Anaheim Ducks vs Pittsburgh Penguins: The Aftermath

Mar 7, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center

(16) scores a goal on Anaheim Ducks goalie

(1) during the shootout at Honda Center. The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Anaheim Ducks in a shootout with a final score of 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Final Score:

Pittsburg Penguins 3 – Anaheim Ducks 2 (SO)

First Period

The Ducks started the first period fast with the first five shots on goal in the game.  At 18:33, former Duck Chris Kunitz received a minor penalty for slashing Corey Perry‘s hand. The Ducks failed to convert on the power play attempt. Shortly after it expired, Ryan Getzlaf took a shot that was blocked by Marc-Andre Fleury. The rebound came to Perry, who shot it in from the side of the net to give the Ducks the early lead at 16:06 in the first period. The game started to get more physical with the teams exchanging hits at both ends of the rink.  The Penguins didn’t get their first shot until 12:13 in the first period, but it was a goal.  Deryk Engelland took a slap shot that went through Jonas Hiller‘s pads, assisted by Jussi Jokinen and Evgeni Malkin. At 11:39 the intensity of the game picked up further, as Tanner Glass and Patrick Maroon dropped the gloves. The fight lasted for a long time, which Maroon landing many front left jabs. Glass and Maroon would eventually tire each other out before being separated. At the 10:00 mark, the Penguins received a power play when Francois Beauchemin was called for tripping against Evgeni Malkin. Hiller made a good save on Malkin and the Ducks killed off the penalty. At 6:50, more penalties were called as Bryan Allen went to the box for tripping against Joe Vitale and Vitale would get called for diving, embellishment. The teams played four on four and were both reserved with no shots on goal during the two minutes. At 2:18, James Neal was called for hooking against Ryan Getzlaf. The Ducks made a push during the power play but couldn’t score and the period ended tied. The Ducks came out strong and out shot the Penguins 12-3 in the period.

Second Period

The Ducks started the second period like the first on the attack. Only 17 seconds into the period Lee Stempniak got a penalty for tripping against Saku Koivu. The Ducks had a few chances, on one Nick Bonino picked up a rebound, but missed the net. The Penguins killed the penalty. The Ducks appeared to score the go ahead goal when Fleury tried to cover a puck that was knocked past him, and into the net. The referee blew the whistle when Fleury tried to cover the puck. At 11:37, Maroon and Jacob Silfverberg would have a 2 on 1 chance, but the puck slid off Maroon’s stick and he didn’t get a quality shot. At 5:49, Neal would get a great chance for the Penguins with a snap shot that couldn’t find its way past Hiller. With 2:36 left in the period, Beauchemin was called for hooking against James Neal. It was a very questionable call as Neal pinched Beauchemin’s stick against his own body pulling it out of Beauchemin’s hands. The Ducks would kill the penalty off and head to the locker room still tied after two periods of play. Ducks controlled the shot total again that period with a 11 to 4 advantage over the Penguins.

Third Period

The Ducks continued to come out strong and with only 1:10 gone in the third they took the lead. Getzlaf drove the net and made a nice pass to Perry for his second goal. Getzlaf and Kyle Palmieri recorded the assists on the play. The hits increased this period with Matt Beleskey and Maroon throwing their weight around. The Penguins made pushes throughout the period. At 15:19, Hiller made a nice save on James Neal. Palmieri got called for tripping against Simon Despres at 11:46. It appeared that Despres lost an edge and went down without Palmieri touching him. During the power play the Penguins increased the pressure and Malkin scored the game tying goal at 11:03. Neal and Sidney Crosby tallied the assists on the play. The teams continued the physical play and exchanged hits. At 8:58 Perry had a chance at a hat trick, but was stopped by Fleury. Taylor Pyatt had the final attempt of the period for the Penguins, but Hiller stoned him and the game headed to overtime. The Ducks started the period strong, but the Penguins responded down the stretch, out shooting the Ducks 7 to 5 in the period.

Overtime

The overtime period almost ended quickly. Cam Fowler turned the puck over and Crosby had a break away from center ice. Hiller made a huge save on Crosby extending the game. Bonino then got a good chance on a wrap around attempt that Fleury stopped. Another Ducks’ turnover led to two shots by the Penguins, but Hiller was able to keep those attempts out of the net. Getzlaf would get the Ducks best opportunity with 51 seconds left in the overtime, but he couldn’t redirect the puck past Fleury.  Both teams exchanged chances throughout the overtime and had three shots each.

Shootout

The Penguins shot first in the shootout and here is a recap:

Neal – SAVE, glove save

Bonino – SAVE, pad save

Crosby – GOAL, 5 hole

Palmieri – SAVE, save

Malkin – SAVE, pad save

Perry – GOAL, 5 hole

Jokinen – SAVE, glove save

Silfverberg – SAVE, pad save

Kunitz – GOAL, backhand stick side

Teemu Selanne – GOAL, forehand glove side

Brandon Sutter – GOAL, backhand glove side

Getzlaf – MISS, shot over top of net

Penguins (3-6) and Ducks (2-6): Penguins won in a shootout 3-2

Breakdown:

ANA

PIT

Power Plays0/31/3Hits2429Faceoff Wins2831Giveaways913Takeaways55Blocked Shots2118Penalty Minutes1313

NHL Three Stars of the Game:

1. Corey Perry

2. Ryan Getzlaf

3. Evgeni Malkin

Cement Pucks:

The problem for the Ducks tonight was the special teams play.  The Ducks never really got going on the power play.  They needed to get set up in the offensive zone sooner. The penalty kill was decent tonight, but the late game tying goal was devastating. They need to force the opposing team to dump the puck in more when killing a penalty. Too often the opposing team carried the puck across the blue line allowing them to set up right away.

The Ducks’ next game is Monday March 10th at Honda Center against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The puck drops at 7:00PM.