nice goal, and they got another right after,” Quenneville said after the game. “We’ve done that all year, now I know what it feels like, giving up a late lead in the third.
“It was a terrible loss, back-to-back, and it put us in a tougher spot, for sure.”
Defensive Breakdowns: There wasn’t one theme to any of the four goals allowed by Anaheim in this game aside from collapsing a bit too much on the first and fourth goals, with the first coming off a San Jose power play.
However, it’s far too late in the season to be making learning mistakes within the system, and when games are on the line and meaningful. Forwards were reading and playing responsibly in coverage, but further communication or understanding when defending off the puck will go a long way toward eliminating lanes or options when attackers have possession around the goal line.
Drew Helleson: Helleson has been on the short end of playing time of late, both due to his early-season performance and the addition of John Carlson to the blueline. He notched a pair of primary assists in this game, and he proved a quality 200-foot compliment to the hyperactive Zellweger on his left side.
Helleson picked up assignments heading toward his net, made quick and smart breakout decisions, and in the offensive zone, he was calculated and active with his pinches.
Ian Moore: Moore had a roller coaster game, playing mostly on his off side and on a pair with Carlson. At times, he was able to cleanly pull pucks off the wall and calmly formulate excellent breakout sequences. However, in what is typically an area of strength for him, he struggled with his angles, allowing too much room to the outside.
He made an unfortunate turnover on San Jose’s second goal as well, seemingly frantic under pressure, made an ill-conceived outlet attempt to the near wall, and displayed some of the downside that modern defensemen can face playing their offside.
The Ducks will be eager to quickly rebound with a theoretically manageable home back-to-back against the St. Louis Blues on Friday and the Calgary Flames on Saturday.