Anaheim Ducks: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Against Minnesota Wild

Anaheim Ducks vs Minnesota Wild: The Bad

Troy Terry Squanders the Perfect Opportunity

The Anaheim Ducks could have easily scored their first goal of the night late in the first period. Fowler bounced the puck off the end boards and Troy Terry, who got to the puck first, tried to put the puck into the back of the net but was denied by Talbot.

While we sometimes get on Terry’s case for passing instead of shooting, this would have been the perfect opportunity for him to pass. Sam Steel was wide open on the far post, and if Terry would have passed it to Steel instead of shooting straight into the glove of Talbot, Steel could have easily scored into the open net.

From the look on Terry’s face, it was evident he knew he missed a perfect opportunity. But, we won’t be too hard on Terry, as he has looked decent alongside Max Comtois and Sam Steel. Nevertheless, that could have been a big goal for the Anaheim Ducks. Situational awareness is something the young forward might want to work on.

Anaheim Ducks Scoring Woes and the Pressure on Gibson

The lone goal from Nicolas Deslauriers was a beauty. However, the Anaheim Ducks scoring woes have seemed to follow them into the new year. We’re three games into the season, and only two players have scored for this team.

Giving them the benefit of the doubt, this is a team that hasn’t played together in 10 months. But, there comes a point when we can no longer use that excuse on their behalf. These one-goal games aren’t going to be enough to pull off wins against teams like the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, and Vegas Golden Knights.

In fact, it was barely enough for the Anaheim Ducks to pull off a win against the Minnesota Wild. Had they put anyone else between the pipes, the Ducks would have easily lost that game 3-1. This team is putting way too much trust in John Gibson. While a team should be able to trust their netminder, Gibson isn’t going to be able to keep out every goal this season (as was evident against Vegas.)

The Anaheim Ducks cannot allow him to constantly be under siege every night. We saw what that did to him last season. They need to figure out where their big disconnect is, and start putting tallies on the board. The team has had plenty of opportunities, they just need to figure out how to finish.