Slow Start Dooms Ducks Again in Season-Ending Loss – Game 6 Takeaways
The Anaheim Ducks vowed to be ready to play for their do-or-die Game 6 against the Vegas Golden Knights. But […]
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect The Anaheim Ducks vowed to be ready to play for their do-or-die Game 6 against the Vegas Golden Knights. But when the bell actually rang, it was the Golden Knights who answered it. Vegas scored three first-period goals, including Mitch Marner’s highlight-reel opener just 61 seconds in, and eliminated Anaheim 5-1 at Honda Center.
Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice, and former Ducks defenseman Shea Theodore scored on the power play for Vegas. The Golden Knights advance to play the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final. Mikael Granlund scored the Ducks’ lone goal, and Lukas Dostal made 16 saves in Anaheim’s season-ending loss.
Slow Start Dooms Ducks Again IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect With their season on the line, the Ducks’ start resembled that of Game 3 against Vegas. Just as they did in that game, the Golden Knights scored within the first 90 seconds and struck for a back-breaking short-handed goal in the first period. Theodore, the 26th overall pick of Anaheim from the 2013 NHL Draft, threw in a power-play goal for good measure that made it 3-0 after Alex Killorn’s hooking penalty.
Ducks coach Quenneville spoke after Game 5 about the Ducks’ desperation in their do-or-die game. But it came too late, since the Golden Knights nearly had as many first-period goals (3) as the Ducks had shots (4) in the opening frame. Anaheim did end up laying it on the line, since it outshot Vegas 28-12 over the final 40 minutes.