VIDEO: Ducks Rally To Earn Point In Toronto

Photo: The Star

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks continued their road trip in Toronto. Derek Grant and Josh Mahura were both out with lower body injuries. Vinni Lettieri and Simon Benoit drew in the lineup. John Gibson was in net against Jack Campbell.

Recap

The Ducks would score early in this one. Sam Steel would try to slam a rebound home but would get denied. Pierre Engvall would get the puck and try to clear it, but it hit Jason Spezza and bounced back into the net.

The Maple Leafs then took the play to the Ducks. Gibson held down the fort for most of the period until the Ducks got into penalty trouble.

The Ducks got a power play, but Troy Terry was called for hooking which ended the man advantage early. Mitch Marner then scored on their ensuing power play to tie the game.

Anaheim got called for a late penalty in the period and again Toronto scored to make it 2-1 at the end of the period.

The Ducks again got into penalty trouble towards the end of the second period. Hampus Lindholm was first called for slashing and then Jakob Silfverberg was called for hooking. The Leafs scored on the 5-on-3 power play to make it a 3-1 Toronto lead.

Anaheim got one back as Silfverbreg came out of the box and scored on the rush with a rocket over the shoulder of Campbell. Ducks were down 3-2 after two periods.

The Ducks got a power play early in the third period, but didn’t cash in. About halfway through the period, Vinni Lettieri would redirect a Kevin Shattenkirk point shot past Campbell. The teams were tied at three and would need bonus hockey to determine a winner.

Overtime/Shootout

In overtime neither team scored, but the Leafs had a few quality chances and Gibson came up huge. In the shootout, Jason Spezza and Auston Matthews scored to give the Leafs the win. Trevor Zegras was the lone shootout score for Anaheim.

Analysis (Stats by Natural Stat Trick)

The Ducks were able to get a break with a gift goal to start this game, but then the Leafs dominated the play. Toronto scored three straight power play goals to make it a 3-1 game late in the second period.

The Silfverberg goal at the end of the second period got the Ducks back into the game and gave them some life. Anaheim was able to play a decent third period and tie this game up. The main reason why Anaheim was able to get a point was the strong play of Gibson especially in the third period and in the overtime.

The Ducks were dominated statically being outshot 44 to 20. They only won about a third of the face-offs. The special teams gave up three power play goals and didn’t cash in on their man advantages. The Ducks only posted a 39.53 CF% and 40.30 FF% during 5-on-5 play. Anaheim lost in the shootout, but they were fortunate to even get a point in this one.

Team Stats/Notes:

Zegras leads the league in shootout goals with five.

What’s Next?

The Ducks take on the Montreal Canadians tomorrow at 4 PM PT.

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January 26th, 2022