Ducks rue goal that wins game for Canucks
The Ducks gave the top team in the West a run for its money but came up a dollar short, slipping 2-1 to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday at Honda Center.
They lost for the first time in three games while Vancouver won for the second time in its past eight matches. Yet the Ducks remained a figurative lightyear and a literal 25 points behind the second wildcard, while Vancouver’s victory left it in sole possession of first place in the conference with 85 points.
Alex Killorn lit the lamp for the Ducks. Cam Fowler returned after just a onegame absence (facial laceration and swelling), replacing Jackson LaCombe in the defense corps. Leo Carlsson (upper-body) was out again, as was Mason McTavish (lower-body). Lukáš Dostál made 29 of 31 saves after stopping 52 pucks in Friday’s victory over New Jersey.
John Gibson (illness) was unavailable Sunday, and that prompted the recall of veteran goalie Alex Stalock.
Nils Hoglander and Connor Garland each scored a goal for Vancouver. Casey DeSmith denied 18 shots.
Garland’s winner was a rare bit of offensive eye candy in a meat-and-potatoes
ANAHEIM »
match with a defensive posture, though it was an unwelcome sight to the Ducks.
“Those games hurt because you’re in the game and the second goal was unnecessary,” coach Greg Cronin said. “We killed two penalties off in a row and (Carrick) came out of the box, we were in a 5-on-5 situation and it seemed like we didn’t react to it, we looked like we had lost our structure.”
“To give a tap-in goal like that, as a game-winner, that’s frustrating,” he continued. “At the same time, they had more chances than we did; I don’t think we generated enough.”
Those two penalties were the only ones the Ducks took all night in a game largely played at even strength given that Vancouver only had one minor penalty.
“There wasn’t a ton of penalties in the game. That’s huge for us, because typically that’s where they get a lot of opportunities and a lot of shots,” Killorn said. “D-zone, I thought we did a pretty good job other than that one little mishap where they ended up scoring that second goal.”
The third period was largely a battle of attrition, though in the final 84 seconds the Ducks played 6-on-5 and created some brushes with glory.
“Killer breaks his stick, then Adam (Henrique) gets one right in the slot — the goalie had no idea where it was, zero idea — he could have floated that one in and he had that whole top half of the net. The goalie was down, he couldn’t see, he just shot it too high. Then, on Killer’s last shot, he missed the net” Cronin said. “Those are those ones you want on a pulled goalie, to just get it off a goalie’s pads because usually you have more sticks than they do in those rebound areas, but we just couldn’t hit the net.”
The second stanza’s lone goal belonged to Vancouver, though Bo Groulx dinged the iron with a would-be equalizer later in the second period.
Just after the second
THE SCORE CANUCKS 2, DUCKS 1
Up next: Senators at Ducks, Wednesday, 7p.m., BSW
SUMMARY
Vancouver Ducks
First Period:
1, Vancouver, Hoglander 19 (Hronek, Hughes), 1:37. 2, Ducks, Killorn 9 (Jones, Vaakanainen), 4:15. Penalties: Anaheim bench, served by Strome (Too Many Men on the Ice), 19:25.
3, Vancouver, Garland 12 (Zadorov, Miller), 3:34. Penalties: Carrick, ANA (Slashing), 1:23. Juulsen, VAN (Holding), 11:07.
None. Penalties: None.
Vancouver 14-8-9: 31. Ducks 3-8-7: 18.
Second Period: Third Period: Shots on goal:
Power-play opportunities:
of 2. Ducks 0 of 1.
Vancouver, DeSmith 8-4-5 (18 shots-17 saves). Ducks, Dostal 9-16-1 (31-29).
15,161 (17,174). T: 2:20.
Jean Hebert, Chris Rooney. Linesmen: Tyson Baker, David Brisebois.
Goalies:
A: Referees: 1 1 1 0 0 — 2 0 — 1
Vancouver 0
Ducks penalty expired, they struggled with the sort out of a 5-on-5 situation that saw Sam Carrick exit the penalty box, but they still effectively played shorthanded because of a defensive miscue.
Carrick and Pavel Mintyukov went to the same man after missing a switch, J.T. Miller, who found Zadorov in the right circle, effectively leaving Isac Lundeström to defend Zadorov and the man he found unmarked on the doorstep, Garland. Garland’s 12th goal of the year came 3:44 into the frame. Garland has scored more points against the Ducks, 14, in his career than against all but one other franchise, the San Jose Sharks.