Ducks’ Cam Fowler quietly having a career offensive season
How it all started: One assist in the first month of the season, 15 games to be precise.
How it’s going: One point from tying his single-season career high in points and one assist from equaling his single-season high in assists, both marks coming in the 2021-22 season.
It has been a roller-coaster season for Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler, which, of course, has often mirrored the look of the collective group.
Fowler’s trajectory, of late, has been trending upward with seven points in the past six games, including three assists in the Ducks’ 5-4 overtime loss to Nashville on Sunday, a quietly productive stretch under the radar.
Fowler is the Ducks’ third-leading scorer with 41 points (nine goals, 32 assists) in 67 games, one point ahead of rookie center Mason McTavish and nine behind Troy Terry and 15 behind leading-scorer Trevor Zegras.
More telling is the fact that Fowler has recorded 24 points since Jan. 1 – tied with Charlie McAvoy of the Boston Bruins and Adam Fox of the New York Rangers and one point behind Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg), Miro Heiskanen (Dallas), Brandon Montour (Florida), Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo) and Brent Burns (Carolina).
That’s known as good company to be in.
The uptick in Fowler’s production could be traced mostly to coach Dallas Eakins’ decision to put him back as the quarterback on the first power-play unit in mid-November in place of John Klingberg.
When the Ducks signed Klingberg as a free agent, it gave them an option to have him run the first power-play unit, which seemed appealing at the time, But for whatever reason, it never quite clicked.
More recently, the Ducks defense corps went through changes at the March 3 trade deadline, when Klingberg was traded to Minnesota and Dmitry Kulikov was moved to Pittsburgh. Fowler had been paired with Kulikov, and when Kulikov and Klingberg were scratched because of trade-related reasons against Washington on March 1, Fowler was paired with Nathan Beauieu.
Fowler said he fully expected to have a revolving door of partners, but starting with the victory over Montreal on March 3 he has been with veteran Scott Harrington, a left-shot defenseman who has been playing on the right side. Fowler has had points in four of the five games since the deadline, and the three-assist performance matched a career high in a game, a mark he has achieved on three other occasions.
Ice chips
Ducks defenseman prospect Jackson LaCombe of the University of Minnesota was named to All-B1G Second Team when the Big Ten conference honors were announced Tuesday. LaCombe has been out since late February with a lower-body injury. In 32 games, LaCombe has 31 points (eight goals, 23 assists) this season.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS AT DUCKS
When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Honda Center
TV: Bally Sports West