Pre-Game Puck Drop: Anaheim Ducks vs St Louis Blues
The Anaheim Ducks face their first back to back on the young season and we have Sunday Night Hockey from St Louis. And we here at Pucks of a Feather have you covered from puck drop to final buzzer.
Game 6: Anaheim Ducks vs St Louis Blues
The Ducks find themselves landing in St. Louis singing the blues in the most literal sense. Coming off a 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars thanks to a disastrous 2nd period the Ducks needs to have short memories and put all their effort into this one. The Blues currently sit at 1-1-2 after being beaten by the Jets, Blackhawks twice and beating the Flames. The Ducks and Blues are both playing in the tail end of a back to backs but this is a team the Ducks should be able to grind down and beat.
Location: Enterprise Center St Louis, Missouri
Time: 4:00pm PST
TV: Prime Ticket
Anaheim Ducks Projected Lineup:
Andrew Cogliano–Ryan Kesler–Rickard Rakell
Max Comtois–Adam Henrique–Jakob Silfverberg
Brian Gibbons–Sam Steel–Kiefer Sherwood
Ben Street–Isac Lundestrom–Troy Terry
Hampus Lindholm–Brandon Montour
Marcus Pettersson–Andrej Sustr
Ducks Injuries: Ryan Getzlaf (Groin), Corey Perry (Knee), Patrick Eaves (Shoulder), Ondrej Kase (Concussion), Korbinian Holzer (Wrist) Carter Rowney (Upper Body)
Last Game: (5-3 L at Dallas Stars)
In a game that started so well for the Ducks, it was quickly forgotten. The Ducks got off to a great start and took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. Great zone entries and puck movement led to a Jakob Silfverberg snipe after curling to the slot from behind the net. And Kiefer Sherwood got his first NHL goal after he tipped home a Josh Manson shot. The Ducks even looked okay to start the 2nd period as Sam Steel made a slick no-look pass back door to Adam Henrique for a power-play goal. And then it all unraveled.
The Stars are a fast moving speed driven team. They aren’t perfect because sometimes they rely too heavily on the offensive side and don’t manage their own zone. But its a system the Ducks claim they want to become. Five games into the season the Ducks have been defending against it more than implementing it. Thanks to some power-plays and the Ducks letting their foot off the gas the Stars exploded for thirty shots, that’s right thirty shots in the period and picked up four goals off it. Alex Radulov, Connor Carrick, Jamie Benn, and John Klingberg all found the net and the Ducks looked lost for the whole period. John Gibson got so fed up he punched Jamie Benn in the slot and following the fourth goal looked at that bench as if to say how many do you want me to stop.
The Stars added an empty-net goal in the 3rd to get the final 5-3 score and when it was done the Ducks allowed 51 shots on goal. The Ducks are playing a lot of kids and kids in high-pressure situations. But that excuse only goes so far. At no level of hockey should a team allow 51 shots, ever. Adam Henrique, when asked about the second-period post-game, said: “Its embarrassing, you shouldn’t let up 30 shots in a game let alone a period”. He couldn’t be more right. And despite the Ducks current 3-1-1 start a few more instances like that and Randy Carlyle won’t be long for this team.
Find the Right Tune
Luckily for the Ducks, they won’t have to sit around and think about the Dallas disaster long. They’re right back at it tonight in St Louis and can split the two-game back to back road trip with a win in the city of blues. The Ducks will hit St Louis with the Blues struggling to find their game on the young season but make no mistake this team isn’t a pushover. They have beat a team many were high on to start the year in the Calgary Flames and lost to a good Winnipeg team and twice in overtime to rival Chicago.
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The Blues are also playing their second of back to back after losing last night in Chicago so the “tired” excuse cannot be used. The Ducks will also avoid Jake Allen and instead see Chad Johnson between the pipes for the Blues. Johnson is a serviceable back-up but that’s about it and the Ducks need to exploit that. The Blues are 30th in the NHL in goals against per games played coming in giving up over 4 goals a game. The Ducks need to strike early and often and silence Enterprise Arena early.
Former Duck David Perron is back in St Louis and is playing at a goal a game clip to this point and stalwart defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is always someone to watch for the Blues. But the biggest X-factor tonight is the Ducks D-core. You can get away with the Ducks are young up front storyline, (though with Kesler and Henrique both playing that becomes less and less true) but the D core has no excuses. They are young but they are all veterans sans for Pettersson and allowing the amount of shots they are on top of their inability to move the puck is bordering on an unbelievable level.
The Ducks D-core needs to start leading this team and stop looking lost more often than not. They have a chance to easily erase the Stars game, being 4-1-1 through six has to feel good. Falling to 3-2-1 and certain people’s jobs may be on the line.
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