The Ducks will open their four-game homestand the same way they began their five-game road trip, taking on the Seattle Kraken on Friday.
Although they have only scored two goals in two games since their time in Seattle, high-octane forward Trevor Zegras was just returning from a two-month absence following surgery. ankle and rookie defenseman Olen Zellweger only appeared in one of the two games.
In the Ducks’ last two outings, a loss in Vancouver followed by a victory in Calgary which was their ninth game with five or more goals this season, “Z” and “Zelly” lit up the Ducks’ offense. Zegras recorded an assist in each appearance while Zellweger followed up his first NHL goal with a three-assist performance.
Zellweger’s ability to get pucks to the slot and in front of the net factored into the Ducks’ first two goals, creating a deflection tally for Mason McTavish and a pileup for Troy Terry for a scoreless goal. doubt. Zellweger’s on-sight shots are often created by his ability to use his edges, change speed and utilize his many strengths as a skater.
“Olen has dynamic quickness and turns, so he’s able to escape forechecks when he gets out of our zone,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said via text message. “That lateral quickness also gives him the ability to break through the offensive blue line and shoot or pass while being a shooting threat on the move.”
Zellweger fed Zegras before Zegras produced a brilliant backhand thanks to a well-placed Martin Pospisil to find Cam Fowler for the Ducks’ third goal in what became a 5-3 victory over the Flames after Terry and Alex Killorn are connected for a pair. late goals.
“Zegras has an elite hockey IQ. He sees plays developing before anyone else on the ice, including his teammates,” Cronin said. “He has the ability to execute passes with skates and sticks, which was evident on Cam’s goal.”
Terry’s tally was his 20th of the season, giving him his third straight 20-goal campaign, and Killorn now has 17. The season has been anything but linear for either player, both men who have overcome multiple injuries and significant adjustments. Killorn went from an exemplary Stanley Cup-winning culture in Tampa Bay to a rebuilding franchise, while Terry was asked to overhaul his offensive approach under Cronin, who took the helm over the summer.
McTavish did not finish the game against the Flames, which the Ducks also played without defensemen Radko Gudas and Pavel Mintyukov. Thursday was an off day for the team, so no definitive medical update was provided.
Next, they’ll look to improve on their results in the final meeting of the season against a Kraken team that beat the Ducks twice recently in Seattle and at the Honda Center on Dec. 23. The Ducks are the only team the Kraken, who had lost eight straight before shutting out the Ducks 4-0 on March 26, has beaten three times this season. Seattle’s most recent affair saw it mathematically eliminated from the playoffs after a 5-2 loss to the Kings thanks to a Trevor Moore hat trick.
After not only making the playoffs, but also eliminating the reigning Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche, the Kraken fell to the ground.
Calder Trophy winner Matty Beniers is poised to drop from 57 points in 2022-23 to just 36 in 2023-24, with veterans Vince Dunn and Jordan Eberle also among those whose production has declined this season. Dave Hakstol’s club, however, remained solid defensively, allowing the seventh-fewest goals at five-on-five in the NHL and the ninth-fewest goals overall.
Seattle among the ducks
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Or: Honda Center
TV: KCOP (Ch. 13)
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