There we go. The Anaheim Ducks are back in the win column. With a big overtime win last night over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Ducks avoid an early-season four-game losing streak and keep pace in a tumultuous start to the season for many clubs. Let’s look at some positive, negative, and neutral takeaways from the win.
Negative: No Carlsson vs Fantilli Matchup, I Guess
So we’ll have to wait for that first matchup between the two young centers after all. Leo Carlsson was scratched not because of the lingering training camp injury, or poor play, but because Pat Verbeek has a player management plan for him that will control the number of games he plays during the first half of the season. What? This is the NHL and not the NBA, right?
I’m all for taking measures that can ease an 18-year-old into his first taste of NHL action, but Carlsson looked really good in his debut against the Dallas Stars, and followed that up with another solid game against the Arizona Coyotes. He sat against the Boston Bruins so it made sense to put him back in the lineup, especially against the backdrop of a matchup with Adam Fantilli. The decision to sit him last night made very little sense. Verbeek missed me with that one. You have to let the kid play.
Positive: Penalties Doom Opponent For a Change as Bottom-Six Lines Come Up Huge
The Ducks gave the Blue Jackets seven power play chances. Seven. Thank goodness their power play was as bad as that of the Ducks. It helped that the Blue Jackets didn’t have Patrik Laine in this one.
In a welcome plot twist, though, it was the penalties by the Blue Jackets that gave the Ducks opportunities to get back into the game. Trailing 2-1 in the third, two straight penalties gave the Ducks four minutes of man-advantage time in the final 10 minutes of the game. While they didn’t score, they generated chances and momentum and wore out the Blue Jackets’ key players. The power play opportunities paved the way for the game-tying goal by Brett Leason with 3:47 remaining. With great pressure in the offensive zone, Leason forced a turnover, and the puck dribbled to Ross Johnston who fed the puck back to Leason for a shot that beat the Columbus netminder. Just a huge play from a group that had yet to make a big impact offensively this season.
Depth pieces also figured into the game-winning goal in overtime, which was a back-and-forth few minutes of action. The teams exchanged high-quality chances, and the goalies exchanged highlight-reel saves, including a quick-handed glove save by each. Lukáš Dostál stopped Zack Werenski and Elvis Merzlikins stopped Troy Terry on a breakaway. The former’s save on Werenski facilitated the finishing sequence of the game, where forward Bo Groulx made a perfect stretch pass to Frank Vatrano, who separated himself from the Blue Jackets defender and beat Merzlikins to seal the win. On a night when their best players were notably quiet, it was huge to get contributions from the depth.
Neutral: Player of the Game for Columbus: Adam Fantilli
Shocker. The newly-minted face of the franchise with no restrictions, but rather a simple directive to go out there and play hockey, has a game-changing impact. Go figure. Fantilli collected an assist and a third-period go-ahead goal against the Ducks. I would’ve liked to see Dostál make the save on Fantilli’s shot though. It was from distance, and Fantilli was draped in defenders. The young kid may have a great shot, and he excellently changed his shot angle by shooting between the legs of the Ducks defender, but shots taken from the far side of the faceoff circle are ones, by and large, you want your goaltender to stop. He held strong afterward though and made the necessary stops that gave the Ducks a chance to win later on. Dostál now has both wins of the season for Anaheim.
Neutral: Player(s) of the Game for Anaheim: Vatrano-McTavish-Strome
This line is quickly becoming one of the painstakingly few dependable sources of offense for the team. The line, or different members of it, was responsible for two of the three goals in the game. Vatrano is red-hot and Ryan Strome is on a point streak. These three players have eight of the 14 goals the Ducks have scored this season. Their play so far suggests a focus and energy that they did not have last season. To use a hockey term, these guys are buzzing early on.
Shipping Up to Boston For a Rematch
Now, the Ducks have their second opportunity this season to string together consecutive wins. It comes in a rematch against the Boston Bruins, who they narrowly lost to last weekend. The Bruins, likewise, are buzzing and will enter the rematch with an immaculate 6-0 record.
They did what they had to do last night to get the victory and should be happy about the two points as they prepare for yet another stiff test in the opening month of the campaign. Look out for a preview in the next couple of days.
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