The Anaheim Ducks wrapped up their season-opening two-game road trip on Saturday when they traveled to take on the San Jose Sharks after Thursdayâ€s 3-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken.
Heading into this game, one of the biggest stories was the debut of Sharks defenseman Sam Dickinson, long-time friend, teammate, and opponent of Ducks†star rookie Beckett Sennecke.
Lines and pairs for the Ducks remained mostly the same from the game before, with the only change coming in the form of Nikita Nesterenko slotting in for Sam Colangelo on the fourth line.
This was a wild game from start to finish with mental lapses, shoddy defensive habits, electrifying offensive sequences, and questionable goaltending on both ends.
Petr Mrazek got his first start as a member of the Anaheim Ducks and saved 17 of 23 shots.
Mrazek was opposed by Sharks star rookie netminder Yaroslav Askarov, who was making his season debut as well. Askarov stopped 36 of the whopping 43 shots he faced in this one.
Here are my notes from this game:
Beckett Sennecke-Sennecke showed new layers of technical proficiency unseen before at any level from him (at least by me). He was a pest on the forecheck, getting quick sticks on retrieving defenders, and showed a high motor, not giving up on plays that seemingly moved past him.
The stick lift on Gauthierâ€s first goal wonâ€t count on a scoresheet, but it was instrumental to that tally and an example of Senneckeâ€s anticipation and manipulation skills and unexpected involvement in plays in every zone. His net front game was surprisingly proficient for a player who typically operates more on the perimeter before attacking the middle. He was more than willing to mix it up and take a beating to get to the tight areas of the ice.
Sennecke only had one or two “rookie plays†where he was outmuscled or failed to advance a puck on a breakout, but those plays are to be expected. Overall, it was an extremely refined performance for being just his second professional hockey game.
Mikael Granlund and Chris Kreider-These are a pair of players one would expect detail-oriented performances from, and they delivered. Granlundâ€s supportive instincts allow him to gain possession, while his IQ and vision lead to his ability to manipulate the on-puck defender and cleverly find moving teammates throughout his teamâ€s offensive structure.
In a completely different style from Granlundâ€s, Kreider is a small-area master. He instinctively knows when to stop rimming pucks or feint a stop and allow them to pass through him to a teammate. He knows how goalies are trying to see pucks around him when heâ€s screening and when to let plays breathe a bit so he can pounce on a loose puck or broken play in front. “Savvy veteran†is the phrase that came to mind when analyzing these two in this game.
Defensive Details-Itâ€s been made clear by head coach Joel Quenneville and the players from training camp until now that the goal of their defensive systems is to kill plays with quick secondary pressure. Thereâ€s still work to be done when it comes to how that pressure engages, how the tertiary pressure reacts, and how to minimize damage when the first two waves fail, because it will happen every so often.
Those areas are where the Ducks struggled in this game. A strong-side defenseman (Radko Gudas) pinches in the neutral zone, and the supporting forward (Mason McTavish) leaves too big a gap, which led to the Sharks†first goal. Five players are caught on the ice for a minute and a half, and the weak-side winger (Cutter Gauthier) doesnâ€t or canâ€t stay with his activated point man (Mario Ferraro) on the Sharks†third goal. Those small details are, in theory, easy to clean up, but they can lead to quick goals if not refined.
McTavish, Gauthier, and Gudas all played very well aside from those instances.
With the puck, the Ducks did well to maintain possession and create consistent, dangerous chances from all four lines and all three pairs. They were smart on forechecks and communicated well on breakouts and regroups to build plays up ice.
The Ducks will return home to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins for their home opener on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. PST.
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