Game #21

Anaheim Ducks vs Vegas Golden Knights

Wednesday, November 22nd, 7:30 PM PST

TV: Prime, ATTSN-RM

Radio: AM 830, AnaheimDucks.com

Your Enemy: Knights on Ice

The Anaheim Ducks are coming off of a 3-2 shootout win against the San Jose Sharks. Although the Ducks struggled to finish off the game on their second night of a back-to-back, the team survived to earn two points against their northern California rival. Now back home in Orange County, the injured Ducks look to win their fourth game in a row against the NHL’s new, shiny toy— the Vegas Golden Knights.

On Monday night, Reto Berra took over the crease for a tired John Gibson and an injured Ryan Miller securing his first win as a Duck. Although Berra stopped 40 shots through regulation and also stopped 6 of 9 in the shootout, Gibson should be back in net where he belongs. A Vegas team could come as a relief for the Anaheim goaltending. The Golden Knights are 25th in the league in shots per game at 30.1. But chances are they will still find a way to put up 40 against this Anaheim squad.

Corey Perry and Rickard Rakell continue to carry the Ducks in the offensive zone. Both forwards picked up a goal and an assist against the Sharks. It is great to see Anaheim’s stars step up while what feels like the entire team is on Injured Reserve. Perry is trying to do his best Ryan Getzlaf impression by leading the entire team in assists with 12. His linemate Rakell also leads the team in goals with 8.

Who To Watch

Former Ducks David Perron and William Karlsson lead the Golden Knights in points. Karlsson has already potted 9 goals in only 19 games. Reilly Smith, Jonathan Marchessault, and James Neal are also contributing on the scoreboard for the expansion team. As for the former Panthers, fans still have to wonder why they were both let go. Anaheim’s defense will look to keep them in check throughout the night as Vegas does not have tremendous depth.

Cam Fowler will look to build on his return to the Anaheim lineup. The “veteran” defenseman logged 23:45 minutes of ice time including 1:43 on both the PP and PK. The second game back will test his conditioning after being out for over a month.

Keys to the Game

It would be ideal to start off the new franchise matchup with a win. In order to do that, Anaheim will have to continue to be solid on special teams. The Vegas Golden Knights are in the bottom half of the league in both power play and penalty kill situations. Hopefully the Ducks stay out of the box to avoid giving the Knights any opportunities.

The Ducks will most likely see Malcom Subban in the Vegas crease. The young goalie is still very untested but has a 2-0-0 record so far this season. Anaheim would be wise to shoot as much as possible to see if they can create rebounds off of angled shots. Look to see players like Nick Ritchie crashing the net to pick up some much needed garbage goals.