Anaheim Ducks look to continue playoff push at home against Avalanche

The Anaheim Ducks seek to continue their red-hot play at Honda Center going and move closer to clinching a Stanley Cup Playoff birth as they host the visiting Colorado Avalanche.

Coming off a thrilling 2-1 overtime win against the archrival Los Angeles Kings, the Anaheim Ducks move on to the second game of their four-game homestand against the Colorado Avalanche. The Ducks, Kings, Avalanche, and St. Louis Blues are just separated by two points in the standings (Ducks – 93 points, Kings – 94 points, Avalanche & Blues – 92 points).

That makes this game even more important for both teams. The Ducks need these two points to leapfrog the Los Angeles Kings for third in the Pacific Division.

Meanwhile, the Avalanche are currently are on the outside looking in, tied with the Blues in points but lose on the tiebreaker. A win would put the Avalanche back into the playoffs as the first wild card, the position the Ducks currently hold.

The Avalanche are coming off a 5-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at home and know that this California road trip through Anaheim, Los Angeles, and San Jose could determine if they get into the playoffs or not.

In addition, the Avalanche must deal with injuries to their two key players, both out for the remainder of the regular season:

• Starting Goaltender Semyon Varlamov – Unspecified Lower Body Injury
• Defenseman Erik Johnson – Out six to eight weeks with a fractured patella tendon

The Ducks must do a number of things right to win this game.

Here are their three keys to the game: 

Stay out of the Penalty Box 

More from LA Sports Hub

• Lakers: 5 Players to Target Through Trades to make another championship run
• LA Chargers: Week 8 against Denver Broncos is a must-win
• LA Rams: Jared Goff wants to keep the Los Angeles title streak going
• Lakers Rumors: Los Angeles Clippers interested in Rajon Rondo
• LA Chargers: Justin Herbert wins AFC Rookie of the Month

The Avalanche have one of the most dynamic, creative power plays in the game. If the Ducks commit too many penalties, they are in for some trouble. The Avalanche have one of the top 10 power plays in the league (10th in NHL, 21.4%) and its gets their best players on the ice – Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog, Tyson Barrie.

They scored three power-play goals in their win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Ducks need to make sure they limit the scoring chances and time these players have with the puck, especially when down a man. Disciplined play will help lessen the Avalanche’s best players’ potential impact.

Shoot Getzlaf, Shoot

Ducks captain and first line center Ryan Getzlaf is one of the premier centers in the league. Known foremost as a playmaker, Getzlaf has a powerful and accurate shot. What is so interesting is that he prefers to defer to his teammates and have them shoot instead. I saw two 2 on 1 opportunities in this past Friday’s game against the Kings where Getzlaf could have shot but chose to pass.

In this game at least, I think Getzlaf will need to shoot. Getzlaf will need to have the Avalanche respect his shot. Otherwise, the Avalanche will clog up the passing lanes and get to pucks quicker than the Ducks. They are a faster team.

Needless to say, Getzlaf having a shoot first mentality will go a long way to opening things up for his teammates. They will have more space and time to outwork and press the Avalanche defense.

Stop the wrath of Nathan MacKinnon

The Avalanche’s first line center is the Avalanches’ most dangerous player. He has 93 points (38 goals, 55 assists). What MacKinnon brings is a ton of speed, a wicked wrist shot, and creative playmaking for his teammates. The Ducks – specifically Ryan Kesler, Andrew Cogliano, and Jakob Silfverberg – will have the enormous task of playing primarily against MacKinnon and his line of Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog.

Kesler’s line and the rest of the Ducks must do the best they can to have MacKinnon and his linemates play defense instead of offense. MacKinnon loves to play offense and his numbers reflect that.

If they can keep MacKinnon in his defensive zone, it will go a long way to limiting the effectiveness of the Avalanche’s offense. The Avalanche are very dependent on MacKinnon and his line. If the Ducks can limit their offensive opportunities, I think they have a very strong chance to emerge as winners.

Next: Best LA athletes to party with on Spring Break

Prediction:  The Anaheim Ducks are very successful at home over their past 14 at Honda Center, going 11-1-2. The Ducks will focus on MacKinnon and limit his effectiveness for the most part. Ryan Getzlaf and the Ducks offense will outplay a weaker Avalanche defense. Anaheim Ducks win 5-2.