The Anaheim Ducks continued their five-game East Coast road trip on Thursday, when they traveled to Long Island to take on the New York Islanders.
The Ducks came into this game still atop the Pacific Division standings and were coming off an improbable shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, one in which they were outplayed and fortunate to come out of with two points.
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The Islanders entered play third in the Metropolitan Division and having won four of their previous five games before this one.
The Ducks’ coaching staff elected to ice the exact lineup that earned them their win over Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
Once again, the Ducks turned to Ville Husso in the crease for his sixth straight start for Anaheim. He saved 32 of 37 shots.
Opposing Husso was David Rittich in the Isles' net. He stopped 31 of the 33 shots he faced.
Game Notes
Though the Ducks were improved in the puck possession department in this game as compared to Tuesday’s, the Isles did well to lock up the interior of their zone and keep plays to the outside against Anaheim. The Ducks elected, whether by design or dictation from their opponent, for a shot volume approach, as their rush attacks and seam attempts were dismissed.
At 5v5, Anaheim held a 66-50 shot attempt advantage, but lost the shots on goal battle 29-26 and only held 45.79% of the expected goals share. Perhaps most discouraging was the lack of push in the third period, a period that they entered down 3-1 and brought to 3-2 in the first few minutes of the frame.
Penalty Kill: The defenseman at the bottom of the diamond has been exploited since the start of the season against Anaheim. When the puck is high, they’re tasked with covering both the opposing bumper and the net-front forward. However, they’ve shaded toward the bumper a bit too heavily, resulting in the more dangerous attacker, the net front forward, alone in front of the goaltender to screen and tip. Anders Lee scored the Isles’ second and third goals in an identical fashion, which practically sealed the game early.
Breakout: The Islanders either played an ultra-passive 1-2-2 or 3-2 neutral zone forecheck, which clogged ice between the bluelines and limited the number of rush opportunities for Anaheim. Anaheim did well to counter with clever chip-and-chase plays or cohesive passing sequences to advance pucks up ice.
Cycle: Anaheim manufactured multiple elongated cycle sequences in this game, utilizing their active and fearless defensemen, such as Jackson LaCombe, Olen Zellweger, and Pavel Mintyukov, and forwards kept their feet moving low-to-high and across the top of the zone to open shooting and passing lanes.
However, as mentioned above, the Islanders were stingy in their end and especially around their net. East/west seams were nonexistent or were sealed quickly, as Anaheim was looking for them, and active defensive sticks swatted away rebound sequences.
Jackson LaCombe: LaCombe had been one to slow down pace of play to this point in the season, relying on poise and trusting his puck protection ability to advance pucks up ice. However, in this game, he dictated pace against a more methodical Islanders team by pushing and elevating tempo, driving defenders back toward the goal line, and attacking downhill from the point. He created multiple chances and was a dangerous presence from the backend, an encouraging sign for Anaheim moving forward.
Ross Johnston: Johnston has performed admirably through the first 30 games of the season. He’s been a quality forechecker and has even shown skill at the crease, deflecting pucks and creating space. However, the Ducks arguably ice 11 top-nine forwards on a nightly basis (when healthy), and when he’s playing alongside more offensively inclined and calculating players, he’s a step behind, physically and mentally, resulting in a reactive performance rather than a proactive one and hindering the output for his linemates.
Leo Carlsson: As mentioned, the Ducks held onto the puck for extended periods in the offensive zone in this game, and the most impactful driver of that effort was Leo Carlsson. Though his bread and butter is attacking off the rush, in this game, that aspect was eliminated by the Islanders, so Carlsson adjusted. He was not only involved, but he was winning small area battles, scanning off-puck, and exploding to soft ice or support to get pucks back on his stick.
He displayed a multidimensional game, providing an impact whether he had the puck on his stick or not. Coming into his draft year, he was praised for his attention to detail on the defensive end, but he has struggled in that area to this point in his young career. However, in this game, he was angling and engaging properly while breaking up multiple attacks in his end of the ice. He was a true 200-foot 1C in this game.
The Ducks will look for a bounce-back effort on Saturday, when they’ll travel to Newark to take on the New Jersey Devils in a matinee weekend game.
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