Lineup shakeups and awakened special teams have helped the Anaheim Ducks even the score

After getting absolutely embarrassed in their previous outing, the Ducks went into Game 4 against the Vegas Golden Knights in dire need of some change, as the offense was starting to sputter, the special teams were flat, and the team defense was leaky. However, with a few tweaks to the lineup and an awakened powerplay unit, the Ducks were able to even up the second round series with a solid 4-3 win at Honda Center.

Guess who's back?

Mason McTavish had been watching from the press box, since the Game 1 loss in Vegas. While his struggles this season have been well documented up to this point, McTavish is more adapt at creating offense than a Ross Johnston or a Jansen Harkins. And with the Ducks in need of an offensive spark, McTavish found his way back into the lineup for Game 4. Even though he only registered 11:25 of ice time and primarily skated on the third line, McTavish's underlying numbers suggest that he was a main driver for the Ducks. McTavish finished Game 4 with a 96.4 expected goals percentage in all situations, with an expected goals rate of 1.8, despite not registering a single point on the scoresheet.

Olen Zellweger had been watching from the press box for much longer than McTavish, as Zellweger's last on-ice appearance was on April 7th in 5-0 loss against the Nashville Predators. Much like McTavish, Zellweger had lost trust from the Duck's coaching staff, but Tyson Hinds and Drew Helleson had not brought any offense to the series thus far. For all of his defensive warts, Zellweger can drive play from the back end and he registered an assist in the Game 4 win. Zellweger may have only been on the ice for 11:52, but his was second amongst Ducks defenders in expected goals percentage with 41.

Powerplay finally woke up

The Ducks powerplay scorched the Edmonton Oilers in the opening round, converting on 50 percent of their opportunities. Against Vegas though, one of the main strengths of the Ducks had fallen asleep, going 0 for 11 in the previous three games. In Game 4 though, the Ducks powerplay finally woke up.

Surprisingly, it was the second unit featuring Alex Killorn. McTavish, Beckett Sennecke, Cutter Gauthier, and Jackson LaCombe that led the way. Not to be outdone, Ian Moore notched his first goal of the playoffs, on the powerplay as well, which ended up being the eventual game winner.

The Ducks were 2 for 4 on the powerplay in Game 4 but are just converting at 13.3 percent clip (2 for 15) in the series against the Golden Knights. While 50 percent is unrealistic and probably unachievable for the remainder of the series, the Ducks cannot afford to go ice cold again on special teams. For the Ducks to win the series, a couple more powerplay goals will be necessary.

Final thoughts

Keep McTavish in the lineup, he may not be the number two center the Ducks thought they signed in the offseason, but he can still drive play and his one-timer is an effective threat on the powerplay. Keep Olen Zellweger in the lineup too for that extra scoring threat and let Ian Moore stay on the blue line, enough with the fourth line forward charade. Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville doesn't tinker with a winning lineup, so don't expect any changes for Game 5, unless Radko Gudas is finally ready to take the ice. We'll see what changes happen, if any, come Tuesday night.

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