Anaheim Ducks look to finish road trip with a bang against Vegas

The Anaheim Ducks will faceoff against the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights, whom they have failed to defeat in three previous meetings this season.

The Anaheim Ducks 3-2 shootout triumph against the Minnesota Wild this past Saturday was the second of the first three games on this four-game road trip. It was an evenly played game where both teams got their chances to win in regulation and overtime.

But it was the Ducks who ended this thriller. Ducks’ winger Nick Ritchie skated on left wing and quickly went five-hole on Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk in the 11th round of the shootout.

To prevent a game from going beyond regulation, the Ducks will need to ensure they capitalize on their scoring chances more frequently and hold off the dangerous offense Vegas has to offer. Vegas has won all three matchups thus far, both at Honda Center and one at T-Mobile arena.

It’s not like these matchups were close though. Vegas manhandled and consistently outplayed the Ducks. The Ducks were constantly receiving play and continuously defending, making it hard to mount any sort of offense. If the Ducks want to make sure Vegas does not win a fourth straight game against them, they will need to bring their A-game offensively and defensively.

Notable Facts & Notes:

Anaheim Ducks right wing Ondrej Kase has been on fire lately. He has nine points (five goals, four assists) in his last seven games.
The third line trio of Ondrej Kase, Adam Henrique, and Nick Ritchie have produced seven of the last nine Duck goals (Kase – three, Henrique – two, Ritchie – two (includes shootout goal).
Vegas is the second best home team in the NHL. They have garnered points in 26 of their 30 homes, 22 of them wins (22-4-2).
Former 2nd round pick of the 2011 NHL draft, William Karlsson, is the first 30 goal scorer in Vegas history. He is currently riding a 7 game point streak (three goals, four assists).
Vegas is 2nd in the league in scoring with 3.45 goals scored per game. Meanwhile, Anaheim is 23rd with 2.72 per game.
Vegas has 5 Ex-Ducks on its team (forwards Karlsson and David Perron, defensemen Luca Sbisa, Shea Theodore, and Clayton Stoner).

Anaheim Ducks’ Redemption Game – Ducks (29-20-11, 69 pts.) @ Vegas (39-15-4, 82 pts.)

After a hard-fought win against the Wild, the Ducks look to turn this road trip from a good one to a great one. They need to keep winning to cement themselves into one of the top three seeds in the Pacific. The Ducks are currently third as of today, one point ahead of the Calgary Flames and two ahead of the Los Angeles Kings.

The Ducks’ attention shifts to the Golden Knights, a team that has gotten the better of the Ducks this season. Vegas is an excellent team, more than anyone would have thought. Even as an expansion team, they are rolling. Many, including myself, thought this team would be relegated to the bottom of the division. Quite the opposite has happened.

Vegas has looked dominant in its play and especially against the Ducks. When I was at Honda Center to see Vegas, I was blown away at the rapid pace they play and how quickly they get second and third chances on offense. This team knows how to dictate play in their favor and remain effective in the offensive zone.

Anaheim Ducks’ Keys to the game:

Control the Neutral Zone & Minimize Turnovers

To be successful against Vegas, the Ducks must control the neutral zone and not turn the puck over. It will give the Vegas forwards speed to enter into the offensive zone and get quick shots at the Ducks’ goaltender, leading to rebounds and second chances.

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Spend lots of time in your offensive zone

The Ducks must also try to spend more time than in past games in Vegas’ defensive zone. Sometimes, the best defense is a great offense. The Ducks’ cycle game behind Vegas’ net will be of prime importance to slow the game down.

The Ducks must play at a pace comfortable to them and not turn this into a run and gun game. If Vegas is able to enter with speed their offensive zone and control tempo, the Ducks will have a rough time keeping them from scoring.

Keep Vegas’ top players off the scoresheet

Three players the Ducks need to look out for are: Jonathan Marchessault, Eric Haula, and James Neal. Neal has known to be a Duck killer throughout his career and has a wicked wrist shot. Marchessault has gone from some thought as an afterthought in the expansion draft to a star on this Vegas team – he has the most points (58).

Haula must be looked on for his underestimated grit to get to the net as a smaller forward. These three are Vegas’ most dangerous forwards. They must be contained for the Ducks to stay in the game.

Projected Lineups – Ducks

Forwards

Rickard Rakell – Ryan Getzlaf – Corey Perry

Andrew Cogliano – Ryan Kesler* – Jakob Silfverberg

Nick Ritchie – Adam Henrique – Ondrej Kase

Chris Wagner – Antoine Vermette – J.T. Brown

*If Kesler is unable to play, forward Derek Grant will draw into his center spot.

Defensemen

Cam Fowler – Brandon Montour

Kevin Bieksa – Hampus Lindholm

Marcus Pettersson – Josh Manson

Goalies

John Gibson

Ryan Miller

Projected Lineups – Vegas

Forwards

Reilly Smith – William Karlsson – Jonathan Marchessault

David Perron – Erik Haula – James Neal

Brendan Leipsic – Cody Eakin – Alex Tuch

Tomas Nosek – Pierre Edouard Bellemare – Ryan Carpenter

Defensemen

Brayden McNabb– Nate Schmidt

Deryk Engelland – Luca Sbisa

Colin Miller – Brad Hunt

Goalies

Marc-Andre Fleury

Maxim Lagace

Next: Ducks Roundtable: Do the Ducks need a rental?

Prediction: The Anaheim Ducks do not want to be swept by Vegas. They generate offense and play defense well enough to hold Vegas off. The Ducks are desperate for points and will show they are desperate for this game more. Ducks win 3 – 2.

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