Three Keys to a Critical Anaheim Ducks Victory Over Colorado
Much like last season, the Anaheim Ducks are now on a losing skid that seems unshakable. The skid is now at three games going into Colorado, and this long and tough road streak will go into Las Vegas next. This game will be critical for Anaheim’s confidence in the future, so let’s go over what they need to do to win.
Unlike the American Airlines Center in Dallas, the Pepsi Center hasn’t been too unkind to the Anaheim Ducks. Overall, the Avalanche have gone 22-18-1 against Anaheim at home minus the four ties they shared before ties got eliminated from the league. The Ducks need to simply get back on their feet to create a chance to win, and that’s the main key to victory.
Regroup and Re-Energize
Over their past five, the Anaheim Ducks have gone 2-3 and are now only a game over five-hundred. They shared close games with Calgary and Dallas before and after getting blown out by Nashville, so the morale in the locker room is pretty low. They have looked incredibly frustrated and beaten, and that is not a good look considering that the opponents pick that look up pretty well.
If head coach Dallas Eakins can actually instill that winning culture back into his players, they’ll look completely different on the ice. Unfortunately, things aren’t that simple for the Ducks. Their lack of scoring has been their demise during this losing streak, and the power-play unit has now officially become a problem. When they can’t score on the power-play to tie up close games, it is pretty clear why they lost.
No one is stepping up to lead the scoring because none of the Ducks have that capability. There’s not one player that has the scoring prowess to spark up the team, they all show flashes in different games. If Anaheim has that spark-plug offensive player, the situation at hand would be much different, but they just don’t have it now. It is up to luck that the team gets out there and works together to score goals, and that is what will really burn them over the season. They have to find some way to just group up as a team and do their best. For this game, the Ducks do have one new member to add to that team attitude, however.
Welcoming Gudbranson
More from Pucks of a Feather
- Who could the Anaheim Ducks consider presenting offer sheets to?
- Is Pierre-Luc Dubois on the cards for the rebuilding Anaheim Ducks?
- Making the case for the Anaheim Ducks to trade with the Edmonton Oilers
- Anaheim Ducks might benefit tremendously by trading John Gibson
- How close are the Anaheim Ducks to becoming contenders again?
Over the off-night, Bob Murray made a trade that sent Erik Gudbranson to Anaheim for Andreas Martinsen and a seventh-rounder. Many Ducks fans were rather upset over this pick-up, but there are three things to look at here. Murray loves to trade for veterans, the Ducks finally have another right-handed defenseman, and Anaheim didn’t really give up anything.
It was obvious that Murray was going to make some more head-scratching trades, he’s clearly not happy with a lot of his players. In his own ways, he really wants the Ducks to play well, and he’s passionate enough to do what he thinks is right. Is he always right? He’s barely ever right quite honestly, but at least he isn’t leaving his team to sink on purpose. In essence, this trade was solid for Murray considering that Anaheim finally has another right-hander. Before Gudbranson, there were only eight right-handers on the team, so now there’s another skater that can handle the puck in a different way. And what did Anaheim give up for that? An AHL skater and a seventh-round pick that would go towards some far off prospect. There is really nothing to not be okay with there.
Gudbranson isn’t a scorer, so Ducks fans can’t expect him to spark the offense. He’s more-so there as another veteran to offer experience for the rookies and play solid minutes to replace the loss of Josh Manson. His penalty minutes of the past are rather worrying, but he’s sat in the box for only four minutes out of seven games so far, so until he hits Nick Ritchie territory we don’t have to worry too much. The only thing Ducks fans can hope for is that he doesn’t allow Ryan Miller to face too many shots, and backing the goaltender is really the last key to success.
Actually Score Goals
Beside that Nashville blow-out, the Anaheim Ducks have played pretty solidly in defensive terms. When they are cool and composed, the defense is hard to beat, but there is just nothing to back it. John Gibson and Miller should not be expected to get shut-outs every night, the Ducks need to score to back them.
It is a tall order to rely on luck, but for this Ducks offense, it is all they have. Without any spark or drive to lead them, someone just needs to step up and find a way to score. It does not matter who finds the scoring touch, someone has to. If that does not happen, there are plenty of trades pending from a very impatient Murray. For Anaheim, the players are going to have to fight for their careers at this point. Let’s hope they take that very seriously.
Next. Anaheim Ducks Lose Two Key Players to Injury Against the Dallas Stars. dark
In closing, tonight’s game hinges on the offense finally finding a player that leads them to score more than a single goal. They need some true regrouping to get ready to go on the ice. Otherwise, there are a lot of players that might not see much more time in Anaheim. Let’s hope that Gudbranson was worth the trade and actually replaces Manson in defending the goalie and his new teammates.
Are you a super-fan of the Anaheim Ducks? Would you enjoy writing for Pucks of a Feather? If so, we would love to have you as a contributor! Just follow the link above for more info.