Derek Lee and Patrick Present discuss the Ducks' blueline core after acquiring Jacob Trouba The Ducks continued their season-long road trip with the fourth of six as they traveled to Washington DC to take on the Eastern Conference-leading Capitals. Game #44: Ducks vs. Capitals Gameday Preview [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/game-day/ducks-gameday-preview-01-15-25] The Ducks were coming off of a bounce-back overtime win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday after back-to-back losing efforts against the St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers where they were outscored 12-2. The Caps were looking to win their second in a row after an extra day of rest following their 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Sunday. Troy Terry returned to the Ducks lineup after missing four games following the birth of his second child. He slotted into his typical spot on the right wing of Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano. Robby Fabbri was reunited with Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier. Olen Zellweger was the casualty on the backend, serving as the defense's healthy scratch for the seventh time in the last ten games. John Gibson got the start in net for the Ducks and surrendered three goals on 25 shots. Logan Thompson got the nod in net for the Caps and saved all 19 shots he faced. Here are my notes from this game: Caps' Cycle: The Capitals dominated the Ducks on the cycle throughout the game, but especially early. Defensemen Jacob Chychrun and Rasmus Sandin were extremely active along the blueline, jumping to the middle after distribution, and moving down the wall with or without possession. Forwards are encouraged to skate pucks from low to high, rather than simply feeding open point men, to draw defenders away from the dangerous areas of the ice. However, in the instances where they did pass low to high, forwards followed their passes to present themselves as a passing option or support should the defenseman activate with the puck. The Caps' first goal was a direct effect of Nic Dowd carrying the puck to the point, running a switch with Chychrun, and Chychrun taking the open ice from the blueline to the near post after the pick. With players like Zellweger, Pavel Mintukov, and Jackson LaCombe on their roster, it could benefit the Ducks by taking a page out of the Caps' playbook on the cycle and getting their young dynamic defensemen more puck touches and space to operate. Jackson LaCombe and Pavel Mintyukov: LaCombe and Mintyukov did their best to remain as offensively involved as the game flow would allow, creating on the rush and cycle. They each were the most impactful when manufacturing rush chances following retrievals or turnovers and eagerly joining play up ice. LaCombe could back up the opposing defenders with his speed and made good decisions at the offensive blueline to distribute and get to open space afterward. A confident performance from the 24-year-old sophomore. Mintyukov was the most polished Ducks defenseman with his outlet feeds, quickly pushing tempo and keeping possession for his team. He was winning battles, building plays after, and decisively choosing lanes to pull defenders out of position. Radko Gudas: For how positively impactful the young blueliners were in transition, Gudas was unable to move pucks as efficiently. He slowed the pace of play when there were opportunities to push, hampering the effectiveness of the turnovers forced by the forecheck. Even with backchecking support, he often left too large of a gap and could have sealed instead of surrendering the blueline against the rush. Alex Killorn: Defensively, Killorn is at his best pressuring pucks high in the zone, displaying an active and disruptive stick. When he finds himself as the low forward in coverage, he's often too slow to react and maintain position on his assignment. He's another Ducks player who could benefit from an adjustment to the defensive zone coverage scheme. Power Play: The power play has been excruciatingly dry all season. While they were able to generate some quality looks early, they haven't been able to penetrate the middle of the zone in recent games. Typically an adjustment in tactics is preferred to an adjustment in personnel, but the Ducks have too much talent on the second unit not to start making some changes within the units. The Ducks will look to grab a couple of standings points in their remaining two games on the road trip, starting on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Zegras not on Road Trip, Imminent Return could Spark Offense [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/latest-news/zegras-not-on-road-trip-imminent-return-could-spark-offense] Ducks Must Get Leo Carlsson Going [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/latest-news/ducks-must-get-leo-carlsson-going]
