Anaheim Ducks Snap 9 Game Winless Streak Against Colorado

After a nine-game winless skid, the Anaheim Ducks finally got back into the win column and roared back to overcome the Avalanche with Ryan Getzlaf‘s overtime tip-in goal with a sweet dish from Rickard Rakell.

The Ducks finally finished a game. No doubt, this was a wild one and brought the Ducks great relief in the end. The Ducks were in firm control about halfway through the second period, but let the depleted Avalanche back into the game and looked deflated after the Avalanche scored four straight goals in the last half of the second and first half of the third.

However, the Ducks showed resiliency and fought, determined to not repeat the same result of what happened just last night. Goals by Troy Terry and Kevin Shattenkirk erased the Avalanche’s two-goal lead to give the Ducks a chance in overtime.

While the club was not perfect at all, and there were definitely highs and lows, some troubling past trends still existed. Nevertheless, the club was able to put enough elements of the game together to prevent the skid from reaching double digits.

Worrisome Trends for the Anaheim Ducks

1. Giving up Multi-Goal Leads – Deja vu hit the Anaheim Ducks again when they surrendered a multi-goal lead for the fourth time in a row (previous 3 against the Coyotes (twice), and Avalanche last game). In all those games, the Ducks looked flat in the second half of the game and couldn’t mount enough offense to win any of the games. They sat back and stopped playing offense.

If they keep surrendering multi-goal leads like this, you have to wonder how much it is going to hurt the mental aspect of the players and the overall confidence of this young, fragile team.

2. Relying on Goaltending – Yet again, the Ducks relied on their goaltending to help them pull out a win. While the Ducks prevented goaltender Ryan Miller from facing a lot of work in the first half of the game, he faced an absolute onslaught the following 20 minutes. The Avalanche consistently poured on and Miller faced tons of rubber with the Ducks scrambling in their zone.

For many years now, it seems that every night the Ducks rely on their goaltending a little too much to keep them in games. Thus, it just shows how slim the margin of error they have to win combined with a questionable, yet seemingly improving offense.

The Bright Spots

1. Troy Terry – Denver native Terry came really alive this game, notching two goals, and was consistently on the forecheck. One of the most impressive moments of his career was his first goal where he double deked Avalanche goaltender Hunter Miska which led to a backhand into an open night. After being a healthy scratch for three straight games in late February, Terry looks invigorated and ready to prove he’s an NHL regular.

https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1368384988467523584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

2. The Power Play – After a dreadful power play showing against the Blues at Honda Center and the last game against the Avalanche, the Anaheim Ducks were 2 for 2 and won the special team battle (Avs only scored on 1 of their 3 chances).

What’s even more impressive is the Ducks converted against the Avalanche’s #1 penalty kill in the league at 89%. If the Anaheim Ducks can start to move the puck better and keep the power play simple, by passing and shooting as they did against Colorado, more power-play goals are hopefully on their way to come.

3. Goaltending/Ryan Miller – The Anaheim Ducks would not have been given a chance to even come back had it not been for some acrobatic and critical saves from Ryan Miller. Down 4-3 and on a power play, Terry lost the puck shorthanded at the Ducks’ blue line and Avalanche forward Tyson Jost moved in and tried to lift a backhand over Miller. To no avail, Miller was equal to the task, stopping it with his glove.

There was also a rebound bid from Avalanche forward Jayson Megna where Miller stacked the pads to prevent a goal up high.

While Miller did allow 4 goals, you can’t fault him for any of those as he was either screened by Avalanche defenders or it was due to a breakdown in the Ducks defense.

Conclusion

The Anaheim Ducks can finally breathe a sigh of relief that they were finally able to pull out a win. While it wasn’t the prettiest of wins, the Ducks found a way after the game was seemingly lost when the Ducks got down 4-2.

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They pressed to the very end and were able to capitalize on the opportunities they were given, specifically on a struggling power play. The win should provide a big mental boost of confidence and belief that the Ducks can play with anyone in this league.

The young Ducks (Max Comtois, Troy Terry, Isac Lundestrom, and Sam Steel) are all slowly growing and meshing pretty well with veterans, even though the win-loss record doesn’t speak for itself. Winger Rickard Rakell is getting on a points hot streak again and has renewed confidence in himself. The Ducks have been playing well as of late, but just not able to put enough of a game together to pull out a win.

This club is one of those ‘have not’ teams that I define as a team that does not know what it has yet completely in its young core and has still not completely found its identity. Hence, a young team compared to past Ducks’ teams. Nonetheless, the Ducks should rejoice in that youth on this team shows promise. The challenge is now if they could put it together on a more consistent basis.

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