Anaheim Ducks vs Nashville Predators: Predator or Prey?

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NASHVILLE, TN – MARCH 8: Hampus Lindholm #47 of the Anaheim Ducks skates against the Nashville Predators during an NHL game at Bridgestone Arena on March 8, 2018, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Key One: Defend Your Man

The Anaheim Ducks defense has been struggling since the start of the regular season. In my opinion, Randy Carlyle needs to swallow his pride and reunite the Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson pairing. Nevertheless, until he comes to his senses, the Anaheim Ducks have to play in the pairings the coach says they have to.

One of the biggest issues the defense has been having this season is their inability to properly protect the front of the net and block shots. John Gibson is left to defend himself, facing between 30-40 shots or more per game. That is not okay. Gibson should not be facing that many shots!

John Gibson’s job is to block shots, yes. However, he needs his defensemen to be his second set of eyes. They have, so far, lacked the capability to do so. The defense looks sloppy and out of sorts. Their foundation is severely cracked, and they need to figure out how to fix it.

The defense needs to go back to basics and stand firmly upon the fundamentals that turn a defenseman into a defensive dynamo. If they are able to maintain good positioning during the game tonight, initiate decent breakouts, and are able to make crisp passes to their teammates, they can iron out quite a few of their issues.

Of course, they cannot do any of this without focusing on communicating with the rest of their team. It isn’t just the defense that needs a lesson in communication, it’s all of them. Nevertheless, if the defensive core can figure out how to do it, maybe the rest of the team will follow suit.

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