VIDEO: Ducks Come Up Empty Against Avalanche

Photo: USA Today

By Richard Gonzalez

It seemed like the trade between the Anaheim Ducks and Boston Bruins overshadowed the fact that it was also a Ducks game day. The Avalanche came into town to take on the Ducks. The Ducks would change things up and wear their road white jerseys and the Avalanche would wear their burgundy home jerseys. This was a request from the Avalanche because the Kings are wearing their anniversary, which are white, jerseys against Colorado tonight. The Avalanche did not want to pack both jerseys for a two-game road, per Dan Wood. John Gibson and Pavel Francouz would each get the starts.

Note: David Backes did not skate in this game and will join the Ducks at a later date as he gets conditioned to play.

For more on the trade visit: Analyzing The Kase Trade

Recap:

The first period seemed even despite the Ducks outhitting the Avalanche 14-4. They each had a few scoring chances but the goalies were solid to start the first. They both traded minor penalties, Ryan Graves for tripping and Nick Ritchie for a questionable elbow. No goals were scored from either team and each team would head back to the locker room ties 0-0.

The Avalanche would take over the play in the second by controlling the puck more. The Ducks would make a sloppy play from their own zone which would result in an Avalanche goal scored by J.T. Compher. There were no penalties taken in the second but the physical play was continued from the first. The Avalanche outshot the Ducks 14-5 and took a one goal lead into the second intermission.

This third period would see the Ducks come back to life and have some more momentum in their game. They had some great chances but could not rattle or get a puck by Francouz. The got a power-play chance when the Avalanche got called for too many men on the ice but could not get a goal. The Ducks outshot the Avalanche 11-5 but ultimately dropped this game 1-0.

Analysis:

This game was still entertaining despite the lack of scoring or fights. The Ducks made the contending Avalanche work for those two points and did not allow them any easy chances. Unfortunately, a bad play in the Ducks zone lead to the only goal being scored by the Avalanche. Gibson and Francouz, who earned his first career shutout, really played a great game. I think another thing that hurt the Ducks a lot was not putting the puck on net. They shot a lot but some good chances missed the net. Overall, it was not a bad game for the Ducks.

Team News/Notes:

Hampus Lindholm skated in his 500th career game.

Jakob Silfverberg skated in his 500th game as a Ducks player.

Adam Henrique skated in his 200th game as a Ducks player.

Cam Fowler missed his second game with a lower-body injury. According to the Athletic’s Eric Stephens, Fowler had an MRI. It’s unknown the extent of the injury or how long Fowler may be out, but he isn’t expected to play on Sunday.

What’s Next?

The next game will be on Sunday, Feb., 23, against the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

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February 21st, 2020