Ducks want more responsibility, less generosity against Canadiens
Although the Ducks and Montreal Canadiens each go into Wednesday’s game on losing streaks, it will be a pre-holiday affair with Original Six spirit and stars-of-the-future flair alike.
It will also be a winnable game for the hosts, who have lost three straight, against an opponent that has lost four in a row to slide to the bottom of the Atlantic Division.
Montreal typically has one of the most boisterous visiting contingents, and there will be some rousing chants of olé, olè to be sure. Meanwhile, a more competitive Ducks roster, which includes lottery picks like Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish, has brought the craziness back to Katella Ave.
Where the Ducks might be looking for a little sanity and predictability is in their decision-making, with direct passing, a shot mentality and penalty discipline all lacking for much of this season.
“We’ve just got to be more responsible with the puck. We’ve got to value possession time,” Coach Greg Cronin said by phone.
The Ducks have gotten solid goaltending from both the seasoned John Gibson and rookie Lûkás Dostál, while they’ve also been above the league average killing penalties despite having a higher volume of infractions than any other franchise. The Ducks have spent 7:22 playing shorthanded per game, the highest in the league (Montreal has the next highest average at 6:58), yet they’ve still won half their games and only lost by more than two goals three times this season.
“The margin for winning and losing in this league is so narrow, that if you don’t handle the puck well and manage the game well, you’re probably going to jeopardize your chances of winning,” Cronin said. “If you took the turnovers and the penalties that we take, those are two areas that impact our ability to control and manage the game.”
The Ducks killed four of five penalties against St. Louis on Sunday but managed just one goal. While defensive structure and goaltending have been pluses, giveaways have offset some of those gains, especially of late in the loss to St. Louis and a 6-3 defeat against Philadelphia on Nov. 10.
“I don’t think our guys are trying to be selfish, they’re just not being responsible, they’re not connecting the dots between that turnover and the domino effect it has on the rest of the team,” Cronin said.
In Montreal, the Ducks have an opponent who could relate or perhaps even found a giveaways support group. The Canadiens have been “credited” with more giveaways than any team in the NHL this year. It’s been a team effort, too, as no Habs player has placed in the top 25 individually (the Ducks have two players in the top 25).
Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield have spearheaded the Montreal attack with Mike Matheson contributing notably from the blue line. Newcomers Alex Newhook and Sean Monahan have taken on significant roles while last year’s No. 1 overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky has yet to mature into a consistent producer.
MONTREAL AT DUCKS
When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Honda Center
TV: Bally Sports West