Duck Calls: Week eight recap for the Anaheim Ducks

After an exciting 4-3 win against the Eastern Conference leading Washington Capitals on Friday night, the Anaheim Ducks are still holding down first place in the Pacific Division. However, week eight proved to be rather mediocre for the high-flying Ducks as they went .500, with wins over the aforementioned Capitals and Blues, and losses to the Blackhawks and Mammoth.

Not only was the loss to the Chicago Blackhawks disheartening, as Connor Bedard outplayed Leo Carlsson, but the loss to the Utah Mammoth was even more so, as that game devolved into a good old-fashioned, burn the tape kind of loss.

While the Ducks did welcome back the addition of Mikael Granlund into the lineup, who missed the last 10 games due to an injury, the absence of Lukas Dostal is beginning to wear on the team. Combined with little to no production from the bottom six forward group, the Ducks are beginning to flounder a bit. While the team has already banked enough points to make the playoffs a probability, a poor week of play could sink them in the standings, even in a weak division like the Pacific.

Biggest Concern

Goalie injuries and depth at the position

Lukas Dostal is currently listed as out and Petr Mrazek is on injured reserve, per Daily Faceoff. As the third goalie on the depth chart, Ville Husso has been the starter out of necessity. While he did help secure the wins against the Blues and the Capitals, Husso only has a save percentage of .859 and a 3.28 goals against average.

The Ducks are dangerous off the rush, especially when the defensemen pinch down in the offensive zone to create another layer of scoring opportunities. The Ducks currently rank fourth in the NHL at goals for per game with 3.46. Conversely, their rush style attack leads to a lot of breakaways against, which Dostal was adept at stopping. Husso on the other hand, has not seemed capable of minimizing the goals against for how the Ducks want to play.

With only unproven Vyacheslav Buteyets listed as the other option in net, who get shelled in relief for Husso in the game against the Mammoth, the Ducks need better goaltending. For all their offensive fire power, the team is ninth worse in the NHL at goals against per game with 3.36. A .10 difference is enough to radically alter the outcomes of games. While the defense understandably needs to play better too, an extra save here or there from Husso or whoever is in net, would go a long way to keeping the Ducks afloat in the meantime.

Three Stars of the Week

Third Star: Ross Johnston

As the only bottom six forward who accumulated any points this week (1 goal and 1 assist), the depth forward should get a tip of the cap. Plus, his deflection off of a Radko Gudas point shot against the Capitals, proved that he in fact can do more with his hands, other than throw punches.

Second Star: Cutter Gauthier

With two goals and one assist for the week, Gauthier is still leading the Ducks with his 0.57 goals per game. Combined with being in third place in the entire NHL in shots, at 115, Gauthier has kept up his torrid shooting pace.

First star: Beckett Sennecke

Offensively, Sennecke had the best week for any Ducks skater with four points (1 goal and 3 assists). Criminally, the rookie is still not talked about enough for the Calder, as Sennecke leads all NHL rookies in points with 22.

What's next?

The Ducks will host Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks for a rematch on Sunday. The team then heads out on the road for about a week and a half, with games against the Penguins, Islanders, Devils to close out week nine. While games against Eastern Conference teams do not carry as much weight as games against Western Conference teams, wins are still just as important, especially when the Ducks are down their number one goalie.