Nesterenko makes debut, Ducks can't handle Flames
ANAHEIM ❯❯ There were several welcome-to-the-NHL moments for 21-year-old Nikita Nesterenko on Tuesday night.
First, the predictable ones. A rookie solo lap, sans helmet, leading out his Ducks teammates for the pregame warmup at Honda Center, and then a spot in the starting lineup against the Calgary Flames, playing on a line with center Isac Lundestrom and Jakob Silfverberg.
But 37 seconds into the game, there was another brand of welcome-to-thebig-league realism when the line was on the ice for a Flames goal, scored by former Duck Nick Ritchie, a first-round pick in 2014. Nesterenko would log 13plus minutes of ice time and had four shots on goal.
Calgary scored twice in the first period, added a goal in the second and two
THE SCORE FLAMES 5, DUCKS 1
Up next: Jets at Ducks, Thursday, 7 p.m., BSW
SUMMARY
more in the third for a 5-1 win against the Ducks as Tyler Toffoli had three assists. Other Flames goals came from defensemen Troy Stecher and Rasmus Andersson, the latter scoring on the power play at 2:36 of the second period. Elias Lindholm had a goal just 46 seconds into the third period, also on the power play, and Andrew Mangiapane wrapped up the scoring at 15:26.
Calgary went 2 for 3 on the man advantage.
Flames goalie Dan Vladar made 19 saves, his bid for a shutout ending with Frank Vatrano's power-play goal in the second period, at 7:26. Ducks goalie John Gibson made 38 saves.
Troy Terry, the Ducks' second-leading scorer, left the game with an injury in the third period after getting sandwiched and did not return.
The Flames were coming off an embarrassing 8-2 loss against the Kings on Monday night at Crypto. com Arena and are in a desperate race for a wildcard playoff spot. Anaheim has lost four of its last five games and now, with 11 games remaining after Tuesday's loss, it is clearly audition time.
Which brings it all back to Nesterenko, who signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Ducks on March 15 and was on the ice practicing the next day in Irvine. It's been a dizzying 10 days since he played his final collegiate game with Boston College, which lost in double overtime to Merrimack to end its season.
Against the Flames, there were promising signs after the opening shift. Nesterenko held his own in a puck battle along the boards with Flames center Nazem Kadri late in the first period. He had two prime scoring chances in a matter of seconds against Vladar with 9:30 left in the second and another excellent opportunity from the base of the right circle with 6:25 remaining in the third.