Ducks 10 Game Review: Games 11-20

Logo: Anaheim Ducks

By Thomas Harrington

The Anaheim Ducks struggled over the last 10 games. The good news is that since ending their lengthy losing streak, Anaheim has not lost back-to-back games. Instead, Anaheim has alternated wins and losses since that streak ended. Unfortunately, Anaheim’s recent losses have been of the blowout variety, losing by three, four, and then five goals in their three most recent losses. Overall, the Ducks went 3-5-2 and picked up eight points.

Best Forward

Anaheim’s best forward over the last 10 games was Ryan Getzlaf. The captain has been mister everything for the Ducks, playing great hockey in all three zones and being the most dangerous offensive player for Anaheim night in and night out. Despite being much more known for his passing ability, his four goals were second on the team. He scored four goals and nine points in nine games, and also led the team with seven even strength points. He was also one of two Ducks to have a game-winning goal in the last 10 games.

Worst Forward

The worst Anaheim forward over the last 10 games was Ben Street. Street played in seven games and went scoreless. While he’s never been a big-time scorer, he did have five points in Anaheim’s first 10 games of the season. As Anaheim continues to search for offense, they need to get goals from all over the lineup, and Street just didn’t provide any over the last 10 games. That lack of offense also led him to being scratched three times.

Best Defenseman

The Ducks’ best defenseman over the last 10 games was Cam Fowler. While every Anaheim defenseman has struggled at times this season, Fowler has been much improved over his early season struggles. His hat trick was one of the primary reasons for the end of Anaheim’s losing streak. Unfortunately, Fowler was hit by a puck in the Nashville game and has joined the long list of injured Anaheim players. While he wouldn’t have been the difference in the loss to Vegas, Fowler’s absence was very evident in that game.

Worst Defenseman

Anaheim’s worst defenseman over the last 10 games was Luke Schenn. He only played in two games, so that may seem harsh, but it’s very telling that he only played in two games. Fowler missed a game, Josh Manson missed several, and he still was scratched for most of those games. Instead, Anaheim went with three rookies on defense many nights, rather than put Schenn in the lineup.

Between The Pipes

In net, John Gibson and Ryan Miller continue to be two of Anaheim’s lone bright spots. While their numbers dipped over the last 10 games, that was much more of a result of Anaheim’s play overall than their individual play in net. Gibson went 2-4-2 and was pulled once, while Miller went 1-1. Both are still seeing far too much rubber, but Anaheim has managed to at least limit the number of shots against in some of their more recent games.

Injury News

Anaheim’s injury front continues to pile up, but there is some good news. Ondrej Kase has been back in the lineup for the last two games, Maxime Comtois is in San Diego on a conditioning stint and should be back soon, and Nick Ritchie is back in the lineup after missing several games. However, Patrick Eaves, Corey Perry, Carter Rowney, Korbinian Holzer, and Fowler are all out of the lineup. It was announced on Wednesday that Fowler will have surgery, and after that, we’ll learn about how long his recovery should take. Getzlaf and Jakob Silfverberg also both missed time with injury, but both played in nine of the last 10 games.

Final Thoughts

Anaheim’s rookie class continues to play well, but many of them have been assigned to San Diego. However, there has been a significant increase in the amount of rookie defensemen in the last 10 games. In their most recent game against Vegas, Anaheim dressed five rookies: Kiefer Sherwood, Kalle Kossila, Marcus Pettersson, Jacob Larsson, and Andy Welinski. Sherwood played in eight games and had one assist, Kossila played in three games and went scoreless, Pettersson played in seven games and had one assist, Larsson played in eight games and had one assist, and Welinski played in five games and had one assist. Of those five, Larsson and Sherwood seem like the ones most likely to stick around through the rest of the season. Sam Steel and Isac Lundestrom were the other two rookies to play over the last 10 games. Steel played in three games and went scoreless and Lundestrom played in seven games and had one assist. Both are in San Diego.

A few other things that caught my eye over the last 10 games. Sam Carrick was recalled from San Diego a couple of times and made his Anaheim debut. He played in three games and went scoreless. Joseph Blandisi was called up from San Diego and played in a couple of games. Pontus Aberg led the team with five goals; he’s been one of the few pleasant surprises so far this season. Rickard Rakell only scored one goal, but his six assists led the team and his seven points were second. Eaves made his season debut and has played in five games overall but has to yet to score any points. Besides Fowler’s hat trick, Manson scored the only other goal from an Anaheim defenseman.

The Ducks are not looking good right now, especially when they lose. When they lose, they look flat out bad, like in their most recent loss to Vegas. If there is any good news, it’s that Anaheim did go toe to toe with one of the top teams in the NHL, the Nashville Predators. Also, despite the recent slump, the Ducks are just outside of the playoffs, and because of what a mess the Pacific is this season, first place in the division isn’t as far off as it could be. However, if the Ducks want to make a run at the playoffs, they are going to need to completely turn their play and season around going forward.

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November 16th, 2018