American Airlines Center continues to be a house of horrors for the Anaheim Ducks after falling to the Dallas Stars 4-3 in overtime on Thursday. It was the Ducks’ 11th consecutive loss in Dallas — their last win was on Oct. 28, 2015. This one ended when Stars defenseman Thomas Harley scored the game-winner 38 seconds into the extra period. Ducks forwards Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry started overtime and had the first shot on goal. Carlsson lost the ensuing faceoff in the Stars’ zone to forward Joe Pavelski. Harley received the puck off the draw, skated up ice on a two-on-one with forward Roope Hintz and snapped the puck past Ducks goalie John Gibson.
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Despite the loss, the Ducks earned a point against Dallas (28-13-6) and two points in a 4-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabers on Tuesday. Anaheim had standout performances from a few players in both games. Against Dallas, defenseman Urho Vaakanainen scored his first NHL goal, veteran forward Jakob Silfverberg had two points (a goal and an assist), and forward Isac Lundestrom had two assists, while Gibson made 40 saves. The Ducks (16-30-2) have lost four of five, but both games highlighted a few positive trends going for Cronin’s group and deficiencies the team can improve upon.
Gudas and Vaakanainen Continue Strong Play
Trailing Dallas 1-0, Vaakaneinan scored his first career goal from the goal line with 4:55 remaining in the first period to tie the game. He fired a near-side shot, and the puck deflected off Stars goalie Jake Oettinger’s left skate and into the net. It wasn’t pretty, but Vaakaneinan finally earned his first NHL goal in his 108th career game. The 25-year-old Finn nearly scored a couple of times this season, but all have been waved off or credited to someone else. Vaakaneinan has a plus-8 rating in road games this season and is second on the team with a plus-6 overall.
Vaakaneinan’s partner on the back end, Radko Gudas, leads the Ducks with a plus-16 rating on the season and is a plus-5 over his last five games. Gudas led the Ducks with four hits against Dallas, including a hard hip check on former Duck Sam Steel in the third period. The defensive pair led all Ducks in ice time on Thursday (24:46 for Vaakaneinan and 25:41 for Gudas) and have played sound hockey in their own end over the last five games.
Ducks’ Forecheck Helping Ducks Get Leads
For the third consecutive game, the Ducks led in the middle frame when Terry scored from the slot 90 seconds into the second period against Dallas to put the Ducks ahead 2-1. As was the case in the Ducks’ win over Buffalo, Anaheim applied more pressure on the Stars’ defense. Terry’s goal was made possible by forward Adam Henrique’s aggressive forecheck on Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpää. Henrique tied up Hakanpää along the boards and won a hard puck battle before making a great pass to Terry. The assist continued Henrique’s four-game point streak.
Silfverberg put the Ducks ahead 3-2 just 12 seconds into the third period. Lundestrom chipped the puck deep into the Stars’ zone and raced the Dallas defense for possession toward the back of the net. Lundestrom stole the puck from defenseman Miro Heiskanen behind the goal and made a quick pass to Silfverberg, who was alone above the crease. The Ducks made a concerted effort to get more pucks deep and force the Dallas defense to turn around and get to loose pucks. The Stars had more giveaways than Anaheim (12-5), and the pressure from the Ducks forwards created the team’s best scoring opportunities, including their last two goals.
Silfverberg Building Chemistry With Second Line
Silfverberg’s assist on Vaakaneinan’s goal was the 200th of his career, but points had been hard to come by for the 33-year-old winger through the first half of the season. Silfverberg is three years removed from major hip surgery and has been used primarily as a defensive specialist in the bottom-six. Cronin promoted Silfverberg to the second line against the Sabers on Tuesday, and he’s played his best hockey of the season alongside center Mason McTavish and Lundestrom.
After going scoreless in 32 games from Oct. 30 to Jan. 15, the veteran has three goals and four points in his last two games. The second-line trio has eight points over the last two games, and Silfverberg looks rejuvenated. He’s benefitted from playing with more skilled linemates and getting more opportunities and faceoffs in the offensive zone. Silfverberg’s production allows Cronin to bump forwards Frank Vatrano and Ryan Strome to the third line, balancing the lineup and having a top-nine more capable of driving play and creating scoring chances.
Lack of Puck Possession Hurting the Ducks
Similarly to the Ducks’ 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday, Anaheim matched the more talented Stars pace through the first half of the game but fizzled down the stretch. The Ducks were narrowly outshot by the Stars after the first period (11-9), but the shot volume disparity grew as the game wore on. Dallas outshot the Ducks 14-4 in the second period and 18-7 in the third. When Dallas dominated time of possession in the second half of the game, the Ducks were stuck in their own end and grew more and more tired.
Anaheim’s inability to get the puck out of their zone led to long shifts that snowballed into turnovers. Gibson faced too many shots, particularly in the third period. Although the Ducks had limited offensive zone faceoffs, the team was too selective with their shots when they were on the attack. One example is defenseman Cam Fowler foregoing a shot from the slot off the faceoff in the first period. Henrique won the draw, and Terry dished the puck to Fowler. The assistant captain had a lane to shoot through but instead deferred the puck to LaCombe, who settled for a lower-percentage shot from a hard angle. If Anaheim can find a way to generate more scoring chances after the first intermission, they will have more energy to compete in third periods.
Zellweger Impresses in First Two Games
Rookie defenseman Olen Zellweger played his second career NHL game against Dallas, his first on the road. Zellweger had an impressive debut against Buffalo on Tuesday, recording his first career point (assist), two shots and three blocked shots. The 20-year-old didn’t make as big of an impact in the box score against Dallas but showed that he belongs in the NHL. Ducks defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, Zellweger’s partner against Buffalo, did not play Thursday and remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Zellweger played alongside journeyman Robert Hagg on the third pair. Despite not having the safety net of skating alongside the more experienced Lyubushkin, Zellweger showed poise and chipped in offensively.
Multiple times, Zellweger drove play by carrying the puck into the offensive zone. His most impressive shift came during the final five minutes of the third period. It was four-on-four after offsetting minor penalties, and the larger ice allowed him to use his speed. After Carlsson drove to the net towards Oettinger, the Stars goalie tried to play the puck instead of covering it. Zellweger closed in on Oettinger and knocked the puck away, catching Oettinger off guard.
On the same shift, Zellweger twice broke out of his own zone and carried the puck across the ice into the Dallas zone before running out of gas. Zellweger and Hagg weren’t on the ice for a Ducks goal, but the duo didn’t concede one, either. Through the first two games, Zellweger has played confidently, perhaps even more so than at the AHL. The NHL game is more structured and less chaotic. Players are positioned where they should be. He’s taken advantage by making hard outlet passes and has read plays well, taking chances at the right time to generate offense without putting the Ducks in a vulnerable position.
Ducks Travel to Minnesota for Eighth Road Game in 10 Games
Anaheim showed a strong effort against Dallas that ultimately fell short against the fourth-placed team in the Western Conference. The Ducks won puck battles in the hard areas and got more bodies to the net. Their scrappy play generated three goals, and it was enough to give Anaheim a chance. The Ducks were tied after two periods for just the eighth time this season (3-5). If they can put together a similar performance against Minnesota (21-22-5) on Saturday, they have a chance to collect just their third win in the last 10 games. It will also be the Ducks’ eighth road game in that stretch. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. PT.