VIDEO: Ducks Blow Another 3-0 Lead, Lose 4-3 In Arizona

By: Mario Ramirez

Pregame:

The Anaheim Ducks (6-10-3) faced-off against the Arizona Coyotes (8-7-3) for their second game of a two game series at Gila River Arena tonight. The Ducks come into the contest riding a four game losing streak including a loss to the Coyotes on Monday night where the team saw a three goal lead evaporate.

The Ducks top rated prospect Trevor Zegras made his much anticipated NHL debut. Zegras look solid in his 13:14 on the ice, showing the vision and playmaking ability he is know for. Ryan Miller will be between the pipes tonight looking to get the Ducks going in the right direction, Sonny Milano and Vinni Letter draw back into the lineup.

First Period:

The period started with each team feeling out the game and trading some chances, although none of them really dangerous. The games first penalty would belong to Ducks forward Isac Lundestrom who would sit for a hooking penalty. The penalty kill once again did it’s job and kept the Coyotes off the board. Goaltender Ryan Miller played a solid period stopping Coyotes defenseman Alex Goligoski with 6:53 remaining in the opening period.

The game looked as though it would go scoreless through one when just 11.9 seconds left Max Comtois scored a goal by putting a puck between his legs passed Darcy Kuemper. Giving the Ducks a 1-0 lead heading into the break. The shots on goal were even at 9 a piece after one.

Second Period:

For almost the first half of the second period there were very few whistle and a good flow to the game. The Ducks made the first noise of the period when Ducks defenseman Josh Mahura put a long range shot from the middle of the ice passed Darcy Kuemper with 12:02 in the period, giving the Ducks a 2-0 lead. With 10:16 remaining the Coyotes were called for a too many men on the ice penalty giving Anaheim their first power play of the game. However they were unable to make the Coyotes pay going scoreless on the man advantage.

The Ducks would get their second chance on the man advantage when with 5:39 left Niklas Hjalmarsson was sent off for a tripping penalty. The power play would cash in with a goal by Max Jones at 4:14 remaining of the second period. The power play goal would give the Ducks a familiar 3-0 lead. As the period wound down Ben Hutton flipped the puck over the glass in his defensive zone giving the Coyotes a power play with just 48.2 seconds. The horn sounded to end the period leaving the Coyotes over a minute of power play time with a fresh sheet of ice, the shots on goal for the game after two totaled 20 to 14 in favor of the Ducks.

Third Period:

The Ducks entered the final period with 1:12 remaining on Ben Hutton’s delay of game penalty. The penalty kill remained a bright spot on the season keeping the Coyotes off the board yet again. Coyotes netminder Darcy Kuemper left the game with 16:29 with what seemed to be an injury, he was replaced by Adin Hill.

The game would stay at 3-0 until 9:55 remaining in the game when Coyotes Tyler Pitlick deflected a shot by Oliver Eckman-Larsson to get Arizona on the board at 3-1. It didn’t take much longer before Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychurn scored when his shot deflected off Jakob Silfverberg and Jani Hakanpaa‘s sticks making it a one goal game at 3-2. With the Ducks on there heals coach Dallas Eakins used his teams timeout to settle them down. Unfortunately for the Ducks it didn’t have the effect desired. With only 3:21 in the third period Phil Kessel scored the Coyotes third goal of the period to tie the game at 3-3.

The Ducks lost a 3-0 lead for the second consecutive game against the Coyotes. The period would end with the score tied and headed to overtime. Shots on goal for the game were 31-27 in favor of the Ducks.

Overtime & Shootout:

Both teams had a few good chances to gain the extra point in the overtime period. The Ducks best opportunity came off the stick of Isac Lundestrom with 2:32 in the period. Lundestrom was stopped on a 2 on 1 by goaltender Adin Hill when he slide across he goal mouth to stop the onetime bid. Neither team would score and the game would head to a shootout to determine a winner. The Ducks put 4 shots on goal and the Coyotes only managed to offer up a single shot in the overtime period.

In the shootout the coyotes would elect to shoot first, in the first round Nick Schmaltz would be stopped by Ryan Miller. The Ducks sent out Trevor Zegras for his first shootout and he would put the puck passed Adin Hill to give the Ducks the lead after one round. In the second round Connor Garland would score and Max Comtois would be stopped by Hill to tie up the shootout. In the third round Christian Dvorak would score and Ricard Rakell would shoot the puck wide of the Coyotes net. The Coyotes took the shootout and earned the extra point , winning the game 4-3 for the second consecutive game.

Analysis:

For the second consecutive game the Ducks blew a three goal lead to the Arizona Coyotes and lost 4-3. The Ducks failed to put the game away after building a 3-0 lead. It was another disappointing loss for a team that is struggling with confidence. The Ducks young players figured in all three goals but the teams veteran players continue to struggle. They have now lost five in a row and sit in the cellar of the Honda West division. Major changes would seem to be the only thing that can get the organization going in the right direction.

Team Notes/Stats:

Zegras scored on his first NHL shootout attempt.

 

Support us by becoming a DucksNPucks patron! Members can win game tickets, a $200 Cool Hockey gift card, and more!

Want to start your sports media career? Then Join The Puck Network!

DucksNPucks is part of The Puck Network, which covers the entire NHL. There are openings to cover your favorite team(s) and earn school credits! If you are interested, then apply by filling out the form here: Join Our Team. What are you waiting for? Start your sports media career TODAY!

February 25th, 2021