Suddenly, the Anaheim Ducks are surging. A few weeks ago, we were talking about them like their chances of the playoffs were over. Too many teams to crawl over. Too inconsistent. But in the ten games prior to Thursday, when Vancouver was in Anaheim, they were 7-2-1. They were eight points behind the Canucks, or call it six given that they had a game in hand. That made it all the more important to win. Of course, they would still have to jump Utah, St. Louis, and Calgary.
How’d they come out? Surprisingly well given that they played three games in four days coming out of the Four Nations break. And not close—as far away as Boston. They beat the Bruins, then dropped games to the Red Wings and Sabres. One highlight: Leo Carlsson, who had two goals and two assists in the three games played coming off his part in Team Sweden.
But if the first part of period one was well played, the Ducks just got worse as the time wound along. Before twenty minutes were gone, they trailed 2-0 on the strength of just eight shots on their goal. Their return fire, by the way, was a mere six shots on the Vancouver goalie, Arturs Silovs.
The first Vancouver goal was scored by Tyler Myers, who picked up a puck as he exited the penalty box. He launched himself down the right side and beat Lukas Dostal with a slap shot. It happens.
The worst of it was to follow. The Ducks made four turnovers, careless ones of the giveaway variety, in the last five or so minutes. The goal, too, was a stinker, but not because of Dostal. Rather, Tyler Myers was allowed to sweep from right to left behind the net, and then to pass out to an unguarded Pius Suter, who glided in to redirect the puck into the net.
Period two was role reversal on steroids. The Ducks would end the frame up 3-2, with three lovely goals. The first was a sweeping wrister by Frank Vatrano from precisely on the left faceoff dot. This off passes from Ryan Strome and Troy Terry.
The second Anaheim goal would initiate from that exact same spot, this time by Cutter Gauthier, who clearly knows a good idea when he sees one. Leo Carlsson tried one from there too, his shot a low one, rather than up and over the far (left) shoulder of Silovs. On Carlsson’s, the goalie made a nice leg save. Filip Chytil of Vancouver mirrored the shot and location, albeit on the other end of the ice. What was it about the sharpshooters coming out on this evening?
Frank Vatrano’s explanation? A cliché and a truth: “Good things happen when you put pucks on net,” and “Guys were seeing the net well tonight.”
The third goal was the real classic. Troy Terry carried the mail up ice through a flurry of sticks. He dropped it to a stationary Mason McTavish, standing at the blue line next to the boards. MacT, in turn, snapped off a pass to Ryan Strome, who was on the right side of the slot. He wristed it past the goalie. On the bench between periods, he explained the Ducks’ urgency: “We know this is an important game for us here. These are a big two points.”
Coach Cronin chipped in an opinion about McTavish after the game, mainly focusing on how when playing on the wing rather than at center he can simplify his game and enjoy a lighter set of responsibilities. “As a young lid like that, it takes some pressure off. He’s built for wall battles. He’s a big, thick kid, so it’s part of his DNA to win those battles. Keep pucks in deep on the forecheck.”
Would Anaheim play a hold-on third? That would likely be a mistake, as Vancouver, at least early on, were ferocious on their forecheck and well capable of taking charge of the game.
Things got better in period three. The Ducks would complete the set of five unanswered goals, including a long empty-netter by Troy Terry, to seal a 5-2 win.
The Ducks have now won eight of 11 games, with points in nine of their past 11. They realize what this means. “The last few years, you know it sucks when you are out of the playoffs after the All-Star break. It’s nice for these younger guys to get a taste of what it’s like going into crunch time. Every point matters, kind of learning how to play the right way. We’re doing that night in and night out,” said Frank Vatrano.
Cronin said that before the game, he was worried about the fatigue factor from three games and travel, but he was proud that, “They had responded to the messages. They played more of a direct game, north-south, and they started getting their legs come alive.”
The result was that the Ducks can all feel that they are playing games that matter for the first time late in a season in a while. “There’s a lot of belief in that room,” Coach said. “The leadership group has done a tremendous job mentoring the young kids. When you have a win like that, it creates a tremendous amount of confidence in the group.”
The Ducks now await Chicago for a Saturday night tilt.
Note
The “We’re lacking Zegras” ploy might have been played, or played out had the Ducks lost. He was serving the second of a three-game suspension for an unwise blow to an opposing player’s noggin.
Brian Kennedy has written many hockey books including Growing Up Hockey.
