Anaheim Ducks Hold On, Edge Buffalo Sabres 4-1

Oct 13, 2014; Buffalo, NY, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf (15) against the Buffalo Sabres at First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

With the Anaheim Ducks coming off a spectacular 3-0 shutout win over the St. Louis Blues on Sunday, many expected the team to cruise along against the Buffalo Sabres, a team they had already defeated 5-1 in dominating fashion just nine days before. The Ducks seemed to be in a position to nab their sixth consecutive win and improve their record at home to 3-0-0: the Sabres had only scored seven goals in their first six games, going 1-5-0 with their only points coming in a shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

While it appears on the scoreboard that the Ducks dominated this game, that is far from telling. The Sabres fought hard and hung around in the game, but Anaheim gave Buffalo numerous opportunities to stick around in this game. Nevertheless, the Anaheim Ducks found a way to win the game 4-1. The team has won six straight games and sits atop the Western Conference with 12 points.

Star winger Corey Perry iced the game with 2:43 left to play in the 3rd period when he scored his seventh goal of the season and second of the game. Zemgus Girgensons won a faceoff against Ryan Getzlaf, but Andre Benoit failed to clear the puck. Getzlaf fired a pass to a wide-open Corey Perry, who hammered a shot past goaltender Michal Neuvirth to give the Ducks a 3-1 lead.

Getzlaf and Perry connected earlier in the game as well. Devante Smith-Pelly gave a pass to Getzlaf, who pushed a beautiful pass to a streaking Perry, who had gotten a step ahead of Cody Hodgson. Perry got the puck and fired the first shot on goal of the night for the Ducks, and it gave the team a 1-0 lead.

Perry completed his second hat trick of the season and seventh of his career by scoring an empty-net goal with 2:25 left in the game. Francois Beauchemin won a puck battle with Sabres captain Brian Gionta behind the Anaheim net, and Perry fired the puck down the ice into the open net to finish with his eighth goal in seven games. His eight goals are tied for the NHL lead with New York Rangers forward Rick Nash. Both Perry and Getzlaf are tied with New York Islanders forward John Tavares and Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin for the NHL lead in points with 10 apiece. Getzlaf is also now the current league leader in assists, with eight.

The other Anaheim Ducks goal was scored by Ryan Kesler, who received a feed from Andrew Cogliano on an odd-man rush in the 2nd period. Kesler fired a wrister that deflected off Sabres defenseman Mike Weber past Neuvirth, giving the Ducks a 2-0 lead with 10:40 left in the 2nd.

For the Sabres, Tyler Ennis scored his third goal of the season with 5:06 remaining in the game. Matt Moulson put a shot on goal, and Frederik Andersen couldn’t contain the rebound. Ennis, who was crashing to the net, put the puck on his backhand and fired one past Andersen, ending the Dane’s shutout streak at 152:46 and the Sabres’ team scoreless streak at an even 197 minutes. That was the Sabres’ eighth goal of the season, and only four of their players have scored this season.

While the Perry hat trick and three-goal win look great, the Ducks had their issues. They committed ten giveaways, many of which were in the defensive zone and led to offensive opportunities for the Sabres. Andersen had to make numerous great saves on the Sabres, who looked determined to leave Anaheim with at least a point as they began the California road-trip.

Although he was unable to nab his second consecutive shutout, Andersen stopped 22 of 23 shots and was tested consistently throughout the night, having to make difficult saves. His best save of the night came when stopping Chris Stewart on a backhand. Perry committed a giveaway, and the puck fell to Marcus Foligno, who passed to a wide open Stewart in front of Andersen. However, the Dane stopped the initial shot and pushed it wide, then covered up the following attempt.

While not a perfect win, the Ducks also showed flashes of the great team that many experts believe they can be. With 5:25 left to go in the 1st period, the third line of Matt Beleskey, William Karlsson, and Rickard Rakell started a dominating cycle game that lasted almost a full two minutes. The Ducks won every single puck battle in the offensive zone and even got a shift change for the top-line during the cycle.

When the Anaheim Ducks are clicking at that level, they are a tough team to beat. This was not one of their more complete performances. In the regular season, wins and losses matter less than how a team plays in those wins and losses. The team turned in an inconsistent effort, and without great goaltending, this game may have gone to overtime. Nevertheless, the Ducks found a way to win when they were not at their best.

As always, here are my picks for the Ducks’ three stars.

October 17, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry (10) celebrates his goal scored against the Minnesota Wild during the third period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Second Star: Corey Perry, RW (3 G, 19:19 TOI, +3)

While it may seem off to put Perry as only the second star with a hat trick, I believe this is the right slot for him. Perry was terrific, getting his second hat trick of the season in just the seventh game. He’s on pace to shatter his career bests: when Perry won the Hart Trophy in 2011, he didn’t score his eighth goal until the 19th game of the regular season. Again, now that he’s in a position where he can focus on a more offensive role, Perry can focus on getting goals.

Remember, Perry scored only eight power-play goals last season: 35 of his 43 tallies came at even-strength. With an improved power-play and a role more focused on goal scoring, Perry might eclipse his 50 goal, 98 point 2011 campaign this season if he stays healthy and the team continues to click offensively.

October 17, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen (31) blocks a shot against the Minnesota Wild during the third period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

First Star: Frederik Andersen, G (W, 1.00 GAA, .957 SV%)

Again, Andersen gets the first star. He was sensational, keeping the team in the game while the Ducks were seemingly sleepwalking in front of him defensively. His shutout streak of 152:46 that spanned the past three games was an incredible feat, and he is the first goaltender in NHL history to win 26 of his first 31 starts. Andersen is now 6-0-0 on the year, with a 1.32 GAA and a .951 SV%, and he has been instrumental in the Ducks’ current six game winning streak. Not even a hat trick can take away the spotlight from Andersen, and he was the driving force all night in this win.

Oct 19, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen (45) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the St. Louis Blues in the first period during the game at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

The next opponent for the Anaheim Ducks will be on Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, who will also be on the California road-trip. The Blue Jackets are a rugged, physical team who love to engage in physical play and throw the body at their opponents. They are a team that does not win by talent alone: instead, they utilize a heavy and effective forecheck to wear their opponent out throughout the game and force turnovers.

The Ducks will be getting the Blue Jackets on the second leg of a back-to-back, as the team will have played in San Jose the night before. The Ducks are also the third game of a four game road-trip for the Blue Jackets, who lost 3-2 in Ottawa to the Senators this past Saturday. Puck drop will be at 7:00 p.m. PT.

Point Streaks, General Notes:

Getzlaf had his second straight multi-assist game this season, and he has three such games already (with the opener in Pittsburgh being the third). Both Getzlaf and Perry have points in six of the first seven games this season.

Kesler snapped a three-game point-less streak with his 2nd period goal. His last point was his penalty-shot goal against the Sabres on October 13th.

For the first time this season, Cam Fowler led the Ducks in ice-time (23:07).

Each of the Ducks’ players who play center (Getzlaf, Kesler, Karlsson, Rakell, Nate Thompson) have a season faceoff percentage above 50%. Kesler leads the team with a win percentage of 58.7%. This is why the Ducks have improved from 20th in faceoff percentage a season ago (49.2% winning percentage) to 3rd (55.4%).