What a difference a week and a few days can make. After taking a beating from the Chicago Blackhawks back on March 12, all it took was some time, different color uniforms, and a locale change from the Chicago winters to the California sunshine for the Anaheim Ducks to give it right back last night to the tune of a 4-0 victory.
From the drop of the puck, the Ducks had jump, were disciplined, and took advantage of their opportunities. This is an increasingly rare combination of factors, but they had them all last night in an overall feel-good win to snap their seven-game losing streak. Let’s look at the biggest takeaways.
Big Nights for Vatrano, Leason, and Killorn
Let’s start with Frank Vatrano, who netted his elusive 30th goal of the season from a spot he has scored many goals from – his offside wing on the power play. Scoreless in his previous nine games, he has relentlessly shot the puck (40 shots in those games), put himself in all the right positions, and even hit a few posts, but had been stuck in a drought, much like the rest of his teammates.
Vatrano has been a pitbull this season, playing with aggression, competitiveness, and a will to score that rightfully earned him an All-Star nod. He has earned each of those 30 goals and it was nice to see him finally rewarded with his first career 30-goal campaign.
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Brett Leason had a productive game as well with a goal and an assist, his first two points since his two-goal outing against the same Blackhawks on March 12. His goal was a thing of beauty. Recognizing that he didn’t have many passing options, he skated hard up ice and drove the defenseman back before finding a shooting lane by curling the puck in and shooting through the defender. Changing the angle like that can give goaltenders trouble, especially when the defenseman is used as a screen. It was perfect placement. He has five points in his previous 10 games, and has earned a long look and extra playing time over the next 12 games.
And finally, there’s Alex Killorn. The Ducks’ marquee signing of last summer’s free agency delivered goals 13 and 14 on the season, bumping his point total to 30 in 51 games played. In 11 games played in March, he has a stat line of six goals and one assist while getting consistent ice time and opportunity alongside Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry on the top line. He will likely continue getting those opportunities despite the pending return of Trevor Zegras, given the unfortunate injury to Carlsson.
But Lukáš Dostál Had the Biggest Night
The forwards came to play but it was Lukáš Dostál‘s night all the way. The young Czech stopped every shot that came his way and delivered his first career shutout and, astonishingly, the first shutout of the season for the Ducks.
Dostál and his crease mate John Gibson have had a rough season at times. This losing streak was frighteningly reminiscent of the nightmare that was last season when the Ducks gave up four goals and approximately 40 shots a game. Last night though, was a different story. Ducks defenders limited the quality of Blackhawks’ shots, didn’t give them a ton of space, and allowed Dostál to see pucks without a crowded net front. Granted, the Blackhawks don’t have a deep lineup outside of Connor Bedard, but they did get their looks and Dostál was up to the task. Kudos to him on the performance.
Carlsson Exit Dampers an Otherwise Bright Night in Anaheim
The injury bug continues to follow the Ducks around this season, specifically Carlsson, who left the game following a scary, high-speed knee-on-knee collision with Alex Vlasic of the Blackhawks. His inability to put any weight on the leg was eerily reminiscent of his December knee injury, which resulted in an MCL sprain and a 10-game absence. Keep in mind, he just returned after an eight-game absence due to a concussion, and missed the first two games of the season after a training camp injury. With signs likely pointing to an early end to the season for Carlsson, we hope, for his well-being and the team, that it is not serious.
For all of the early-season chatter about general manager Pat Verbeek’s development plan for the rookie, done partially to protect the player from the physical grind of an 82-game schedule and the inevitable risk of injury, the dynamic center will still end up missing more than 25 percent of the season. What a brutal and unforgiving game hockey can be.
70 Down, 12 to Go. But This One Feels Good
It didn’t come against a quality opponent, but this was a feel-good revenge win for the Ducks against a team that embarrassed them not too long ago. The Carlsson injury certainly takes away some of the uplifted spirits, but the Ducks did what they had to do against a team they just had to beat. You can’t waste opportunities to beat teams that are inferior to you, and the Ducks didn’t this time around. Vatrano got his 30th, Dostal got his first shutout, veteran players are getting on the board, and who knows, we might get some Zegras for the stretch run. Maybe the next few weeks won’t be terrible after all?