A game that should have been a rookie showcase was anything but

The Anaheim Ducks lost to the New York Islanders by a final score of 5-2. After pulling the Ducks from the jaws of defeat against the Pittsburg Penguins, Beckett Sennecke faced off against fellow Calder Trophy candidate Matthew Schaefer. In what should have been a hyped contest between two of the best rookie skaters, their performances underwhelmed, and the Ducks relinquished the Pacific Division lead.

Rookies disappoint

Entering the game, both Sennecke and Schaefer were in the top three for NHL rookie scoring leaders.

While Schaefer understandably is the favorite to win the Calder Trophy, Sennecke has at least built up his case to be in the running.

However, neither rookie shined in the game.

In one of the few bright spots for the Ducks, Ryan Poehling out skated Schaefer for a loose puck, which resulted in a Troy Terry goal.

Sennecke did not have a better game himself though. The suffocating 1-1-3 defensive system of the Islanders limited the rush chances for the Ducks. Muck like the rest of his team, scoring chances were difficult to generate for Sennecke. When one of his best scoring chances was an unscreened one-timer, which Islanders goalie David Rittich easily stopped, Ducks fans could sense how tough the game was going to be for Sennecke.

Final tally

The stats speak for themselves; outside of the discrepancy in ice time due to positional deployments, neither rookie skater really moved the needle in their first faceoff.

The thud

The Islanders built up an early 3-0 lead and while the aforementioned Terry goal pulled the Ducks closer to tying the game, the Islanders were never in danger of losing. The final goal from Ryan Pulock of the Islanders, with an assist from Chris Kreider, about summed up Ducks fans' disappointment.

A loss. No fireworks from Sennecke or Schaefer, and the rematch will not happen until March in Anaheim. On to New Jersey.