Anaheim Ducks Are Finally Clicking

Tuesday night’s hard-fought 6-4 win over the Seattle Kraken marked the third straight for the Anaheim Ducks, and the third game in a row where the team scored five or more goals.

The Ducks have been hit-or-miss this season and entered their current win streak with an 18-23-6 record. Reports of a poor locker room culture, consistent healthy scratches of their young players, and injuries to their best performers have all plagued the team this season, leading to less-than-ideal outcomes. However, as of late, something finally seems to be clicking on the ice — what’s working?

Ducks’ Discipline & Penalty Killing

Across their last three games, the Ducks have only taken 26 penalty minutes and have been keeping themselves noticeably disciplined. A cleaner style of play and less time in the box has allowed the team to maintain control of the puck and keep their best players on the ice. Their penalty kill has also been impressive lately. In their recent wins, the Ducks only allowed one power-play goal for the opposing team thanks to a consistent first penalty kill unit of Jansen Harkins, Alex Killorn, Brian Dumoulin, and Radko Gudas. These heavy hitters are able to clear the puck, check hard, and keep other teams’ offenses at bay, even with the man advantage. If the Ducks can continue to stay disciplined and composed as they have been, continuing their hot streak will come easily.

Anaheim Capitalizes on Offensive Chances

Anaheim has been taking – and keeping – control of the puck much more often as of late. In their most recent game against the Seattle Kraken, the Ducks won the faceoff 40% of the time and boasted just 11 giveaways. Having 23 shots on goal, with six of those being converted, aided in their win. The team produced an even more dominant performance over the Nashville Predators, where they won the faceoff 53.3% of the time and had the game’s only power-play goal. They totaled 35 shots on goal in that game, with five of them going in. The Ducks played fairly evenly against the Pittsburgh Penguins to start their win streak, tallying 34 shots on goal to Pittsburgh’s 42 and capitalizing on 11 takeaways. They were noticeably in control and in their offensive zone a majority of the game and were able to use that to their advantage to take the decisive 5-1 win. The team is now 20-0-2 when scoring three or more goals, making those offensive opportunities all the more important.

Ducks’ Defense & Goaltending

The Ducks’ defense has a major size advantage, with six out of seven defenders standing at six feet and 200 pounds or higher. Players like Gudas, Dumoulin, and Jacob Trouba are highly physical and check often, which has become a major advantage for the team. They tallied 49 hits across their last three games – physicality seems to be their modus operandi.