Anaheim Ducks Fall 2-1 in Shootout to Arizona Coyotes

5 of 5
Next

Dec 27, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Kesler (left) and center Ryan Getzlaf in the first period against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena. The Coyotes defeated the Ducks 2-1 in an overtime shootout. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Anaheim Ducks came out of the holiday break on a sluggish note, falling 2-1 to the Arizona Coyotes in a shootout. The Ducks have now alternated wins and losses in their past six games, going 3-2-1 in that stretch. The Ducks are now 23-8-6, but they still lead the league with 52 points.

The Ducks opened the scoring at the 9:16 mark of the first period. Ryan Getzlaf barreled into the offensive zone with the puck through four Coyotes skaters and left a pass for Rene Bourque, who crashed the net and got the puck past Devan Dubnyk to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead. The goal was Bourque’s second of the season, while the assist made Getzlaf the fifth player to reach the 40 point mark this season.

However, the Coyotes would respond almost immediately. Just 73 seconds after the Bourque goal, the Coyotes would strike to tie the game. As the Coyotes got a cycle going in the Ducks’ zone, defenseman Zbynek Michalek got a pass from Martin Erat and blasted a shot past Frederik Andersen to tie the score at one. Sam Gagner, who recorded a secondary assist on the play, set a screen going across the crease. The goal was Michalek’s first of the season.

Regulation, and even overtime were not enough for the game. The two teams went to the shootout, but neither Dubnyk nor Andersen conceded a goal through the first three rounds. Andersen stopped Mikkel Boedker, Gagner, and Antoine Vermette, while Dubnyk stopped Dany Heatley, Jakob Silfverberg, and Ryan Kesler. In the fourth round, Shane Doan snapped his stick while attempting a shot. Andersen stopped the stick blade, but the puck trickled through. On the other end, Dubnyk stopped Getzlaf to give the Coyotes the win.

More from Pucks of a Feather

Overall, the game was sluggish. The Ducks outshot the Coyotes 36-29, but many of those chances were one-and-done opportunities. The Ducks were unable to establish strong offensive chances, outside of the third line. The Ducks also only won 37.7% of their faceoffs and were under 40% in all six situations (even strength, power-play, shorthanded, offensive zone, defensive zone, and neutral zone). Basically, even if the Ducks had an opportune chance, they were unable to control the puck after a stoppage.

Here are my three stars of the game.

Dec 27, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf in the first period against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena. The Coyotes defeated the Ducks 2-1 in an overtime shootout. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Third Star: Ryan Getzlaf, C (1 A, +1, 1 SOG, 3 Hits, 3 Blocked Shots, 18:51 TOI)

Getzlaf had a primary assist on the Ducks’ only goal, but he was active in other areas outside of offensive roles. He got engaged in the rather physical affiar, logging three of the 84 hits in the game. He got into shooting lanes, blocking three shots. Overall, the team was sluggish, but Getzlaf did his part to try and will two points out of this game.

Oct 14, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Anaheim Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen (31) and center Rickard Rakell (67) celebrate winning against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. The Ducks defeated the Flyers, 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Second Star: Rickard Rakell, C (3 SOG, 15:25 TOI)

Don’t let the statline of Rickard Rakell describe his performance. Rakell spearheaded the active Ducks’ third line of Silfverberg and Patrick Maroon. That trio got involved in the corners and was the most successful in generating offensive chances. Rakell got involved on the forecheck, drove hard to the net, and kept the puck cycling in the offensive zone during his shifts. Since his recent call-up to the NHL level, Rakell has been terrific in his opportunity, and he is making a statement that he truly belongs at the NHL level.

Dec 27, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Anaheim Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen reacts in the second period against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena. The Coyotes defeated the Ducks 2-1 in an overtime shootout. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

First Star: Frederik Andersen, G (OTL, 0.92 GAA, .966 SV%)

With the team in front of him struggling to stay active, Andersen was sharp, stopping 28 of 29 shots. He gave the Ducks a great chance to earn two points in a game they didn’t necessarily deserve to have that opportunity. He came up huge on Boedker in the second period, robbing him of a go-ahead goal. He also stopped Vermette on an odd-man rush in the overtime period. Andersen’s strong performance makes him a strong candidate to start on Sunday against Vancouver.

Dec 27, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Ice flies as Anaheim Ducks right wing Jakob Silfverberg (33) falls while controlling the puck in the first period against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Next, the Ducks return home to Honda Center, starting a stretch of eight straight home games and ten straight in Southern California until the All-Star break. The Ducks draw the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night. The Canucks are fourth in the Pacific Division and currently hold the second wild card spot in the Western Conference with a 20-11-2 record and 42 points.

Daniel Sedin leads the Canucks with 30 points. Henrik Sedin, his linemate and twin brother, has a team-leading 23 assists, while the other linemate on that top line, Radim Vrbata, has a team-high 13 goals. Alexander Edler plays a team-high 24:10 per game, and he has a blue-line leading three goals, seven assists, and ten points. Dan Hamhuis is still sidelined with an injury.

Point Streaks, General Notes:

Getzlaf has a seven game point streak and points in 12 of 13 games. Devante Smith-Pelly, who recorded a secondary assist on the Bourque goal, extended his point streak to three games (three assists). Emerson Etem had his two game point streak snapped.

Despite the sluggish nature of the game, it was not an undisciplined contest, by any means. Each team took one minor penalty apiece: Vermette was called for interference in the first period, while Nate Thompson was called for boarding in the second. Neither team converted the power-play: the Coyotes generated three shots on goal, while the Ducks failed to generate any.

The Ducks played their 23rd one-goal game. That means 62.2% of their games this season have been one-goal affairs, and the Ducks’ record in those games is now 17-0-6. 40 of the team’s 52 points have come in those one-goal games: the team is just 6-8 in games decided by multiple goals. While the record in close games is stellar, it’s a bit worrisome that the Ducks, with their perceived talent, cannot pull away from teams and are under .500 in multi-goal games.

Next