Anaheim Ducks 10 Positive Takeaways From The Devastating Overtime Loss In Chicago

By Griffin Foster |

39 shots to 24, 26 hits to 17, 34-24 advantage at the faceoff dot. All of these numbers swung in favor of the Anaheim Ducks Monday night and yet they left Chicago with just one point after a heartbreaking overtime loss.

Jonathan Toews roofed a wrist shot to end the game in 3-on-3 overtime but there is plenty to be smiling about if you are a Ducks fan.

Positive Takeaway Number 1

Freddie Andersen is THE man.

Yes, he is THE man, Andersen was great once again Monday night and he continues to solidify himself as one of the leagues best young net-minders.

He stopped 23 of 24 shots against the Hawks but the offense once again failed to put the puck past the opposing goaltender. The Ducks have scored just one goal in six games when Andersen has been in net this season, he’s not getting any help.

Freddie is playing at an elite level and he showed that again Monday night. While the Ducks continue to be snake bitten offensively, they know that goaltending is the least of their worries.

Freddie’s 1.71 goals against average ranks him 6th in the league while his .940% save percentage has him tied for 6th.

Say what you want about the Ducks effort and offensive struggles, but praise the play of Freddie Andersen, he’s been unbelievable and was named the third star of the game in Chicago.

Freddie’s play Monday night shows that he is going to win a lot of games for the Ducks once the offense gets things going.

Positive Takeaway Number 2

Faceoffs.

The Ducks were absolutely dominant at the faceoff dot against Chicago posting a 34-24 edge. Ryan Kesler won 73% of his draws and Rickard Rakell won 67% of his.

They won a ton of key faceoffs towards the end of the game and with four centers all capable of going over 50% every night, it is certainly a positive takeaway from the Chicago game.

Positive Takeaway Number 3

Creative Instincts.

Lets face the facts, in the Nashville and Minnesota games, the Ducks looked like zombies. Too many times they were simply throwing pucks at the net just to do so and there was no urge to generate offense or scoring chances for teammates.

Against Chicago it was a totally different story.

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The Ducks were forechecking and it created turnovers. Pucks were available in the offensive zone and the Ducks generated a number of great scoring chances because of it.

Hampus Lindholm and Cam Fowler were great in the game due to the way they chose the correct times to join the rush and carry the puck in deep. Lindholm, on a number of occasions, carried the puck in and got shots on net that created rebounds.

The Ducks skill was finally on display and their offensive confidence seems to be back at full strength.

Positive Takeaway Number 4

Physical Play.

The Ducks finally found their identity once again and they threw the body around all night.

A 26-17 hit advantage was a nice stat to see, but it was evidently noticeable throughout the game that the Ducks were making physicality a point of focus in their game plan.

This physical play directly effected the offensive struggles as well.

The Ducks were hounding the Hawks defense and it led to some extra possessions. This is something that we had not see from the Ducks since last postseason and it was the reason they made such a deep playoff run.

Clayton Stoner got back to what he does best, or quite possibly the only thing he does well, and that is to hit people hard. Stoner knocked big Brent Seabrook down with a monster check and he dropped the gloves after Ryan Garbutt ran into Freddie Andersen.

Chris Wagner was great against the Hawks as well. He led the Ducks with seven hits and his style of play was exactly what the doctor ordered for the plagued Ducks. He was an impact energy fourth liner last night and that is something the Ducks have been lacking from guys like Maroon and Stewart.

The Ducks grit and strength is back and it needs to continually be a focal point.

Positive Takeaway Number 5

Corey Perry Is Close.

Perry was flying around the ice against the Hawks. He was credited with eight shots on goal and he was back to making plays that we have seen him make so many times before, it was a great thing to see after such a poor performance against Minnesota.

At one point Perry raised his arms to the heavens, as to ask what else he must do to put that rubber puck across that line.

Perry is close and once he scores, the flood gates will open. We’ve seen it before and we know he is capable of going on scoring streaks. Last night was a great indication of whats to come as Perry was really attacking the net and it is just a matter of time before the 2011 MVP gets going.

Positive Takeaway Number 6

60 Minute Effort.

The Ducks strung together their most impressive 60 minute effort last night. They stuck to their identity and played well in all three zones.

Their neutral zone play was much better. The correct passes and decisions were made which led to them outshooting the Hawks and controlling possession for good portions of the game. They will need to continue strong neutral zone play if they want to turn this thing around.

The 60 minute effort is something to build off of and they must continue to play this way. The Ducks called the Chicago game “the start to a new season” and hopefully it is a sign of whats to come.

Positive Takeaway Number 7

The Penalty Kill.

The leagues best penalty kill remained dominant against the Hawks.

The Ducks did not allow Chicago the time and space they so desperately wanted. It was clear that the penalty killers were not going to allow Kane and Toews time to create.

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The Ducks penalty killers also did an outstanding job of making zone entries difficult. They protected their blue-line and stayed on their toes as opposed to falling back on their heels and allowing Kane and others to skate the puck in.

The refs really enjoyed calling penalties last night but the Ducks were ready, their penalty kill looked absolutely brilliant. The best way to counter a poor power play is by having an overly dominant penalty kill, which is exactly what the Ducks have.

Positive Takeaway Number 8

Hampus Lindholm.

Lindholm again led the Ducks in ice time, playing a season high 26:39 against Chicago.

He looked really good playing big minutes and he again finished with an even rating, he is becoming extremely sound defensively.

Lindholm was also looking to create offense late in the game. He joined the rush and carried the puck in flawlessly on a number of occasions and was throwing pucks at the net looking to create rebounds. He did a great job at getting shots through traffic as well which has been an issue for the Ducks with getting shots blocked.

Lindholm also played 2:27 on the power play and 2:51 on the penalty kill. His dominant two-way game was on display against the Hawks, he channeled his inner Duncan Keith.

Lindholm showed once again that he is capable of playing big minutes.

Positive Takeaway Number 9

Power Play.

While the result remained the same, the Ducks shook things up and the power play looked a bit more aggressive.

Rickard Rakell was up on the first unit which moved Sami Vatanen down the second unit. This seemed to be a good move as Getzlaf seemed to making a few more plays while playing the point. Vatanen and Lindholm also looked good playing the point together on the second unit.

Its a step in the right direction and it shows the Boudreau and Paul Maclean are searching for solutions. I think they might have found something with these adjustments, Rakell has to much offensive skill to not be getting looks with the first unit.

Positive Takeaway Number 10

The Ducks are not the only one’s.

Here’s an interesting statistic. The Ducks have not scored in 128:36 while the Blackhawks have not scored in regulation in 139:43. The Ducks have lost three straight while the Hawks have won four straight.

The margin between winning and losing is small but if the Ducks string together consecutive efforts like last night’s, the win’s will come.

Next: Anaheim Ducks Fate Now Lies In The Hands Of GM Bob Murray

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