The Anaheim Ducks (11-10-3) will conclude their four-game home stand on Friday night against the best team in the National Hockey League: the Minnesota Wild (17-4-4).
Takeaways from the Ducks 5-2 Loss to the Wild
The Ducks have only managed five points in their last six games and are desperate to stay close to .500 in the standings.
They lost star forward Trevor Zegras with a lower-body injury on his first shift in the second period during Wednesday’s 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. They’ve yet to make a roster move but are down to 11 healthy forwards, assuming Carlsson remains out with an upper-body injury.
Replay of the play that sent Zegras to the locker room. Incidental contact and an awkward recovery
Awful break for a player who has made leaps defensively this season and was starting to really feel it offensively of late #FlyTogether https://t.co/aMywg9c9n4
— Patrick Present (@PatrickCPresent) December 5, 2024
Minnesota comes in rested and riding a four-game winning streak. They have won each of their last two games in overtime by a score of 3-2.
Minnesota is ranked 19th in the NHL in terms of power play percentage, converting at a 19.4% clip. They kill 73.3% of opposing power plays, good enough for the 26th-ranked penalty kill in the NHL.
The Wild defeated the Ducks 5-2 in their last meeting on Nov. 8.
Stats
Troy Terry has seven points in his last five games but has only managed seven points in 20 career games against Minnesota.
Frank Vatrano has five points in his last five games and ten points in 14 career games against the Wild while shooting only 8.8%.
Jackson LaCombe enters this game, having scored two goals in his last two games. He has yet to record a point in four career games against his hometown Minnesota Wild.
Matt Boldy dipped under a point-per-game pace for the first time this season after having only managed two in his last five games. In eight career games against Anaheim, he’s notched two goals and ten points.
Kirill Kaprizov may very well be the Hart Trophy favorite thus far in the 2024-25 season, with 39 points in 24 games. He has 20 points in 18 career games against the Ducks, including two goals and an assist in the first meeting between the two teams.
Marco Rossi had a goal and an assist in his first game this season against Anaheim and has three points in five career games against the Ducks. He’s in the midst of a breakout season with 20 points in his first 25 games and has three in his last three.
Lukas Dostal has only played four games since he last faced the Wild on Nov. 8. In that game, he gave up five goals on 31 shots and has a career 1-3-0 record against Minnesota with a .915 SV%.
After starting the season with a 4-0-1 record, John Gibson has dropped each of his last two games. In 19 career games against the Wild, he has a 7-7-4 record with a .922 SV% and three shutouts.
Marc-Andre Fleury has only played six games this season and hasn’t lost in regulation, with a 5-0-1 record. He has a spectacular 23-5-0 record in his career against Anaheim with a .932 SV% and four shutouts.
Filip Gustavsson has been one of the best goaltenders in the NHL this season and stopped 33 of 35 shots against the Ducks in their last meeting. In his career, he has a 4-1-0 record with a .934 SV% and one shutout.
Scouting
Like the Vegas Golden Knights, the Wild are one of the most defensively disciplined teams in the NHL and prioritize capitalizing on mistakes forced near either blueline.
Unlike Vegas, they’re a bit more forecheck and cycle-oriented, with ample player movement high in the offensive zone when pressure is established.
They run a box-plus-one zone coverage defensive scheme when the puck is low in the zone and send their center to cover and pressure high when opponents operate near the blueline.
Getting to the slot will prove a tall task against vicious and astute defending below the faceoff dots, but the Ducks should be able to work pucks in the corners and on the wall in the offensive zone to open up lanes if and when they can establish pressure.
The Ducks have a 37-34-15 all-time record against the Minnesota Wild, but the Wild are 9-1-0 in the teams’ last ten meetings.
