Ducks vs Avalanche RECAP: RIP Losing Streak

As much as we all love the tank, sometimes a victory is needed to inject a little bit of excitement and spur some cheering for a good performance.

That’s exactly what the Ducks gave fans at Honda Center during a rare weekend matinee game, walking away with a 2-1 victory against the Colorado Avalanche.

The Avs have been a far cry from their hot start to the season, going 6-6-4 since the beginning of February. As the Ducks found out, apparently one good line and overperforming goaltending doesn’t equal a good team. Who knew?

Jakob Silfverberg continued to demonstrate to Bob Murray why he deserved his newly minted five-year contract extension with a nice wrister that decapitated goaltender Phillip Grubauer’s innocent water bottle. The goal extended Silfverberg’s team lead with 17 on the year.

The 2nd period saw Anaheim double their lead when Cam Fowler’s shot from the point was tipped by Matt Calvert’s stick and past Grubauer for his 4th goal of the season.

Colorado’s issues with scoring would temporarily be halted with a power play goal by Derick Brassard on the power play after Josh Manson was called for a “hook” that definitely wasn’t actually Mikko Rantanen holding his stick.

With the win, the Ducks sit 5th from the bottom of the league, one point ahead of the New Jersey Devils and three points ahead of the Kings.

Best and Worst

Best: A win is nice, to be honest

The tank can certainly be exciting, but it can get a bit difficult at times hoping your team loses constantly. One win ain’t going to completely derail the tank. There’s 16 games left! That’s plenty of time to suck!

Worst: Behave yourselves

The Ducks haven’t spent as much time in the box as in recent years, but they certainly had issues staying out of the box yesterday. It’s never fun to see your team track a well-worn path to the penalty box. I’m just surprised Colorado’s best players were only able to take advantage once on six chances.

Best: The new kid is looking good

In his first four games with the Ducks, Brendan Guhle has 56.16 CF%, 63.16 SCF%, and 63.33 HDCF%. It’s a small sample size, of course, but these are very promising results for the Ducks' new trade acquisition. And with an assist on Silfverberg’s goal, he got his first point in an Anaheim sweater. Not to mention Cam Fowler has looked good playing alongside him as well. If this type of play continues, the Ducks may come out of the Brandon Montour trade looking better than previously thought.

3 Stars

3. Cam Fowler

2. Brendan Guhle

1. Jakob Silfverberg