Takeaways from the Ducks Games Against Edmonton and Vancouver

The Anaheim Ducks went on the road for a pivotal back-to-back trip to Canada to play the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks, who they’re currently chasing in the Western Conference playoff picture. A picture they’re just barely remaining in the frame of, as after the two-game set, they’re six points out of the second wild card spot with three teams ahead of them in the race and 21 games remaining on their schedule.

Ducks Trade Brian Dumoulin to the New Jersey Devils

On Tuesday, the Ducks were in Edmonton to face the Oilers, perhaps the favorite to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup final. Despite a rough start to the game, they finished the first period up 4-1 and would go on to win by a decisive 6-2 scoreline, with Mason McTavish potting two goals and Cutter Gauthier and Jackson LaCombe each notching three assists.

Lukas Dostal got the start in that game and was sensational, stopping 33 of 35 shots. He was opposed by Calvin Pickard, who gave up four goals on 11 shots and was replaced by Stuart Skinner after the first period. Skinner stopped 12 of 14 shots in the final two periods.

On Wednesday, the next night, the Ducks traveled to Vancouver to take on the Canucks without Norris Trophy-favorite defenseman Quinn Hughes. Despite the 3-2 final score, the Ducks were thoroughly outplayed by the Canucks from the opening puck drop.

John Gibson started the game for the Ducks and was terrific through 33 minutes (even making perhaps the save of the year), making 19 saves on 21 shots, but was forced to leave the game with a lower-body injury after a collision with Vancouver forward Drew O’Connor. Dostal relieved Gibson and saved 14 of 15 shots.

Ducks head coach Greg Cronin stuck with the same lineup in each game. Olen Zellweger and Ross Johnston served each game as the Ducks’ healthy scratches.

Here are my notes from these games:

Defensive Zone Coverage-The Ducks refined the aspects of their coverage that plagued them against the Blackhawks on Saturday. They are still struggling to cause the necessary early turnovers to create rush chances the other way.

The most consistent path toward manufacturing those turnovers occurs in instances where an opponent tracks back toward the offensive blueline with a defender hounding him before he’s converged upon by a second supporting defender, usually a winger covering the point man. They are then able to force a poor decision and sometimes drive that puck carrier out of the zone before stripping him of the puck.

Penalties-The frequent trips to the penalty box are becoming a problem for the Ducks like they were a season ago. The Ducks took nine minor penalties in their two most recent games. They allowed three goals on eight opposing power play chances (62.5%), which doesn’t bode well for a team sporting the league’s 28th-ranked penalty kill.

Perhaps the most alarming aspect of the penalty troubles is that the players taking the majority of the minors are the team’s veteran leaders, the ones tasked with setting an example for the talented young stars.

Cycle-When the Ducks did possess the puck in the offensive zone for extended periods of time, there was far less stagnation. All five players and specifically Leo Carlsson’s line with Trevor Zegras and Alex Killorn, kept their feet moving with and without the puck. Off-puck, they darted in and out of the slot to provide screens and present themselves as passing options in high-danger areas.

Cutter Gauthier-Gauthier may have been the Ducks’ best forward during this two-game stretch. In a short amount of time, he’s done well to learn the intricacies and details of NHL hockey, transforming himself into a puck hound who not only can make plays at full speed in transition, but can make quality plays in tight areas.

The Ducks will next travel home to Orange County to host Cam Fowler and the St. Louis Blues on Friday evening, another team they’re chasing in the playoff hunt and without their top defenseman Colton Parayko.

Report: Gibson’s Health Primary Concern over Contract, Ability

What a Mikko Rantanen Trade to the Ducks Could Look Like