Home run plays part of Ducks’ arsenal
The Anaheim Ducks didn’t work their old trick play to open Wednesday’s Game 4 by springing Rickard Rakell for a breakaway goal 25 seconds in like they did in Game 3, but the home-run pass is always part of their arsenal.
Here’s the how and the what of a drawn-up, set play when it works, which usually looks way better on paper. With a faceoff in the Ducks’ end, Andrew Cogliano hurried off after a Ryan Kesler draw and was replaced by Rakell, who got in behind everybody to take Ryan Getzlaf ’s long pass.
“Never skated that hard to sit on the bench,” said a laughing Cogliano.
With Cogliano leaving the ice to enter the bench at one end, they picked up about 20 feet with another winger darting out the other.
How often does it ever work, even with all the game planning?
“Never. Well, not a lot,” Cogliano said.
Oilers defenceman Matt Benning wasn’t surprised by the homerun play.
“Nah, we were doing that when I was about 12 years old,” he said. “Learned it from my dad (former NHLer Brian Benning).”
THE DOWN-LOW
Former Oilers coach and goalie Ron Low was in the house with Oilers player development vicepresident and ex-captain Kelly Buchberger as alumni VIPs for Game 4, and Low shrugged at Ducks coach Randy Carlyle statement that: “Connor McDavid is getting the white glove treatment (from officials).”
As Low said: “If you’re not working the officials, you’re not coaching. First game I saw Connor play in this series, he could have drawn 30 penalties. So, it’s all gamesmanship.”
NO. 1 SON
With so many players not finishing their four years of school before turning pro, Oilers centre Mark Letestu remembers being in that boat in 2006 after his first year at Western Michigan, sitting in the seats at Rexall Place at Game 4 of the Cup final against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Suddenly, he had NHL teams wanting to sign him.
“I was going for a degree in accounting because I wasn’t an NHL prospect, but I had a great first year and four teams, two really serious ones, wanted to sign me,” said Letestu, who took an offer from the Pittsburgh Penguins. “I’m going to school now, still trying to finish my degree. I do it during the year and in the summer. I have a year and a half left.”
THIS ’N’ THAT
Ducks winger Patrick Eaves, who injured his right foot in Game 3 in a collision with Patrick Maroon, didn’t even try an optional Wednesday morning skate. So he was out for Game 4, with Corey Perry taking his old spot alongside Ryan Getzlaf. ... The Oilers are still hot and heavy to sign local boy, Union College free agent right shot RW Spencer Foo, but he’s checking out other NHL teams ... Oilers draftee Ethan Bear, playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds, was named the WHL’s defenceman of the year.