Last night (November 22), the Montreal Canadiens and Anaheim Ducks met with the intention of ending their respective three- and four-game losing streaks.
With a narrow 4-3 victory in front of 15,168 spectators at Honda Center, the Canadiens pulled it off.
The Ducks had to play catch-up early because they fell behind. Throughout the game, they kept cutting down Montreal’s two-goal advantage, but they were unable to take the lead. It’s disappointing to leave points on the board in a game that the Ducks could win, but there’s not much time to dwell on it because the team returns to action on Friday after the Thanksgiving break. Here are a few lessons learned from the loss.
Negative: Ducks Don’t Start On Time and Fall Behind Early
At the start of the game, the Canadiens were playing at full capacity offensively, and less than five minutes in, they were on the power play. Although the Ducks ended it, Montreal’s offensive zone time and pressure during those two minutes paved the way for the opening goal.
Less than a minute later, another goal made possible by a tough loss in a battle on the sideboard in front of Anaheim’s bench. Goalie John Gibson was powerless to stop that one; it was a flawless pass on a two-on-one for a simple tap-in, and the Ducks were down two goals in the blink of an eye.
Even though the Ducks were not fortunate to receive a harsh early penalty call, it is difficult to recover from an early deficit in the NHL. It compels adjustments to the strategy. It demands a greater degree of urgency. The Ducks didn’t have to play too far outside of their comfort zone because it was early in the game, but they are all too familiar with this.
Negative: The Ducks are currently a one-line team.
Ducks goals came from Mason McTavish and Frank Vatrano, two players on the team’s most dynamic line this season. It’s not a formula for success, but it almost worked out. Players were augmenting this line’s scoring to make their seven-game winning streak noteworthy. Conversely, this is the case lately. In the 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues on November 19, McTavish scored the lone goal, and in the 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on November 17, Vatrano scored the lone goal.
While these two players are currently the team’s stars, the rest of the lineup will need to step up if the Ducks are to resume their winning ways. We watch what occurs when they fail to grasp it, but we also witness what this team can accomplish when they succeed.
Positive: Luneau Retreated and Appeared Magnificent
After a brief stint with the San Diego Gulls, Tristan Luneau made his first appearance in a Ducks uniform. In 17:48 of ice time, he finished plus-one with one assist, one shot on goal, and one hit.
The 19-year-old gave a fantastic performance. Greg Cronin, the head coach, showed his faith in Luneau and the rest of the young defense corps by playing all six defenders fairly evenly. He is allowing them to play with all of their mistakes, which is exactly what the company ought to be doing. The most crucial thing is to get them reps, and it was fantastic to see Luneau get some in after being absent from the team for a month.
Negative: Montreal wins the game after young players make a tough turnover.
A thrilling final ten minutes were created by the Ducks’ valiant effort to rally from a 3-1 deficit and get back into the game. In sports, as is frequently the case, one play decided the outcome of the match.
Pavel Mintyukov skated into the offensive zone late in the third, leaving McTavish with a drop pass right away. That’s a grave mistake. Once you are in the attacking zone, especially with strong defensive coverage, you do not retreat with the puck. Jake Evans scored the game-winning goal past Gibson after he knocked it loose, skated past McTavish, and advanced down the ice. It was difficult to accept, and Mintyukov—who has, thus far, had a strong rookie season—learned a valuable lesson from it.
Mason McTavish was the Anaheim team’s player of the game.
McTavish is on his way to having a fantastic sophomore season as he increased his season total to 19 points with three more points last night. He is the Ducks’ MVP of the early part of the season and never lets up with skill, finesse, IQ, and positioning. He plays and contributes in every circumstance, makes excellent use of his size, and has shown that no moment (so far) is too big for him. He has a unique rapport with Ryan Strome and Vatrano, so as the season progresses, he should be able to maintain his point-per-game pace.
Black Friday: The King’s Looms Matinee
As Cronin correctly noted in his postgame remarks, the Ducks have lost a number of games that they should have won. “We need to figure out how to get past this,” he uttered.
The next opportunity to make a breakthrough comes in Anaheim’s yearly Black Friday game against the Los Angeles Kings, which also happens to be the first Freeway Faceoff of the season. This will be so much fun, I can tell. Watch some talented, youthful, and hungry rosters compete by tuning into the tilt. It’s puck drop at 12:30.