VIDEO: Ducks Lose Lindholm And Game 3-1 Against Wild

By Mario Ramirez

Pregame:

The Ducks (6-7-3) take on the Wild (6-6-0) in the first game of a two game set in Anaheim. The Ducks were coming off a loss to the San Jose Sharks 3-2 on Monday night. They will be looking to bounce back and take a very important two points in a tight race for the fourth spot in the Honda West division. John Gibson will be in net for the Ducks and Max Jones draws back into the lineup with Nicolas Deslauriers sitting out.

First Period:

The Ducks came out in the first period possessing the puck and looking confident. They had a few scoring opportunities early however could not offer up a shot on goal in either instance. The Wild got on the board first when Ryan Hartman put a shot past John Gibson after a bad turnover by Ducks defenseman Jacob Larsson. It didn’t take long for things to get worse for the Ducks as they surrendered a second Wild goal off the stick of Kevin Fiala just 36 seconds later making the score 2-0 in favor of Minnesota.

The games first penalty would be committed by Ducks defenseman Jani Hakanpaa who was sent off for tripping with 11:11 remaining in the period. The penalty kill remained one of the bright spots as they were able to keep the Wild power play off the board. The Ducks would go on the power play for the first time with 6:13 left in the period when Wild forward Kevin Fiala was whistled for a holding the stick penalty.

With Fiala in the box Marcus Foligno sailed a puck over the glass from his defensive zone giving the Ducks a 1:06 of a 5 on 3 power play. Unfortunately the Ducks were unable to capitalize on the power plays not even registering a shot on the 5 on 3 or the remaining 5 on 4. The Ducks weren’t even able to register their first shot on goal until there was only 3:36 left on the first period clock. The Wild took a 2-0 lead into the locker room after one, they also had the edge in shots on goal with 9 to the Ducks 3.

Second Period:

The second period started with Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm taking a tripping penalty in the offensive zone just 1:32 into the period. The penalty kill was once again on top of it’s game keeping the Wild scoreless on their second opportunity of the game. Ducks Kevin Shattenkirk was sent off for a crosscheck with 12:48 remaining in the middle frame. Once again the penalty kill stepped up and kept the Wild off the score board to keep it a 2 goal game.

The Ducks were finally able to solve Wild goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen when Sam Steel put an impressive spinning backhander by the net-minder bringing the Ducks within one goal at 2-1. Steel has scored two goal in two games since being a healthy scratch when the Ducks played the Vegas Golden Knights on the 9th.

Ducks forward Derek Grant and Wild forward Kevin Fiala were both sent off for coincidental roughing minors with 6:18 left in the period. Neither team was able to take advantage of the extra ice with the ensuing 4-on-4 play. Despite the Ducks not offering many shots on goal and lackluster play the period ended with them trailing by a single goal. The Shots on goal for the period were 7-6 in Minnesota’s favor.

Third Period:

Trailing by one goal the Ducks were looking to win the third period, however the Ducks were quickly on the penalty kill when Ryan Getzlaf was called for a slashing penalty just 1:59 in. The Ducks once again were able to kill the power play and keep the score 2-1. The Ducks had some scoring opportunities when Cam Fowler broke in on Wild goalie Kaapo Kahkonen but put the shot off the goaltenders blocker and stick just wide of the net. Later with 7:54 remaining in the period Max Comtois was unable to put a puck in a wide open net with Wild defenseman Ryan Suter getting just enough of his stick in the way to keep the puck out.

Carter Rowney was sent to the penalty box for tripping with 5:45 left in the period setting up the fifth Wild power play on the night. The Ducks were able to statistically kill the penalty however Wild forward Marcus Foligno scored with 3:45 remaining just as the penalty expired to give the Wild a two goal lead at 3-1.

The Ducks pulled John Gibson with 1:12 left to try and pull within one goal but they were unable to put the puck passed the Wild net-minder. The game finished with the Wild defeating the Ducks 3-1, sending the Ducks to their second straight loss. The shots on goal ended at 27-17 in favor of the Wild.

Analysis:

The Ducks once again weren’t able to find the back of the net more than once. The scoring woes continue to plague the Ducks and their chances at competing for playoff spot. These are the games the Ducks need to win to have any chance at making the playoffs.

Unfortunately with the offense and power play as poor as they have been this season winning enough games will be a tall task. To add insult to injury Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm was absent from the bench in the third period according to Eric Stephens Lindholm suffered a lower body injury. The next opportunity the Duck will have to right the ship will be on Saturday against these same Wild.

What’s Next?

The Ducks host the Wild on Saturday at 6 PM PT.

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February 19th, 2021