Ducks vs Blues RECAP: Last Minute Collapse

With 1:04 left in the game and with goaltender Jordan Binnington pulled for the extra attacher, Rob Thomas was like the ocean under the moon and scored to tie the game.

Eerie shades of the game against the Chicago Blackhawks a couple of weeks ago.

12 seconds later, Alex Pietrangelo gave them the lead. Now it was definitely a repeat of the Blackhawks game, but even worse. Instead of collapsing with five minutes remaining, it only took 12 seconds.

Elite tanking moves aside, Wednesday’s game was a rare entertaining one filled with back and forth action and plenty of offense.

Nick Ritchie welcomed himself back to the lineup after missing the previous two games with a lower-body-injury by tallying the game’s first goal.

Brayden Schenn and Ryan O’Reilly gave the Blues the lead to finish out the first period, signaling that the Ducks would have to work harder than yesterday against Arizona to sweep the back-to-back.

Robert Thomas (not THAT Rob Thomas) put the Blues up 3-1 on their third consecutive power play goal. But after Joel Edmundson was sent to the box for roughing Corey Perry, Troy Terry flashed high-end skill on a no-look cross ice pass right to Rickard Rakell’s wheelhouse. A one-timer made it 3-2 and finally broke Rakell into double digits on the goal tally.

Jaycob Megna would then put his first career NHL goal on the board on a shot from the point screened by both Jakob Silfverberg and Rakell.

The final frame began with Adam Henrique in the right place at the right time as he shoveled a loose puck backhanded into the net after Binnington scrambled out of his crease.

St. Louis upped the intensity and continued to push until bringing on the extra attacker with two minutes left. The rest, as they say, is the tankening.

Best and Worst

Best: Good overall game but still lose. A perfect tank

Holding a lead right up until the end before snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Good performances by Rakell and Ritchie along with a three-assist breakout performance by Troy Terry but still supporting the quest towards a top-three draft pick is just about as good of a performance as you can hope for.

Worst: This would suck in any other context

If the Ducks were in the thick of the playoff race and trying to contend, this performance would definitely be worrying. Obviously, we’re ok with it for the remaining games of the season, but this definitely can’t become a regular occurrence. Finishing out games strong and holding on to leads is going to be crucial long-term.

Best: Troy Terry breakout

Ever since being recalled from the San Diego Gulls on February 15th, Terry has steadily revealed the skill we’ve been hearing about for the last year or so. With every game, the high-end playmaking and hockey IQ he’s developed gets more and more apparent. His no-look assist on Rakell’s power play goal in the 2nd period was the prime example of this.

3 Stars

3. Troy Terry

2. Ryan O’Reilly

1. Robert Thomas