Photo: Canadien Press
By Michael Walters
The Anaheim Ducks continued their homestand against the Vancouver Canucks. Lukas Dostal got the start in net again. Alex Stalock was recalled and backed up Dostal as John Gibson was out sick. Casey DeSmith was in net for Vancouver.
Cam Fowler returned to the lineup after being out when a puck hit him in the face two games ago. Leo Carlsson (upper-body) and Mason McTavish (lower-body) did not play in this one.
Recap:
The Canucks took an early lead just 1:37 into this contest. Quinn Hughes found Nils Hoglander in the slot and he beat Dostal on his glove side.
The Ducks answered back with a goal by Alex Killorn a few minutes later. Max Jones tried to score, but had the puck knocked off his stick. Killorn picked up the loose puck and wristed it in to tie things up.
The teams remained tied, but the Ducks were called for a penalty with 35 seconds left, which carried over to the second.
In the middle frame, Anaheim was called for a second penalty right before the first one expired. The Ducks were able to kill off both penalties, but the Canucks shortly afterward. Nikita Zadorov scored off a redirection to make it 2-1 Vancouver.
The Ducks had power play chance late in the second period, but couldn’t convert. The Canucks held a one goal lead heading into the third period.
In the third period there were no penalties or scoring. The Ducks pulled Dostal in the final minutes of the game, but could’t get the tying goal. Ducks dropped this one 2-1.
Analysis:
The shorthanded Ducks made a valiant effort against the division leading Canucks and just came up short. Despite being outshot 14 to 3 in the first period, they came out of it tie. The rest of the game the shots on goal were 17 to 15 in favor of Vancouver. A blown defensive coverage lead to the second goal by the Canucks or this game could have possibility gone to overtime.
It’s going to be a rough finish to the season with all the injuries for Anaheim. They are still without Trevor Zegras and now Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish could be out for a while. Troy Terry missed a few games recently and appeared to get banged up in this one as he went to the locker room for several minutes.
With the amount of injuries the team is facing, especially on offense, one has to wonder if it will change General Manager Pat Verbeek‘s strategy as the trade deadline approaches this Friday.
Team Notes/Stats:
Dostal played through illness on Friday night and now Gibson isn’t feeling ill. It appears it is going around in the Anaheim locker room.
McTavish was seen leaving the arena on crutches with a boot on his right foot. He may be out for an extended time.
What’s Next?
The Ducks host Ottawa Senators Wednesday at 7 PM.
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March 4th, 2024
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