Ducks seize crucial home victory, with star forwards returning and stellar goaltending, battling back against a desperate Golden Knights squad.
Following a five-game road trip, the Anaheim Ducks returned to Honda Center on Sunday to host the Vegas Golden Knights in a Pacific Division matchup, Anaheim’s penultimate game before the extended Olympic break.
The Ducks were hoping to return to the win column, as they’ve dropped out of a playoff spot entering Sunday and following back-to-back losses against the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers.
This game was Vegas’ second in as many days, and they came in with their top spot in the Pacific on the line, desperate for a win, having gone winless in their previous four games, and having only won one of their previous seven.
The Ducks saw the return of a pair of star forwards, as Troy Terry re-entered the lineup after missing 11 games with an upper-body injury, and Mason McTavish re-entered after missing five.
Leo Carlsson remains out with a thigh lesion and was placed on IR earlier on Sunday. Ryan Strome, Sam Colangelo, and Drew Helleson served as the Ducks' healthy scratches, and they lined up like this:
Killorn-Granlund-Sennecke
Kreider-Poehling-Terry
Viel-McTavish-Harkins
Johnston-Washe-Harkins
LaCombe-Trouba
Mintyukov-Moore
Zellweger-Gudas
Lukas Dostal got the start in the Ducks’ net and saved 28 of the 31 shots he faced. He was opposed by Adin Hill in the Knights’ crease, who stopped 19 of 22.
“Across the board, I thought we did a lot of good things, Dosty was solid in net, and we got that good start in the first period,” Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said after the game. “Then you see some of the plays they (Vegas) can make. It’s a heck of a test and a good challenge for us, and we knew we had to be at our best. We played hard and eliminated some of their possession game. When you see what they can do at the end of the game, we’ll take it.”
Game Notes
Anaheim set the tempo early, controlling game flow and possession time, and generating quality chances off the rush and cycle. Vegas pushed back heavily in the second and even more heavily in the third, but the Ducks’ lead was too great, their defense stingy in the hard areas of the ice, and Dostal rose to whatever challenge he was presented with.
The last two periods didn’t favor the Ducks in any respect, as a combination of them sitting on their lead and Vegas’ push flipped possession numbers. It wasn’t likely a sustainable way to tally standings points, but a big two points went their way nonetheless.
Defensive Zone Coverage: With the return of two potent offensive players in Terry and McTavish, there was a question of whether the Ducks would or could continue to play the same brand of detailed, relatively conservative, defense-first hockey that they’d established and had success with without them.
Remarkably, against an offensive powerhouse, they were able to (for the most part) pressure along the perimeter without overcommitting. When they found themselves drifting too far from the middle of the ice and vulnerable, they tracked back through the middle and broke up several seam pass attempts.
Centers, especially, stayed low in coverage, reading when to support defensemen and wingers, allowing teammates to pressure, and covered to tie up opponents or pounce on rebounds around the crease.
Penalty Kill: An area of weakness on the penalty kill this season, until recently, had been the awareness of the weak side forward to cover the crashing flank toward the back post. Vegas attempted several backdoor, cross-crease passes on their two power plays, but that weak-side forward broke them up deftly.
Ryan Poehling: During the absence of Leo Carlsson, Poehling has been centering lines with more offensive talents than he’d been early in the season, when the roster was at full strength. It’s allowed him to have the puck on his stick more, and in this game with Terry and Kreider, he was afforded more time and space with it. He’s gained noticeable confidence, both on the rush and cycle, even driving play during several shifts. If this continues, the Ducks will have a rare luxury on their roster: a bottom-six center who can provide instant and consistent offense.
Chris Kreider: “Chris Kreider’s made a living being in front of the net,” Troy Terry said of his linemate after this game. Three of Anaheim’s four goals (two of which went to Kreider) came with him parked right in front of Adin Hill, taking away visibility, getting tips on perimeter shots, and crashing while on the rush. He’s more than just a body at the blue paint; he is a distinguished communicator, often directing linemates where to go or where to place pucks from his spot in front of the opposing goal.
The Ducks will play their last game before the extended Olympic break on Tuesday, when they’ll host the Seattle Kraken in yet another critical Pacific Division bout.