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The Anaheim Ducks came up short against the Calgary Flames last night for their third straight loss, falling 3-2 in overtime.
The Ducks found themselves down early, as Michael Stone wired a shot through traffic that beat Dostal only four minutes into the game. Anaheim did start building a bit of momentum as the frame went on though and on a two-man advantage late in the period, Mason McTavish managed to bury a one-timer, tying the game through 20 minutes.
In the second period though, it was all Flames. Calgary struck early, with Brett Ritchie backhanding a shot past Dostal only about three minutes in, putting the Flames back ahead. The Ducks took four penalties throughout the period and were outshot by an absurd 23-1 margin, with Calgary getting all kinds of chances around the net. However, thanks to Lukas Dostal, the Ducks were still in it, down only a goal after two periods.
The Ducks actually did come out strong in the third period, with a good chance to tie it early that was stopped only by the stick of MacKenzie Weegar, before Jakob Silfverberg drew a penalty. On the ensuing power play, Frank Vatrano found Silfverberg in the slot and he managed to beat Jacob Markstrom to make it a 2-2 game.
Calgary did come extremely close to taking back the lead right after, as a puck got through Dostal but ended up hitting the post. Neither team could capitalize after that though, and the game continued to overtime.
In the extra frame, Ramus Andersson ended up putting a great shot past Dostal, as the Flames took the extra point.
While the Ducks were competitive in the first and third periods, it’s a small miracle the game wasn’t out of reach after the disastrous second period. For the fourth game in a row, they were outshot by a ridiculous margin and Lukas Dostal is the only reason the last few haven’t been blowout losses.
That said, the Ducks won the special teams battle, capitalizing twice on the power play, while the penalty kill came up big in the second period.
Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry and Mason McTavish also spent a bit of time playing together, which was cool to see. With Zegras and McTavish penciled in as the team’s top-two centers for the foreseeable future, it’s unlikely we see them even play as a unit much down the road, but as Anaheim’s three clear most talented forwards, it was still a nice development (even if brief).
At the break, the Ducks sit with a 9-22-4 record through 35 games. From here, the goal has to just shift to developing young talent, and getting back some good assets at the trade deadline.
The Ducks will be back in action on Wednesday, when they host the Vegas Golden Knights.
Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate - the next article will come on Boxing Day, for a Ducks’ World Juniors preview.
OTHER ARTICLES FROM DECEMBER
Ducks shut out by Stars for fourth straight loss
Ducks fall to Wild in shootout for fifth straight loss
Ducks blow lead against Jets, lose sixth straight game to end road trip
Ducks snap six-game losing streak with overtime win against Hurricanes
Ducks suffer blowout loss at home against Sharks
Ducks shut out by both Senators and Maple Leafs in back-to-back set
Ducks find some success on road trip with back-to-back wins
Ducks suffer back-to-back 4-1 losses against Kings and Wild 
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