Takeaways from the Ducks 5-0 Loss to the Canadiens

The Anaheim Ducks kicked off a four-game road trip on Tuesday evening with a matchup in Montreal to face the Canadiens. The Ducks entered this one four days removed from a 5-3 defeat at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, their first game after returning from their bye week. On the other side of the ice, the Habs are looking to climb back to .500 after two straight losses to Dallas and St. Louis over the weekend.

Takeaways from the ducks 5-3 loss to the Oilers

Lukas Dostal got the nod in this game between the pipes for the Ducks. He was called upon for relief duty when John Gibson exited the team’s last game after two periods with a lower-body injury. Cayden Primeau was due to oppose him for his first start since Jan 18. Here are my takeaways from this game:

Penalty Kill: In the defensive zone, the forwards pressured heavily high in the zone and collapsed when the puck was low. Little to no pressure was applied to the flanks and forwards low in the zone around the bottom of the circles. It seemed like the Habs prioritized creating from that exact spot.

Canadiens’ Forecheck: The Habs pressured the Anaheim defensemen heavily below the goal line. The F3 was also active and low on the strong-side board to eliminate the low outlet and undermine the Ducks forwards awaiting a stretch pass in the neutral zone. It caused a lot of turnovers leading to chances for Montreal early. Gudas, in particular, struggled early with puck retrievals and first passes from his zone.

Pavel Mintyukov: Mintyukov returned from injury and brought the same rush-defending capabilities that make him so effective. He gaps perfectly and uses his stick to dictate where he wants the attacker to go before sealing him along the boards.

Ducks’ Cycle: The Ducks generated very little on the cycle in this game and when they did, it was with stale chances. There wasn’t any movement high in the zone with the defensemen. The two stationary low forwards weren’t effective at screening or tipping pucks and weren’t able to establish position or get to loose pucks. The Habs were more than happy to protect the middle of the ice and wait for an opportunity to deploy counterattacks; where they were significantly effective.

Leo Carlsson: Carlsson is already one of the best F3 forwards in the league. His high support allows him to present himself as an option on regroups and counter with speed through the neutral zone. That’s how he generated most of his chances in this game. He is also a clever stickhandler to avoid opposing sticks and catch defenders leaning one way to attack the other.

The Ducks’ next game will be on Thursday night in Ottawa to take on the Senators at 4 pm pst.

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