Penalty Issues have Reappeared for Ducks Since Return from Break
Frank Vatrano, Jackson LaCombe, Drew Helleson (Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images)The Anaheim Ducks are 1-1-1 in their three games following the extended NHL 4 Nations Face-Off break. However slim the possibilities, they are in the Western Conference wild card race with just 25 games remaining on their schedule.
They are seven points behind the Calgary Flames, who currently hold the second wild card spot and behind the St. Louis Blues, Utah Hockey Club, and Vancouver Canucks in the chase.
In 2023-24, the Ducks were the most penalized team in the NHL by a significant margin and took 377 minor penalties (4.6 per game). That was the most minor penalties a single team took since the 2013-14 Ottawa Senators took 379.
Leading up to the 4 Nations break, the Ducks had been a much-improved team in terms of their discipline. They had taken 188 minor penalties in their first 54 games (3.48 per game). For a team sporting the 26th-ranked penalty kill (74.1%), discipline had been paramount.
However, over the past three games since returning to action, the Ducks have taken 15 minor penalties (5 per game). They’ve mostly been of the undisciplined variety: stick infractions, retaliations, offensive zone, etc.
To make matters worse, their penalty kill hasn’t bailed them out, as they’ve allowed four power play goals on 11 attempts, killing at a 63.6% clip.
The Ducks will head home to Anaheim to take on the Vancouver Canucks in a relatively crucial matchup against wild card hopefuls on Thursday night. The Canucks deploy the 14th-ranked power play, converting at a 22.6% rate.
The last time the Ducks and Canucks matched up, the Canucks won 5-1 and converted one of five power play opportunities. Staying out of the penalty box would go a long way if the Ducks intend to pick up two points and gain some significant ground in the playoff race.