The Anaheim Ducks opened their season on the road last night, falling 3-1 to the Seattle Kraken. The Ducks found themselves down only around two minutes into the game, with Vince Dunn putting a shot through traffic to beat Lukas Dostal. However, Anaheim responded under two minutes later, as Mason McTavish sent a backdoor pass to Beckett Sennecke, who scored his first NHL goal to tie the game.
The Ducks went on to dominate much of the first period from there, outshooting the Kraken 17-5. Anaheim looked to have taken the lead later, as a loose puck was poked in by Olen Zellweger. However, it was determined to have been a result of Zellweger pushing Joey Daccord’s pad into the net. Still, it was great first period, and the Ducks really never let the Kraken get anything going.
The Kraken managed to get their lead back early into the second period though. A turnover and lost battle from Troy Terry allowed Brandon Montour to feed a puck to the front of the net, where Mason Marchment put Seattle back ahead with his first goal as a member of his new team. The Marchment goal seemed to sink the Ducks’ momentum from there, and the Ducks struggled to find their way again.
Seattle then opened the third period with yet another early goal. Matty Beniers got to a dump-in and put the puck out front to Jared McCann, with McCann extending the lead. The Ducks couldn’t muster much of a push from there, and Seattle took the win after controlling the third period.
Ducks fizzled after a great start
Anaheim had a really strong first period, but things took a turn once they fell behind 2-1. As much as you can find positives from such a strong start, it’s also equally concerning that they were outplayed through much of the back half of the game. It’s both an issue of the Ducks not being able to bury their chances when they had the momentum, but also a lack of pushback as the game went on.
Mistakes proved costly
Even if the Ducks didn’t give up a ton in the way of chances for a good chunk of the first half of the game, the mistakes they did make made the difference. The first goal came after four Ducks players were focused on Jaden Schwartz’s zone entry, and by the time the puck got back to Vince Dunn, he had a lot of time to get a shot off from a good spot. With the second goal, it was just a bad look for Troy Terry, where he lost possession after the Ducks were set up in the offensive zone, then lost a battle to Brandon Montour. Then on the third goal, nobody picked up Jared McCann alone in-close.
Even as the game went on, the Ducks continued to give up some pretty great chances off the rush. Lukas Dostal had to be good to keep the game close, making 28 saves in the loss. Dostal lost goaltending battle to Joey Daccord, but he also can’t be faulted for the goals he did allow.
Beckett Sennecke made an impact right away
On the bright side, Beckett Sennecke looked great right from the get-go. In just his first NHL game, the winger was carrying the puck and engaging in battles, and added skill to the team’s top-six. The Ducks will still have a decision as to whether Sennecke sticks with the club for the season, but he was certainly an impactful part of the forward group in Game 1.
The Ducks will be back in action on Saturday, when they face the San Jose Sharks.
