Finale ends with emergency goaltender in net, loss to Stars
The Ducks' season came to an end Friday with a 4-2 loss to the Dallas Stars, with starting goaltender John Gibson sidelined after the first period because of an upperbody injury, with backup Anthony Stolarz out after the second because of a lower-body injury and with emergency backup Thomas Hodges playing the final period.
“The thrill of a lifetime,” said Hodges, a Dallas-area resident who practices with the Stars and the Allen Americans of the ECHL occasionally and whose professional experience before Friday consisted of a brief appearance in the lowest tier of minor league hockey.
As if that wasn't an interesting enough coda, now the heavy lifting begins.
So, over to you Pat Verbeek.
It will be the first offseason for the Ducks' new general manager, a chance to begin the rebuilding process he started in earnest when he dealt Nicolas Deslauriers, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson and Rickard Rakell before the NHL's deadline last month. It could be a summer of great change.
Clearly, the seventh-place Ducks (31-37-14, 76 points) have quality pieces in place, especially right wing Troy Terry and center Trevor Zegras up front and defenseman Jamie Drysdale and Gibson on the back end. If the 2021-22 season revealed anything, though, it's that the Ducks lack sufficient depth.
Ducks coach Dallas Eakins iced a patchwork lineup that harassed the Stars for the better part of the season finale for both teams. Max Comtois scored for the third consecutive game, giving the Ducks a 1-0 lead in the first period. Terry tied it 2-2 in the second, his team-leading 37th goal.
Gibson departed after the first and Eakins turned to Stolarz to start the second. The Stars tied it 1-1 on Thomas Harley's first NHL goal and then took a 2-1 lead on Joel Hanley's second career goal. Hodges,
THE SCORE
wearing uniform No. 68, took over for Stolarz to begin the third with the score tied 2-2.
Jason Robertson, an Arcadia native, gave the Stars a 3-2 lead with a power-play goal at 9:56 of the third period.
Vladislav Namestnikov sealed it for the playoffbound Stars (46-30-6, 98 points) with an empty-net goal.