Anaheim Ducks: Progress Report through first 10 games

Special teams: C

The special teams boil down to the penalty kill and power play. The Anaheim Ducks have done well so far on the penalty kill, killing 29 of 35 opportunities (82.8%). That ranks 12th in the league. Although the Ducks have fared well, I still think they have the potential to be a top 10 unit as the season wears on.

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 big concern that I have is with the power play. The Ducks are only 1 for 25 (yes that’s right only scored once) thus far. To say the least, this is a major area of improvement for the Ducks and has contributed to their scoring woes. I don’t think the Ducks will be going 1 for 25 for the next 25 chances they are offered, but they have to convert more.

A sad thing to point out is the Ducks have more shorthanded goals (2) than power-play goals. But as the season wears on and as the young players get better, the power play will get better.

What I can say is that I’d like to see the Ducks try different things on the power play such as having more of their players move. Rather than have two players doing attempting to do cross-ice passes, have the other three players hover around the net area and clog the slot looking for rebounds.

Next, use that one-timer when receiving the puck. It makes the opposition respect the shooter more and draws attention knowing they have to have someone in front of that person. Look when Washington’s Alex Ovechkin or Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos is in the left high slot on the power play. The opposition always has to put someone in front of them since they respect their shot so much. This allows for the other four members on the power play to better create.

The Ducks need to play faster on the power play and just execute better. Simple as that.

All in all, the Anaheim Ducks have shown it is better than last year’s team already. But this team still has a ways to go to be even better and still needs to overcome the adversity that comes its way.

Get ready for them to surprise even more as they get to improve in multiple facets of the game.