During the first three games of their second round series, the power play was actively hurting the Anaheim Ducks.
But everything changed on Sunday night.
The Ducks scored a pair of power-play goals, their first in the series, and won 4–3 over the Vegas Golden Knights at the Honda Center.
Alex Killorn and Bennett Seneca each scored with a man advantage, and Ian Moore and Mikael Granlund also lit the lamp. Goalie Lucas Dostal returned after being pulled in Game 3, making 18 saves and helping Anaheim even the best-of-7 series at 2 games to one.
Game 5 returns to Vegas on Tuesday at 6:30 pm PT
Ducks power play came up huge in Game 4
The Ducks’ power play hit rock bottom in Game 3. Anaheim was 0 of 11 with the man advantage in 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.
Seneca opened the scoring with a man-advantage goal in the first period, then Killorn broke a 2-all tie and put Anaheim ahead on the power play at 17:58 of the second period.
“Once you score one, it changes the confidence on the power play,” Killorn said. “To see someone step up for us, it was kind of a momentum booster.
“Huge for us. He’s got a great PK.”
Anaheim coach Joel Quenneville talked about Anaheim needing to get the puck to the net more, as it only had two shots on two power plays in the first period. That Sunday the Ducks did just that and got a reward.
“I think sometimes you can move the puck around too much and you’re looking for the right opportunity on the power play,” Killorn said. “I think for us, it’s about getting more chances on net and more shots.”
Seneca’s blast from the point somehow went under the pads of Vegas goalie Carter Hart. Killorn then received a pass from Seneca and executed a give-and-go with Cutter Gauthier, who had three assists, before beating Hart on a stoppable shot on the power-play tally.
“I think the first three games I wasn’t getting enough shots,” Gauthier said. “Fortunately, people were able to bury one. I made a few passes.”
Anaheim’s depth also increased in Game 4
The Ducks became more physical in Game 4 with the Golden Knights. 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 getting the only assist. Moore, who had played well in Games 2 and 3 and played only 8:27 minutes in Game 4, then buried the game-winning goal, with teammate Olen Zellweger getting a secondary assist in his first Stanley Cup playoff game.
“I thought they both did a great job,” Quenneville said of Zellweger and Moore. “He may not have had a lot of minutes, but also the quality of his shifts was important. He defied us to a certain extent. He gave us a little bit of everything.”
Killorn reported that Moore has been playing both forward and defense, and has been playing throughout the season. But Quenneville put him back on the blue line with Zellweger to replace Drew Helson and Tyson Hinds, who were Game 4 scratches.
“That’s the kind of mentality you have to have in the playoffs. It’s next up,” Killorn said. “I think these guys have done a great job of putting themselves in a position where they’re ready to come in and not only play but make 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 in the first four games, and Anaheim’s win assures a return to Honda Center for Game 6 on Thursday.
To the outside world, the fact that the Ducks are still tied after four games will be surprising, as they are ahead of schedule. But Anaheim deserves to stay where it is, even though it hasn’t played a game of this outcome since Game 5 of the 2017 Western Conference Finals against the Nashville Predators.
The Anaheim roster did not have a single player playing in that series, and Quenneville was the coach of the Chicago Blackhawks that year.
Still, the panic and anger will only escalate from here. buckle up.
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