Takeaways from the Ducks' 5-2 Victory over the Predators

Takeaways from the Ducks’ 5-2 Victory over the Predators

The Anaheim Ducks hosted the Nashville Predators to wrap up their three-game home stand on Saturday night at Honda Center.

Game #49: Ducks vs. Predators Gameday Preview

The Ducks saw a four-game winless streak snap with an offensive outburst on Thursday when they hosted the Penguins, winning that game 5-1 and looking to carry that momentum into Saturday.

The Preds entered play having scored 19 goals in their last three games and had won all of their last five games.

Ducks head coach Greg Cronin deployed the same lineup that earned his team the win over the Pens.

John Gibson got the start in net for the Ducks and made nine saves on ten shots before exiting the game after the first period with an upper-body injury.

No update was given on Gibson’s status other than Cronin stating after the game, “I don’t know what’s going on with him. I think he’s going to be fine though.”

Lukas Dostal came in to start the second period in relief of Gibson and saved 32 of 33 shots and 2.83 goals above expected.

Juuse Saros started in net for Nashville and was shaky from the drop of the puck. He stopped 30 of 35 shots in total.

Here are my notes from this game:

Neutral Zone: A combination of the Ducks forcing broken plays and Nashville’s inability to connect for easy entry led to turnovers and rush opportunities for Anaheim.

The second players in support were quick to jump on disrupted entries and weakside players found lanes to present themselves as outlet options.

Penalty Kill: The Predators’ power play had converted on six of their last 11 attempts, but were unsuccessful in three tries in this game. The main contributing factor was an emphasis on pressuring heavily at the blueline, forcing disrupted entries or rim attempts, after which, the Ducks killers won races to loose pucks.

Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish: Zegras and McTavish drove their lines in this game and made the Ducks a deeper team and more difficult to match up against.

McTavish was practically flawless low in defensive zone coverage and proved how hard he can be to play against. He establishes body position, displays small area skill, and can be as tenacious as they come on the walls and in front of the net.

Zegras showed a side of his game that’s only been seen in flashes over the last two seasons. He was connecting clever behind-the-back passes and delivering an assortment of misinformation all game long. His creativity and vision sprung Leo Carlsson on multiple occasions and he has refined the nuances of board battles and how to progress outlets from the wing on the breakout. If his play continues, he’ll return to form as one of the more dangerous offensive players in the NHL.

The Ducks will head on the road to Seattle to take on the Kraken on Tuesday at 7 pm PST.