VIDEO: Late Comeback Not Enough

By: Logan Orsini

A rather tough year for the Ducks surrounded by constant roster shuffling and trade rumors, their 22nd game of the season was a matchup against the St. Louis Blues.

The Ducks came into this only picking up two points in their last six games, going 0-4-2. Their scoring woes continue to haunt them. This is Anaheim’s third meeting with the St. Louis, dropping the first two games.

The Blues struggles have come with injuries this year. They are missing numerous players from their lineup including Vladimir Tarasenko, Robert Thomas, and Colton Parayko… just to name a few.

Let’s see what happened…

Game Summary

The Ducks got on the board early with a snipe from Isac Lundestrom, his third of the year. The real highlight of the first period was from Trevor Zegras, who while on the power play attempted the ever so coveted “Michigan” goal. He came so close with Blues goaltender Ville Husso making a nice save with his blocker.

The Ducks played with good pace and speed this period, but the Blues tied it 1-1 late with a goal from Jordan Kyrou.

The second period was one the Ducks would’ve rather wanted back. Penalty troubles caused the Ducks to have three consecutive goals scored on them. The first came from a nice shot from former Duck David Perron, the second off a tip from Zach Samford on the power play, and the third from Dakota Joshua who scored his first NHL goal in his first game.

The Ducks looked like an entirely different team in the second period, lacking that speed and pace they played with in the second. 4-1 Blues at the end of the second.

In the third, the Ducks returned to those good habits they played with in the first period. They were playing with a lot of tenacity. The Ducks brought it within 4-2 by a Lundestrom wraparound goal, his second of the game. Sometime later, he brought it within one with a tip in goal to net the first hat trick of his career. The Ducks got a power play with two minutes left to play, but Zach Samford hit an empty net to score his second of the game to give the Blues a 5-3 lead.

Ryan Getzlaf scored in the final minute to bring it within one, but that was not enough to do it as the Ducks fall to the Blues 5-4.

Analysis

The Ducks usual struggles again hurt them this game. Bad defensive play, uncalled for penalties, and inconsistent play. But they showed a lot of tenacity and grit in the third period by that comeback effort.

They finally got the offense going, and Isac Lundestrom was far and away the best player of the game. He has struggled to find his offense game in seasons past when he got chances to play, and this time around he has really stepped up his play. Not to mention, he should have at least two more if it wasn’t for the heroic saves of Marc-Andre Fleury. This performance should solidify his lineup spot for some time.

The Ducks showed some positives this game. When on the attack and applying pressure, they look like a very good hockey team. But the inconsistency of their play is what hurts them the most.

In my unprofessional opinion, and if people aren’t fully bought into the tank effort, I think it would be beneficial if Dallas Eakins begins shortening his bench, not just late in the game, but throughout the game. When he finds players that are playing well together, or just individual players who are having a good night, he needs to start double shifting and rolling those players over the boards more. I think this would help the Ducks inconsistent play by applying more offensive pressure throughout the game.

Another note, the Rakell-Lundestrom-Zegras line found some good chemistry clearly late, so expect them to be paired together more in the coming games.

Oh… and Zegras practically broke the internet with that Michigan attempt. I can’t even imagine what would’ve happened if he buried that.

Although he is yet to get a point through his first four games, he is clearly making a difference. The Ducks have been scoring more often with him in the lineup. He is showing his confidence in his play, and I am confident his scoring will come.

What’s Next?

The Ducks next game is against St. Louis again on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. (PT).

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March 1st, 2021