Anaheim Ducks Rebound, Edge Dallas Stars 2-1 in Overtime
By Jason Byun
Oct 31, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Anaheim Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau talks to the team during a time out in the third period at American Airlines Center. Anaheim beat Dallas 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Next up for the Ducks is the final game of the Central Division road-trip against Colorado on Sunday. The Avalanche, after getting 112 points and winning the Central Division last season, have really struggled out of the gate, starting 3-4-4. However, the Avalanche shut-out the New York Islanders 5-0 on Thursday, despite Semyon Varlamov facing 40 shots on goal.
Colorado won a lion’s share of games last year despite negative shot differentials because their goalie was excellent last season. The Avalanche, like the Stars, are a team loaded with speed and young offensive talent, starting with players such as Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Ryan O’Reilly. Duchene leads the team with nine points, while Landeskog and Alex Tanguay are tied for the team lead with four goals. Anaheim will face Colorado on a back-to-back situation, as the Avalanche will play the night before in St. Louis.
Point Streaks, General Notes:
Perry, with his multi-point effort, snapped a three game scoreless streak. However, Getzlaf has been held off the scoresheet in four consecutive games.
Beauchemin played a monstrous 28:05 against Dallas, including 6:31 of shorthanded ice time. His chief partner, Hampus Lindholm, played 25:29. Those two continue to be the ice time leaders for Anaheim.
All four Ducks’ centermen finished with faceoff percentages above 50%. Getzlaf won 13 of 23 draws, Kesler won 11 of 21, and Thompson won 10 of 15. Eakin, Spezza, and Shawn Horcoff all finished under 40% on the night, while Vernon Fiddler won half of his draws. The Ducks had a losing record in the circle against both Chicago and St. Louis, dropping Anaheim from 1st to 5th in faceoff win percentage in the NHL.