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The Anaheim Ducks came up short against the Dallas Stars last night, falling 3-2 at home.
The game marked the NHL debut of both Leo Carlsson and Tristan Luneau, with both Adam Henrique and Jamie Drysdale out of action. Carlsson was centering the top line of Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry, while Luneau took Drysdale’s place on a pairing with Cam Fowler. Meanwhile, John Gibson got the start.
The Ducks were able to get ahead early, as Troy Terry buried a rebound off a point shot in-close. They put together a really strong period from there, and while the teams traded some power play chances, the Ducks were generating good opportunities, and went on to outshoot Dallas by a huge 17-7 margin.
However, the second period was a different story. The Ducks came out a bit flat, and the Stars had a couple really good chances off the rush, only to be stopped by Gibson. Midway through the period though, Roope Hintz took a stretch pass for a breakaway and managed to score, tying the game. The Ducks came really close to taking back the lead afterwards, as Troy Terry managed to get to the net, but slid the puck right through the crease.
But with only a couple minutes to go in the frame, it was the Stars who were able to take the lead, with Joe Pavelski tipping in a point shot on a power play to make it a 2-1 game. The Ducks were outshot 12-1 in the frame overall, and had lost all the momentum they had early on.
Only a minute into the third period though, Troy Terry put a great pass over to Leo Carlsson on a 2-on-1, who beat Jake Oettinger for his first NHL goal, tying the game.
However, only about six minutes after that, Miro Heiskanen carried the puck to the net on the rush and when he slid it out to the front of the net, it went off Cam Fowler’s skate and past Gibson, putting Dallas back ahead.
Leo Carlsson did have a chance to tie the game midway through the frame on a breakaway, and then the Ducks pressed late, but they weren’t able to even it up, and fell 3-2.
While the Ducks came up short, I think overall, that was a really promising performance. They were the better team in the first period, then arguably the better team in the third period as well, but just couldn’t capitalize. It was a really rough second period, but for the Ducks to be creating as many chances as they were against a really strong opponent was a win in itself.
The special teams battle was a huge factor, though. The Ducks went 0-for-4 on their power play opportunities, while Dallas capitalized on two of their five chances.
But Anaheim's performance also comes without several key pieces in the lineup, with all of Henrique, Drysdale, Alex Killorn, Isac Lundestrom and Brock McGinn out of the lineup. With those players all playing and providing more depth, Anaheim should be able to keep up against most teams in the league, at least going off last night's performance.
That said, what a boost Leo Carlsson gives the top line. Through the first two games, it was the second line driving a lot of the offense, and the first line struggling to get a ton going. However, Carlsson looked great in his debut, and adds an element that was missing from the line. He had a goal, but probably could’ve had two or three based on the chances he was generating.
Tristan Luneau’s debut didn’t necessarily go quite as well, though. Luneau posted an expected goals for percentage of just 15 percent at even strength, and the Ducks were outshot 9-5 while he was on ice (ES, according to NaturalStatTrick.com). The only player with worse numbers in either category was his defense partner, Cam Fowler.
Regardless though, while the Ducks didn’t get the win, I think this is what we were hoping for: while Anaheim may not be a playoff team, they’re competitive. A whole lot more competitive than last year.
As their young talent only gets better and better, this is going to be a fun team to watch.
Anaheim will be back in action tomorrow afternoon, when they face the Arizona Coyotes in the first half of a back-to-back.
OTHER ARTICLES FROM OCTOBER
- Ducks sign Trevor Zegras to three-year contract extension
- Ducks sign Jamie Drysdale to three-year contract
- Ducks finalize season-opening roster, claim Ross Johnston from Islanders
- Ducks split back-to-back to begin season with loss to Vegas, win over Canes 
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