Takeaways from the Ducks 4-3 OT Loss to the Avalanche
Detailed notes on Friday's game between the Anaheim Ducks and Colorado Avalanche.
Takeaways from the Ducks 4-3 OT Loss to the AvalancheFollowing an emotional victory in their home opener on Wednesday, the Ducks traveled to Denver to take on the Avalanche for a brief one-game road trip.
The Avs entered play in this game winless with a 0-4-0 record and their goaltending combining for a .796 SV% and -11.33 GSAx.
Frank Vatrano and Isac Lundestrom were out of the Ducks lineup in this game. Vatrano stayed in Southern California for the birth of his family's second child. Lundestrom is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
On the opposite side of the ice, the Avs have been decimated by injury and were without Drouin and Toews in this game, along with Landeskog, Nichushkin, Lehkonen, Poolman, and Kahkonen, who are all on IR or LTIR.
Alexandar Georgiev got the nod in this game for the Avs and stopped 17 of 20 shots.
Lukas Dostal was between the pipes for the Ducks. He stopped 45 of 49 shots, including eight of nine on the penalty kill and four of five in overtime.
"For the amount we had to defend tonight, I thought our d-zone structure was ok for the most part," Troy Terry said following the game. "Where it just fell apart for us was with the breakouts. We just weren't connected, and it seemed like that was the reason we were hemmed a lot."
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Here are my notes on this game:
Defensive Zone Coverage: Ross Colton's second goal notwithstanding, the Ducks' defensive zone coverage effort was mostly satisfactory against the cycle. The issues came following shots or broken plays when it came time to recover loose pucks.
The Ducks either lost puck battles along the wall or failed to advance pucks to outlet forwards up the boards in their zone, leading to elongated zone time for the Avs and tired legs for the Ducks.
Lukas Dostal: The point the Ducks received in the standings belongs to Dostal. He made every save he had to and threw in a handful of spectacular stops to keep his team in the game.
He was square to every first shot and remained calm on the second, fully in control of rebounds and refusing to scramble. His east-west puck-tracking skills will separate him and could ultimately make the difference in important games.
"An incredible goaltending performance, just amazing, " Ducks head coach Greg Cronin said after the game. "We were just so fortunate to be in the game. They had double or triple the shots at one point. They played with a playoff urgency, and they had us on our heels the whole night. He kept us in the game."
Penalty Kill: While the shot volume is high with the Ducks down a man, the structural integrity of their diamond has been mostly unwavering. The bumper, along with the east-west seams, have been eliminated in most situations. The difference will lie in net-front battles, and in this game, the Ducks won most of them.
Cutter Gauthier: After sitting on the bench for most of the second half of Wednesday's game, Gauthier responded well in this one. He was engaged from the opening drop on both sides of the puck and was one of the few Ducks who were able to create chances regularly. He led the Ducks with 53.84% of the expected goal share at 5v5, got three shots on net, and played 15:47.
Pavel Mintyukov: Following a nearly flawless three games to open the season, Mintyukov had a tougher time in his zone during this game. He had trouble absorbing forechecks, matching speeds against the rush, and was often late to pick up his assignment in coverage. Much of this can be attributed to the extended defensive shifts, where the Denver altitude may have played a factor.