Pat Pickens
Through the firs three games of their second-round series, the power play had been actively hurting the Anaheim Ducks.
But that all changed Sunday night.
The Ducks scored a pair of power-play goals, their first of the series, and hung on for a 4-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights at Honda Center.
Alex Killorn and Bennett Sennecke each scored with the man advantage, and Ian Moore and Mikael Granlund each also lit the lamp. Goalie Lukas Dostal bounced back after being pulled in Game 3, making 18 saves and helping Anaheim even the best-of-7 series at 2 games apiece.
Game 5 will be back in Vegas on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. PT
The Ducks Power Play Came Up Huge in Game 4
The Ducks’ power play hit rock bottom in Game 3. Anaheim was 0 for 11 with the man advantage through three games and allowed a back-breaking short-handed goal to Brayden McNabb in Game 3.
But their man-advantage rose from the ashes in the all-important Game 4.
Sennecke opened the scoring with a man-advantage goal in the first period, then Killorn broke a 2-all tie and put Anaheim ahead for good on the power play at 17:58 of the second period.
“Once you score one, it kind of changes the confidence of a power play,” Killorn said. “To see one go in for us, was kind of a momentum builder.
“Big for us. They have a great PK.”
Anaheim coach Joel Quenneville spoke about Anaheim’s need to get more pucks to the net, since it had just two shots on its two first-period power plays. The Ducks did just that Sunday and got rewarded.
“I think a lot of times you can move the puck around too much and you kind of look for the perfect opportunity on the power play,” Killorn said. “I think for us, it’s just about getting more chances and more shots on net.”
Sennecke’s blast from the point somehow eluded Vegas goalie Carter Hart under his pads. Then Killorn fielded a pass from Sennecke and executed a give-and-go with Cutter Gauthier, who had three assists, before beating Hart on a stoppable shot on power-play tally.
“I think the first three games, I wasn’t getting enough shots,” Gauthier said. “Fortunately, the guys were able to bury one. I made a couple passes.”
Anaheim’s Depth Also Stepped up in Game 4
The Ducks got more physical with the Golden Knights in Game 4. But they also got contributions from key role players.
The Ducks’ fourth line was on the ice for Granlund’s goal, with wing Jeffrey Viel picking up the lone assist. Moore, who had been a healthy scratch in Games 2 and 3 and played just 8:27 in Game 4, then buried the game-winning goal, with partner Olen Zellweger picking up the secondary assist in his first Stanley Cup Playoff game.
“I thought they both did a very good job,” Quenneville said of Zellweger and Moore. “Their minutes might not have been high, but at the same time their quality of shifts was important. They gave us some offense. They gave us a little bit of everything.”
Killorn pointed out that Moore is playing both forward and defense, and has throughout the season. But Quenneville put him back on the blue line, alongside Zellweger, to replace Drew Helleson and Tyson Hinds, who were Game 4 scratches.
“That’s kind of the mentality you have to have in playoffs. It’s next man up,” Killorn said. “I think these guys have done a great job of putting themselves in spots where they’re ready to come in and not just play but have an impact on the game.”
Game 5 is the Biggest Ducks Game in Nine Years
The Ducks and Golden Knights have alternated wins and losses through the first four games, and Anaheim’s win assured it of a return back to Honda Center for Game 6 on Thursday.
To the outside world, the fact the Ducks are even through four games would come as something of a surprise, since they are ahead of schedule. But Anaheim deserves to be where it is, even though it has not played a game of this consequence since Game 5 of the 2017 Western Conference Final against the Nashville Predators.
There wasn’t a single player on the Anaheim roster that played in that series, and Quenneville was the coach of the Chicago Blackhawks that year.
Still, the nerves and angst will only ratchet up from here. Buckle up.
