Ducks Game Two Takeaways: Vatrano Hat Trick Plus Mintyukov & LaCombe's First Points
The Anaheim Ducks home opener featured a strong 6-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes and quite a few personal milestones.
© Yannick Peterhans-USA TODAY Sports - Ducks Game Two Takeaways: Vatrano Hat Trick Plus Mintyukov & LaCombe's First PointsThe Anaheim Ducks home opener featured a strong 6-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes and quite a few personal milestones.
For starters, it was head coach Greg Cronin's first career win as an NHL head coach and Ryan Strome also registered his 400th career point on the night.
Here are some takeaways from the game.
Vatrano's Hat Trick Leads the Way:
The next milestone worth mentioning is Frank Vatrano's hat trick. It was the fourth of his career but the first time a Duck had registered a hat trick in the team's home opener.
Alongside his hat trick, Vatrano also led the team with six total shots and registered two hits. It was a complete game for Vatrano, he was physical and diligent defensively to go along with the hot hand.
His second goal in particular was pretty. Collecting a Strome feed just below the right faceoff dot, Vatrano whistled one over Antti Raanta's shoulder and in.
A hard and accurate shot with a quick release, it was a real goal scorer's goal from Vatrano.
Coming off a career-high 41 points, Vatrano could be set for another solid season if he stays up with Mason McTavish.
Mintukov & LaCombe Register First Points:
Outside of the win, the real highlight of the night came from two of the Ducks' rookie defensemen, Pavel Mintyukov and Jackson LaCombe.
On the same play, Mintyukov registered his first career goal and LaCombe his first point.
It was a great play from LaCombe too. After picking up a near turnover at the blueline from McTavish, LaCombe sent the puck down low to Strome and followed his pass into the slot. Strome returned the pack which LaCombe deftly backhanded over to Mintyukov who made no mistake.
It was the kind of play that should excite Ducks fans for the future. LaCombe looked fantastic in the preseason and has carried that play into the first two games.
It's also nice to see Mintyukov, who struggled at times against Vegas, get on the board and finish the game a plus two.
Alongside Jamie Drysdale, Mintukov and LaCombe make up the core of this Ducks team's future on the backend, and the early signs are very promising.