The Ducks of Anaheim went north to face the Kings of Los Angeles for their last match before the comfort of the NHL 4-nations.
Game # 54: Ducks vs Kings Gameday seen
The Ducks abandoned the first two meetings between the two teams this season at the Honda Center on October 20 by a score of 4-1 and November 29 by a 2-1 score.
The Ducks sought to return to .500 for the first time since December 1 and had won five of their last six games before Saturday.
The Kings played their second back match after defeating Dallas stars during a shooting on Friday and after winning their last three games.
Radko Gudas missed two consecutive training sessions due to a disease and could not dress for this game.
Drew Helleson took the place of Gudas on the upper pair next to Jackson Lacombe, while Open Zellweger slipped on the right side of Brian Dumoulin, and Pavel Mintyukov was twinned with Jacob Trouba.
The front lines remained the same in the victory of the Ducks 2-1 against the stars on Tuesday.
Lukas Dostal started in the fold of the Ducks and was sensational, stopping 43 of the 44 shots.
Compatriot David Rittich opposed Dostal in the Kings net and stopped 25 of the 26 shots.
Here are my notes of this game:
Bike: During the first two periods, the Ducks had the washer for long periods in the offensive area. There was a more concerted effort to hang on to the washers, peel off and attempt that passes through the slit.
There was more movement of players from the point, along the walls, and the activation of the defenders in this game to try to break down the Kings cover system, an encouraging sign because it maintains the puck on the sticks of the ducks of the ducks “Exceptionally talented offensive players.
As the game advanced and the Kings checked more, the Ducks were satisfied with perimeter strokes which were often blocked or easily saved with minimal traffic.
Power game: Rich Clune deployed a five unit for the first time this season, using Trevor Zegras to the point for the power game of the Ducks in this game.
The term “Power Play quarterrier” is overused in hockey analysis when he refers to the point defender at the top of the umbrella. However, with the way Zegras manipulated the structure in front of this place to create several chances of score, this term can be properly applied to him.
Zegras worked the Blueline de Board to Board in support of her sides and had added options because he was able to study the whole area and deliver a disinformation with the puck on his stick.
Leo Carlsson: Carlsson shows an improved engine and the ability to win wall battles recently, in particular in the offensive zone, as shown by Dumoulin’s objective in the third period. He was stumbled after the entrance, but he stayed with the washer and took stock of pressure.
He can be guilty of vision of the tunnel lately and would perhaps benefit from letting his instinct and creativity take the wheel from time to time. He attacks the middle of the ice at will and attracts attention, but too often, he opted for interrupted attempts to shoot.
Kill penalty: The Ducks were exploited a handful of times this season with side passes through the fold of the goal line during a man. The opposite power games manipulate the defender in numerical inferiority at the bottom of the diamond and create tracks of east / west overtaking before the other three killers can support.
In this game, the weak defender remained faithful to the pass option and let the Dost man manage the carrier of the washer try to beat him from a sharp angle where he stood standing and eliminated the gaps of his body.
The Ducks will have a two -week break before going to Boston to face the Bruins on February 22. Leo Carlsson will represent Sweden during the confrontation of the NHL NNH 4, from Wednesday when Sweden faces Canada.
