Goal-starved Ducks are no match for surging Canucks – Daily News

Goal-starved Ducks are no match for surging Canucks – Daily News

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Ducks defenseman Brian Dumoulin controls the puck past Vancouver Canucks right wing Brock Boeser during the first period on Tuesday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

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ANAHEIM — A bright beginning faded into more of the same mundane offense for the Ducks, who squeezed out just one goal in a 5-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night at Honda Center.

Olen Zellweger scored for the hosts, who lost for the seventh time in the past nine games and scored two goals or less for the eighth time in 12 games this season. Lukáš Dostál snagged just 32 of 37 pucks on a night when the traffic near his crease was heavier than that of the 405.

Defenseman Quinn Hughes took sole possession of Vancouver’s team scoring lead with assists on goals by Jake DeBrusk, Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser, who added an assist of his own. Kiefer Sherwood and Danton Heinen set up each other’s goals in support of Kevin Lankinen, who made 21 saves foe the Canucks, who have won six of their past eight games.

Unlike the loss that started their homestand on Sunday, the Ducks did not have much in the way of underlying numbers upon which to hang their hats.

“It seems like the harder you try, the harder things become,” said Alex Killorn, the team’s second-highest paid skater, who has accumulated just three points. “We took good steps in the Chicago game, we played really well and we created a lot of shots. It seemed like tonight, we didn’t have a ton of energy.”

The third period brought Vancouver a more plush cushion.

With 7:52 to play, DeBrusk got his stick on Boeser’s slapshot, a one-timer, for the Canucks’ third tip-in goal of the night. DeBrusk, who signed as a free agent this summer, went scoreless for nine games but has two goals in his past two outings. With 1:42 remaining, Heinen redirected a pass from Sherwood to pour salt in the Ducks’ wound.

At one point early in the contest, the Ducks came off a nifty three-on-two rush with a high-danger chance and 7-2 advantage in shots on net. After the second period, shots were 22-15 in the visitors’ favor and the Canucks also led, 3-1.

Perhaps the Ducks’ most dangerous chance of the period was not a shot on goal. Cutter Gauthier’s rising, drifting wrister hit the intersection of the post and crossbar, though Gauthier paced the Ducks in strikes on net with three.

A mere 2:20 into the second period, the Canucks created separation. Connor Garland blew through the neutral zone and created a slot shot for Pettersson. After the Ducks attempted to clear the puck, Garland recovered it and found Hughes for a slapshot that was deflected home by Petterson for his second goal of the season.

“On the first [goal] in the third period, nobody moved out to the shooter, we just stood there,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said of the goals off of tips. “The other two, our D just got caught on the wrong side of people, we didn’t box out.”

Hughes’ assist on DeBrusk’s goal was No. 300 for his career.

“He, obviously, controls a lot of the play,” Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet said. “He’s a special player, he gets a lot of shots off, that’s hard to do especially when teams are keying on you.”

The Ducks drew the game’s first penalty and quickly upcycled it into the first goal of the night, only to cede two unanswered tallies to head into the first intermission down, 2-1.

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