Detailed notes on Saturday's game between the Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers.
The Anaheim Ducks continued their five-game road trip with game number three as they traveled to Edmonton to take on the Oilers for a Saturday matinee.
With this 6-1 loss to the Oilers, Anaheim has now dropped 12 of their last 13 games and they have been outscored 52-12 during that stretch.
John Gibson was given the crease in this game and stopped 31 of 37 shots. Though that doesn't yield a pretty save percentage (.838), Gibson probably can't be held accountable for any of the goals allowed. All the Oilers' goals were scored off breakaways, lateral-pass one-timers, shots with screens, etc.
Here are my notes from this game:
Forecheck: Defensemen were extremely aggressive pinching in the offensive zone. They would often activate toward the bottom of the circles in an effort to kill any breakout and subsequent rush-attack before they got started. In the instances where they couldn't pinch on the outlet in time or the puck bounced to the neutral zone, the covering F3 was often incapable of defending rushes properly. A couple of those occasions led directly to a pair of Edmonton goals (their second and fourth).
Breakout: Edmonton was able to sustain offensive zone pressure with their tenacity pouncing on loose pucks. That zone time led to Ducks' defenders and low forwards to often rim pucks around the board or move them to open space. The Oilers' defensemen and second-layer forwards timed their second-touch pressures perfectly, allowing them to keep pucks alive on the cycle.
Powerplay: The Ducks second unit (the younger unit) hasn't established who will slot where and what responsibilities each player will assume. Currently that is leading to a good amount of player movement along with creativity, which is opening up dangerous looks. If that is something they pursue, they can attack in an unpredictable fashion and every player can be a threat from any spot on the ice.
Leo Carlsson: Carlsson is evasive moving pucks from tight areas to open ice. He displays an impressive motor and knowledge of how opponents will attempt to defend him in those situations. His anticipation skills are so advanced he often stick-lifts opponents when he has possession of the puck because he knows when they plan on timing their stick checks.
Trevor Zegras: Zegras' effort was apparent on the defensive side of the puck. He found himself playing a more traditional center role in this game and was astute and diligent in defensive zone coverage. When he got the puck on his stick low in the defensive zone, his decision-making left a lot to be desired. He elected for creative passes to space or rims to the half-wall when he could have skated pucks to those areas of the ice and made cleaner passes. Offensively, Zegras was easily the most dangerous Duck. His creativity was on full display in this game. He's a master of spacial awareness, not only for himself but for all of his teammates as well. He turned seemingly innocuous plays into some of the most dangerous chances of the game
The Ducks will travel to Vancouver to take on the Canucks on Sunday with a 12:30 PM PST matinee start.