Patrick Present offers brief thoughts following the Ducks' 3-2 OT loss to the Flames The Anaheim Ducks hosted the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night, their last home game before heading out on a six-game road trip. Game #40: Ducks vs. Flames Gameday Preview [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/game-day/ducks-gameday-preview-01-07-25] The Ducks entered play having won four of their last five games, all against Stanley Cup contenders/hopefuls. The Flames came to Orange County for their first game of a back-to-back and looking to snap a two-game skid. The Ducks were without leading scorer Troy Terry with the expected birth of his second child. Ducks' head coach Greg Cronin had to do some line shuffling in Terry's absence. Brett Leason found himself in Terry's spot on the depth chart next to Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano. Leo Carlsson centered Isac Lundestrom and Alex Killorn. Olen Zellweger was the casualty on the blueline, having to act as the Ducks' defensive healthy scratch in this game. The Ducks lost the services of defenseman Drew Helleson just six and a half minutes into the second period after taking a major penalty for kneeing Calgary forward Connor Zary. John Gibson got the start for the Ducks and stopped 30 of the 33 shots he faced. "There were some big-time saves he made," Cronin said of Gibson after the game. "He looked big in the net and then in the third period there, we got a bit sloppy on our breakouts and he had to face a couple of point-blank shots and he was terrific. So, he was great." Rookie Dustin Wolf opposed Gibson in the Calgary crease, stopping 26 of 28 shots. Here are my notes from this game: Defensive zone coverage: Calgary's first goal and most of their cycle time indicate the Ducks' defensive zone structure is still susceptible to weaves high in the zone. If there's an ounce of confusion or a slightly late reaction on a switch, it typically leads to an attacker having enough room to get a shot off or make a dangerous play. Jackson LaCombe: LaCombe continues to emerge as the Ducks' true number-one defenseman this season and is impacting play over every inch of the 200-foot ice surface. He's leading rushes offensively, acts as mostly the only defenseman who operates below the tops of the circles, and feeds pucks to teammates in high-danger areas when he's below the goal line. Defensively, he was virtually flawless in this game, displaying perfect gaps, disrupting pass attempts, and boxing out at the top of the crease. He did it all while making it look effortless. He was showing shades of Miro Heiskanen. Brian Dumoulin: Dumoulin uncharacteristically struggled in this game, specifically with the puck on his stick. Typically he easily evades forecheckers and zips pucks up ice as quickly as he can, but in this game, those evasions turned into lost board battles and his outlets weren't as clean as has become natural for him. McTavish and Gauthier: Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier have developed a seemingly unlikely chemistry of late. They each endlessly hound puck carriers, forcing a myriad of turnovers. After which, they look to immediately spring the other for an offensive opportunity. "He skates well, super fast, great in transition," McTavish said of Gauthier. "We just kind of work well with each other. (He's got a) great shot. I think I just protect the puck more down low in-zone, win faceoffs, get open, and distribute the puck." Isac Lundestrom: Lundestrom played the first two periods of this game on the wing of Leo Carlsson opposite Alex Killorn. He had a difficult time advancing pucks or slipping them to a supporting center after receiving outlets on the breakout from the boards, a vastly underrated skill the best NHL wingers possess. He was infinitely more comfortable when he was shifted back to center in the third period and even was on the receiving end of a couple of opportunities generated by Strome and Vatrano. The Ducks will head on the road for a six-game road trip, starting on Thursday when they'll face Cam Fowler and the St. Louis Blues. Ducks Prospect Sennecke Named December OHL Player of the Month [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/latest-news/ducks-prospect-sennecke-named-december-ohl-player-of-the-month] Report: Ducks Shopping Pending UFA Dumoulin [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/latest-news/report-ducks-shopping-pending-ufa-dumoulin]
