After a fantastic effort against the San Jose Sharks in preseason game four, the Anaheim Ducks got set to take on their cross-town rivals in the LA Kings just one day after their previous meeting. Much to the delight of Ducks fans, they not only got revenge for the shut-out they had to endure in the last Freeway Faceoff, but they kept playing with supreme confidence and skill.
There are many positives to take away from this Freeway Faceoff win, and although it wasn’t as great of an effort as the game against San Jose, it was a fun one to watch. The team almost looks completely different from their first three games. Instead of trying hard to come up with plays on the fly while looking flashy, the skaters are having a lot more fun on the ice and scoring more thanks to the attitude change. Very rarely now do the Ducks find themselves breaking down defensively or not getting a decent shot on goal for minutes on end due to a constant frustration on the ice looming over them, and they’re going to have to keep up their new-found style while fixing the most critical problems to find more regular-season success than last year.
Getting Ahead Early
Surprisingly enough, the Anaheim Ducks scored the game-winner just 1:40 into the first period on a beauty of a shot from Jacob Larsson that got put into the net from the doorstep by Adam Henrique. This game could have easily been 3-0 in the first thanks to some pretty chances set up by the offense, but Kings goalie Jonathan Quick was making some impossible saves.
Looking past the offense, the defense that this Ducks team was playing is awe-inspiring. The kind of defense that they were playing in the first is what they need all season long if they want to make it back to the playoffs. Brendan Guhle, Josh Manson, and Larsson were the returnees from the previous night, and they were just laying on the body all game. Some of the hits looked like they were going to shatter the glass, it was a serious turn-around from the sluggish defense we saw just three games ago. The penalties were a little lopsided in the first, however, and that was the one part of their game that wasn’t looking improved.
Taking the Foot Off the Gas Pedal
Unfortunately for the Anaheim Ducks, their defense really started to slow down, and Ryan Miller had to make some enormous stops to keep the lead at 1-0. They struggled mightily to clear or even skate with the puck, and it started to get to them. There was some pretty visible frustration at times, and the defense was getting in their own heads.
The Ducks did improve their penalty taking though, and both Guhle and Isac Lundestrom made the Kings take some timely penalties to get the pressure off their drained defense. Only Nick Ritchie took a penalty for Anaheim in the second off a goalie-interference call, but things looked better for the most part. The penalty kills for periods one and two were flawless yet again, and for the first time in a long while, being on the penalty kill isn’t the scariest part of any given game for Ducks fans.
Both of the power play opportunities for the Ducks ended pretty miserably, which deepens their streak of useless man-advantages. With any sort of offense being hard to come by for this team, power plays don’t matter when they can’t get in position or pass the puck efficiently, but with a little work on the special teams, their power play woes might finally come to an end sooner than later.
Finishing Off Without a Bang
By the start of the third period, the defense had gone from being one of the best we’ve seen during the preseason to one of the worst. They couldn’t block shots, they couldn’t handle the puck, and they were contracting hard in their own zone. Guhle at one point saved a goal while taking a penalty, and another critical play like that really added on to an already impressive preseason resume. He might just make the big club early on after all.
There isn’t much else to talk about in the third, just some more jaw-dropping saves by Miller and an empty-netter by Sam Carrick to finish off the game with a 2-0 score. The game wasn’t a disaster, but there were some clear-cut concerns about the longevity of this roster during important games.
The defense can’t collapse like that in regular-season games, it would just be an absolute nightmare like last season. The Anaheim Ducks are fortunate enough to have two incredible goaltenders, but that doesn’t mean that they can rely on them to play perfect defense for sixty minutes every night. Their offense gave them just enough, but the defense only gave their best in the first period. Once they gain some consistency to help out their goalies, this Ducks defense could put real fear into the hearts of many teams.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this game was far from as bad as it might seem, and it’s a very promising sign that the Anaheim Ducks can play solid back-to-back games as they did. The main problems were the defense breaking down and the number of penalties that the Ducks are still taking. The penalties are likely due to offseason rust and many rookies making their first or second rounds in the NHL, so it’s an easy fix, but as for the defense, that might be a tricky problem for head coach Dallas Eakins to tackle before the season starts on October 3rd.
The major positives from this game were easily the early defensive pairings, some amazing offensive chances generated by great veteran and rookie teamwork, and the saves of Ryan Miller. If they can recreate the positives and fix up the negatives, they’ll have a fun team to watch going into the season opener.
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