Ducks can’t convert chances in loss to Wild
Jack Janes
Host · Writer
A day after clinching their first playoff berth in eight years, the Ducks’ next objective is fighting for home ice advantage for round one of the playoffs, and that task just got increasingly taller.
The Ducks traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota, to an arena that’s haunted them in recent memory on Tuesday night in hopes of leapfrogging the Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division standings. Despite playing a strong game, things didn’t go their way.
The Ducks continued their losing way at Grand Casino Arena, losing 3-2 against the Wild despite outshooting them 37-20.
The Ducks are now 1-14-5 in their last 20 games against the Wild and have lost eight of their last nine games overall.
It appeared their fortunes were going to change Tuesday night, as the Ducks dominated possession in the first period and opened the scoring when Mason McTavish ripped a wrist shot past Jesper Wallstedt on the power play.
A late goal in the period by Danila Yurov tied it up, and the Ducks lost their way from there.
The Wild progressively played better as the second period went along, and they finally broke through when Nick Foligno took a puck below the goal line and fed a pass to Hunter Haight, who streaked into the slot, and no Duck defender picked him up. Haight went bardown for his first NHL goal.
The Ducks turned it on in the third, outshooting the Wild 15-3 in the final frame. But Wallstedt stood tall the whole game, making 35 saves with some big-time stops mixed in to take away high-danger scoring chances.
Former Duck Robby Fabbri notched the game winner when a floating puck was knocked down in front of the net, and Fabbri got just enough of a piece of the puck to have it slowly trickle through the goal crease and over the goal line, just past the outstretched pad of Lukáš Dostál.
From there, it was desperation mode for the Ducks, as they picked up the urgency and flooded Wallstedt with shots.
McTavish tallied his second goal of the night with 44 seconds left by tipping a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle by Mikael Granlund, but it was too little, too late.
It’s been a tough season for McTavish. The 23-year-old former third overall pick has only produced 40 points and has been a healthy scratch at times.
Tuesday night was the first multi-goal game of McTavish’s season. He now has six points in his last six games, which would be a massive boost for the Ducks if McTavish can stay hot heading into the playoffs.
As for what this loss means for the Ducks moving forward, they currently sit at 90 points and in third place of the Pacific Division. They’re one point behind the Oilers and one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings.
The last game of the season for the Ducks on Thursday in Nashville to face the Predators will be a big one, as it will likely decide who the Ducks will play in the first round and whether or not they will have home ice advantage.
The best scenario: the Ducks win and the Oilers lose in regulation, which puts the Ducks as the second seed in the Pacific Division and will have home ice advantage. The worst: the Ducks lose and the Kings win one of their last two games to jump the Ducks in the standings and force the Ducks into the last wild card spot to face the President Trophy winning Colorado Avalanche.
