Ducks vs Hurricanes RECAP: Weathering the Storm

On paper, the Anaheim Ducks had a difficult homestand ahead of them after their recent road trip. The Buffalo Sabres had not yet lost in regulation, and the Carolina Hurricanes came into Honda Center with a 6-2 record. So far, the Ducks look unfazed and ran their record at Honda Center to 4-0 after defeating Carolina by a score of 4-2 on Friday night.

Nicolas Deslauriers was scratched again, as was the injured Brendan Guhle. Nick Ritchie joined them after getting fined for a roughing incident in the Buffalo game. Devin Shore drew into the lineup despite not playing against the Sabres. Ryan Miller got the nod in net against an Eastern Conference opponent.

On a final introductory note, best wishes to Hurricanes broadcaster Mike Maniscalco.

First Period

Anaheim’s early play made me recall the trade rumors that had involved Ondrej Kase before Carolina decided to send Justin Faulk to the Blues instead of the Ducks. Just over four minutes into this one, Kase grabbed the puck along the boards behind the Carolina blue line and dumped it off to a cutting Rickard Rakell. Rakell made a one-touch pass to Adam Henrique who beat Petr Mrazek from just inside the left circle for his fifth of the campaign. Fox Sports commentator Guy Hebert mentioned that the scouting report on Mrazek recommended shooting for the low blocker, which seemed to pay off here. The scoreboard read 1-0 in favor of the Ducks.

Miller made a save on Haydn Fleury, then sprawled out to prevent another chance. Miller also did well to stop Jordan Staal after Korbinian Holzer saw his defensive zone pass taken away, but it led to a penalty against Henrique for hooking.

The Ducks had a 4-on-2 rush after killing the penalty, but Josh Manson couldn’t convert. Soon afterward, Troy Terry skated into the offensive zone and dished to Sam Steel. Steel showed some patience with the puck before finding Cam Fowler. Fowler’s shot was tipped by Terry in front of the net before getting past Mrazek for a 2-0 lead. Terry remarked between periods that it felt good to get rewarded for his hard work.

Second Period

The second frame had barely started when Michael Del Zotto made a pass from his own zone to Ryan Getzlaf who tipped the puck to Jakob Silfverberg. Skating into the Carolina zone, Silfverberg shot the puck through the five hole of Mrazek. That attempt fell short of the goal line, but he was able to skate past the prone goalie and tuck the puck into the vacated net for a 3-0 advantage.

Nino Niederreiter was whistled for hooking. Silfverberg had another glorious chance on the power play, but Jaccob Slavin got away with a slash to stop him. Mrazek saved Lindholm’s shot, then Shore was called for holding Sebastian Aho.

Carter Rowney would score his third career shorthanded goal after a breakout pass by Hampus Lindholm. Rakell generated a juicy rebound, and Mrazek was sent to the bench after Rowney knocked it in. Suddenly, Anaheim held a 4-0 lead.

James Reimer entered the Carolina net, and soon afterward a questionable interference call against Hampus Lindholm led to the first goal for the Hurricanes. Josh Manson could only clear the puck as far as the blue line. Dougie Hamilton intercepted and sent it to Teuvo Teravainen. Erik Haula got a tip on Teravainen’s shot and it careened past Miller to make the score 4-1.

Jones found himself in tight with Reimer but was knocked to the ice by Hamilton and the net came off its moorings. Then, Manson crushed Haula near the boards behind the Anaheim net. Haula would not return to the game, although a postgame update from Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour seemed promising.

After the media timeout, Carolina would score again on an unassisted blast by Fleury, the first goal of his career in his 96th game. A bad clearing attempt by Derek Grant put it on a tee for him and suddenly the Ducks lead had shrunk to 4-2.

Manson’s hard hit on Haula was clean, but Joel Edmundson still asked him to drop the gloves. After some feeling out, each player got a couple of good shots at the other.

Reimer got a piece of Shore’s shot and also rejected Rakell’s sneaky backhanded try. After the period, Rowney noted that these were “two fast teams that want to play fast hockey.”

Third Period

Jones hit Reimer in the mask with an early shot, but Lindholm would make the play of the period. He saved a possible goal by Teravainen, blocking shots with his stick and then his body.

Max Comtois continued to be persistent around the net. Even though he was unable to score, he received pats on the back after returning to the bench. Miller saved Slavin’s long range attempt, then Reimer turned away Lindholm’s bid with his blocker. Terry made a nice play to connect with Steel, but ultimately it did not result in a shot on net.

The end of the game featured few stoppages. Carolina pulled Reimer in favor of an extra attacker with about four minutes left, but the Anaheim defense did not yield. The Ducks skated away with a 4-2 victory, a 6-2 record, and a chance to make this a perfect week at home come Sunday.

By The Numbers

Shots on Goal – ANA: 20 CAR: 24

5v5 CF% – ANA: 49.25% CAR: 50.75%

High Danger Chances For – ANA: 8 CAR: 4

Heat Map and Game Scorecard below

**All stats courtesy of naturalstattrick.com

**Scorecard courtesy of hockeystatcards.com

3 Stars (as voted by the media)

1. Cam Fowler - His shot set up Terry’s first goal of the season. Let’s hope that there are many more.

2. Rickard Rakell - Another strong game with two assists and three shots on goal. According to Fox Sports, he has not been on the ice for a goal against this season.

3. Jakob Silfverberg - During his 500th NHL game, Silfver Surfer’s second effort goal was both inspirational and important to its outcome.

Next Up

The Ducks will remain at home and face the Calgary Flames on Sunday, October 20 at 6:00 PM Pacific Time.