Pivotal Five-Game Eastern Conference Road-Trip for Anaheim Ducks
By Jason Byun
December 1, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen (45) reacts after scoring a goal against the Boston Bruins during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Game 3: Boston Bruins
After a game in Columbus, the Ducks will then travel to the TD Garden to take on the Boston Bruins on Thursday. The Bruins are currently fighting for a playoff spot. Last season’s President’s Trophy winners currently hold the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, yet the Bruins lead the Ottawa Senators by only one point, and Ottawa also has a game in hand. A desperate team provides its own challenges, but outside of injuries, this is still largely the same core of players that won 54 games and earned 117 points last season.
Boston is only 19th in the NHL in scoring, at 2.60 goals per game. That’s a tremendous drop-off from their figure last season (3.15, which was third in the league). The Bruins have struggled in the goal-scoring department: they only have eight double-digit goal scorers and only two 20-goal scorers (Brad Marchand with 22 and Patrice Bergeron with 20). Part of this is that David Krejci has only played in 38 games this year with various injuries and the departure of Jarome Iginla to the Colorado Avalanche in free-agency.
Although Zdeno Chara has produced less this season (just seven goals, 19 points this season after a 17 goal, 40 point campaign last season), Dougie Hamilton has blossomed into a terrific player. The ninth pick in the 2011 NHL Draft has 10 goals and 42 points this season, 15 of which have come on the power-play. Hamilton also has a 55.2 CF% at 5-on-5 this season, and he has been tremendous for Chara this season (they control 57.5% of shot attempts at 5-on-5 when on the ice together, but without Hamilton, Chara’s figure drops all the way to 44.1%).
The Bruins have had to compensate for their lack of scoring with Tuukka Rask. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner has a 29-18-11 record with a 2.28 GAA and .923 SV%. The Bruins’ GAA as a team is 2.44, which is tenth in the NHL. The Bruins are 7-2-3 in their past 12 games, and the team is in pure desperation mode to get into the playoffs, making them a dangerous opponent.
The Ducks defeated the Bruins 3-2 on December 1st, as Frederik Andersen made 32 of 34 saves in the victory. The Ducks allowed 28 shots on goal in the opening two periods, and that number needs to go down, both as a sign of improvement and as a key for the game.
Next: Game 4: New York Islanders