Ducks Lose In Overtime 2-1

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks took on San Jose Sharks in their first meeting of the season. The Ducks wore their third orange jerseys and the Sharks went with their white jerseys.

First Period

The San Jose Sharks scored first in the game on a power play. Joe Pavelski knocked a loose puck, that took a few bounces, behind Jonathan Bernier just as the net came off the moorings. It was very close play, which was reviewed and upheld by the NHL officials. Here is a close look at the play.

The Ducks then had two power play chances in a row. Anaheim had 38 seconds of a 5-on-3 power play during that sequence, but couldn’t convert. Things began to get physical as Clayton Stoner and Micheal Haley dropped their gloves. Haley was also given an instigator penalty. The Ducks didn’t score on the power play and the Sharks led 1-0 after the first 20 minutes.

Second Period

To start the period John Gibson was in net. Bernier sustained an upper-body injury in the first period. It could have occurred during the melee on the Sharks first goal. Gibson was clipped in the opening minutes of the period by a Sharks player, but Kevin Bieksa had initiated the contact and was called for a penalty. The Ducks did kill off the penalty. The Ducks had a brief scare when Ryan Getzlaf took a puck off his left hand/forearm. He was gone for a few minutes but did return.

It looked like the Sharks would take a 1-0 lead after two periods, but Chris Wagner had other plans. He redirected a shot in front of Martin Jones and then put the puck 5-hole to tie the game. The score was 1-1 after two periods of play.

Third Period and Overtime

In the final frame, Getzlaf had to go to the locker room again and he didn’t return to the game. Both teams had power-play chances, but neither team scored. The teams went headed to overtime. The Ducks started out carrying the play and creating a few good chances. Wagner had the puck deflected away from him behind the San Jose goal and Marc-Edouard Vlasic was off to the races. He scored on a partial breakaway from the game winner.

Analysis

The Ducks played a physical game from the start, but the Sharks generated more shots on goal. They outshot Anaheim 26 to 14 in the first 40 minutes of play. The Ducks had to deal with personnel issues. Bernier had to leave after the first period and Gibson played the rest of the game. Gibson played solid stopping all shots he faced in regulation. Unfortunately, he gave up the game-winning goal in overtime. The Ducks also missed Getzlaf for part of the second period and the entire third period. Anaheim returns home tomorrow for Nashville, so they will have to regroup quickly.

What’s Next?

Tomorrow the Ducks host the Nashville Predators at Honda Center at 7:30 PM PT.

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