THIRD PERIOD 18:00-A breakout sequence that took a while to develop, but the Ducks maintained possession all the way up the ice, utilizing weakside support until they were eventually able to generate a cycle. Radko Gudas from a year ago would have sent an immediate high flip out of the zone and there would have been a scrambled neutral zone battle sequence. 14:27 (Ducks GOAL)-Another quality cycle sequence, in which LaCombe holds onto a puck and finds Terry working his way high for an option. Terry throws a puck on net and Strome is able to get a high tip on it. 10:42 (Ducks GOAL)-Good F2 work from Caulfield to win the puck deep in the offensive zone. LaCombe puts a move on Guenther to buy space and find Mysak covering high. Mysak takes a long range shot that's tipped home by Johnston. 6:40-The defensive game is slowing down for Carlsson, especially low in the defensive zone. If he can add that layer to his game, his evolution as a two-way center will become key toward the Ducks realizing their full potential. 5:33 (Ducks GOAL)-Helleson ignites a clean breakout, finding a streaking Granlund in the neutral zone. Granlund waits out the Utah defender on a 2v1 to find a gap and Phillips on the other side, who taps it in. 0:00-An encouraging win, even if it's to be taken with a grain of salt, as it's just a preseason game with very little NHL talent. The systems are starting to flesh out and look well-suited for this Ducks roster. SECOND PERIOD 18:51 (power play)-A little trouble setting up the structure, but LaCombe at the top, with Sennecke and Carlsson on the flanks, Terry in the bumper, and Kreider at the net front is as tantalizing a setup as one can imagine. Terry in the bumper is the most intriguing, as he has a great feel for pressure and makes quality decisions in tight spaces. 15:50 (Ducks GOAL)-Helleson dances Keller at the blueline and evades the second quick before firing a dart to Phillips who gets a deft tip past Vejmelka. 14:42 (Ducks GOAL)-Sennecke puts his skill on display to pounce on a loose puck and dance a flat-footed Szuber. He showed some tenacity to stay with that play. 5:12 (Mammoth GOAL)-A LaCombe turnover leads to extended defensive zone time. Helleson is taken out of the play and Guenther is able to walk the puck out of the corner, pull it to his backhand, and squeak it past Mrazek. 2:59 (power play)-Zellweger, Strome, Granlund, Vatrano, and Killorn start this one. Some good bumper and goal line work, but Guenther was able to pounce on a loose puck and take advantage of a flat-footed LaCombe for a breakaway, but was denied by Mrazek. LaCombe took a penalty late in the sequence to end the man-advantage. 1:04 (penalty kill)-The box isn't too aggressive, allowing a bit more perimeter time than ideal, but the dangerous looks allowed have been after Utah entry. 0:00-It's nice to see Sennecke score a skill goal. Not just a skill goal, but a tenacious one. Goals in the NHL are hard to come by and rarely pretty, so that was a translatable sequence to me despite it coming against a career AHL defenseman. FIRST PERIOD 17:30-Scary sequence for the future of the franchise as Leo Carlsson almost takes a knww-on-knee in the neutral zone before moving it to Beckett Sennecke, who gets stood up at the blueline by Utah defenseman Artem Duda. 16:07-Noah Warren's skating has come a long way since he was drafted in the second round of the 2022 Draft, his edges and pivot footwork especially. 10:05-There will be times in every game and within every system where teams simply get hemmed in. The benefit of a zone-pressure system is when pucks move along the perimeter, the defending team doesn't have to get as tired chasing and can protect the middle in desperation. The likelihood of lapses is lessened. 8:12 (penalty kill)-The Ducks ran a classic box when Utah was briefly set up in their power play structure. It was a breath of fresh air to see Carlsson alongside Kreider on one of the units. It will be curious to see if Carlsson is trusted in that spot when the regular season rolls around. 2:55 (Ducks GOAL)-Some nice high offensive zone work from Terry paired with an activation from LaCombe to disrupt Utah's structure leads to Helleson scoring from the left dot with some clever placement. 0:00-Ups and downs in the first period for the Ducks. The positives for me come when plays breakdown, it's not as disastrous as it's been in recent year's past. There's always a safety valve protecting the middle in the defensive zone. Offensively, it's refreshing to see players hold on to pucks a bit longer in search of higher danger chances as opposed to shooting from distance with hope of recovering. WARMUPS The Ducks are icing a deeper team in this one, but I'll be interested how Utah's top d-pair fares. It could be fun to see Sennecke battle with Tij Iginla in a battle of high 2024 draft picks looking to make lasting impressions with their respective front offices. Anaheim Ducks projected lines: Forwards Chris Kreider - Leo Carlsson - Beckett Sennecke Frank Vatrano - Ryan Strome - Troy Terry Alex Killorn - Mikael Granlund - Matthew Phillips Ross Johnston - Jan Myšák - Judd Caulfield Defense Jackson LaCombe - Drew Helleson Olen Zellweger - Radko Gudas Tyson Hinds - Noah Warren Goaltenders Petr Mrázek - Tomáš Suchánek Utah Mammoth projected lines: Forwards Keller-Stenlund-Schmaltz Iginla-Agozzino-Guenther McCartney-Beaudoin-Tanev Douglas-McGregor-Hebig Defense Sergachev-Lamoureux Duda-Szuber Vaisanen-Onyebuchi Goaltenders Karel Vejmelka-Jaxson Stauber PREGAME The Anaheim Ducks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks] host the newly minted Utah Mammoth [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/utah] for their second preseason game of the 2025-26 season. Both teams will ice a relatively even mix of NHL players, AHL players, and prospects in this game. 2024 third-overall pick Beckett Sennecke will play his second game in a row in what could be considered a "make or break" game when it comes to his chances of sticking with the Ducks for the entirety of the season. Sennecke is being afforded every opportunity to make a lasting impression, as he'll be on Leo Carlsson's wing opposite Chris Kreider, who'll make his debut in a Ducks' sweater. Mikael Granlund is also set to get his first action in a Ducks' jersey, centering Alex Killorn and Matthew Phillips.
