Islanders Breeze By The Ducks

Photo: AP

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks closed out their homestand against the New York Islanders. Lukas Dostal was in net against Semyon Varlamov.

Recap

Frank Vatrano almost scored in the opening moments of the game. The puck was under Varlamov’s right skate and at first look might have crossed the line. The officials reviewed the play and the puck did not completely cross the goal line.

New York scored first about five minutes into the period. Gustav Lindstrom had the puck stripped from him in the corner by Simon Holmstrom, who then found Casey Cizikas in the slot for the score.

Kyle Palmieri made it 2-0 a few minutes later on a breakaway. He backhanded a shot just past Dostal as it trickled over the goal line before it could be cleared from the crease.

The Ducks got into penalty trouble later in the period. Alex Killorn took a hooking penalty and slammed the door to the penalty box, so he picked up another two for unsportsmanlike conduct. Brock Nelson scored on the second power play to make it 3-0.

Early in the second period, Killorn got the Ducks on the board. He used the defender as a screen and shot the puck over the shoulder of Varlamov for the goal.

The teams exchanged power plays in the middle frame, but there was no more scoring.

The Islanders reclaimed a three goal lead in the opening minute of the third period. Bo Horvat scored to make it 4-1. Pierre Engvall then made it 5-1 at about the eight minute mark on a partial breakaway. Cal Clutterbuck added one more for good measure with just under two minutes to go. The Ducks ended up dropping this one 6-1.

Analysis:

Another rough loss for the Anaheim Ducks. They gave up three goals again in the first period and couldn’t recover. Anaheim turned over the puck too many times and gave up way too many odd man rushes to even make this a contest. Just an overall poor performance from start to finish.

Head Coach Greg Cronin voiced his displeasure after the game, ““At some point, people in the room have to take ownership of what’s going on here…. Come on, it’s game 60-something. It’s frustrating for me that we’re not taking ownership as a group and applying it in the game.” It might be time for another bag skate like he did after the 5-0 loss to Montreal last month.

This game comes a day after the Ducks Migration event for season ticket holders where General Manager Pat Verbeek talked about this team transitioning out of the rebuild phrase and into a competitive phase next year. For a summary breakdown of his comments visit: Ducks Migration 2024.

Team Notes/Stats:

Killorn scored his fourth goal in his fourth consecutive game.

What’s Next?

The Ducks visit Chicago on Tuesday at 5:30 PM.

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March 11th, 2024