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Anaheim Ducks: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly from October

November 1, 2019, 4:24 PM ET [5 Comments]
Steve Palumbo
Colorado Avalanche Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Anaheim Ducks returned home from the first extended road trip of the season licking their wounds. Injuries and losses both starting to pile up, but a nice rebound win at home ended the month of October on a high note.

It's been a surprising and fun first month of the season for the Ducks. In many ways, they've exceeded my expectations and in some ways, they've left me scratching my head. Let's take a look back at some of the good, the bad and the ugly from the first month of the season.

THE GOOD:

- With eight wins in their first 14 games, the Ducks are nestled comfortably in the playoff conversation in both the Pacific Division and Western Conference. Anaheim's early success is fueled by solid goaltending, tight defense, and timely scoring - all key components to success in the NHL. Can they sustain this level of cohesiveness for a full 82 games? That's the million-dollar question. Only time will tell. For now, at least, it seems as though new head coach Dallas Eakins is pushing all the right buttons.

- Anaheim is 5-1 at the Honda Center. They are outscoring visitors 22-12 overall and 13-6 in the second period. What's even more impressive is they've only allowed TWO total third-period goals to the visiting team thus far. That also helps to explain their impressive 7-0 record when leading after two periods. For whatever reason, the Ducks are thriving off some good old fashioned home cooking. In the last game against Winnipeg, they bent but never broke and eventually grounded the Jets.

- The line of 67-14-33 has been a nice bright spot offensively. Adam Henrique leads the team with eight goals and Jacob Silfverberg leads the team in overall scoring with 11 points (6g 5a). The entire line has contributed 17 goals, 28 points, and a plus-22 rating. As the season rolls along it's clear they've become more comfortable as a unit. They almost have a sixth sense for the other man's whereabouts on the ice. It makes me smile thinking about it. The Ducks haven't had a line like this in a few years. It's a welcome sight for sure.

THE BAD:

- The Ducks are 3-5 on the road. In the five road losses, they scored a total of seven goals while allowing 17 against. John Gibson was pulled a couple of times and all of the Honda Center magic was eerily absent. Five of the Ducks' last seven games in November are on the road. Reverse the road woes and happy days could be here again.

- Anaheim is one of the worst power-play teams in the league. They currently sit 29th with a success rate of 9.4%. Mix in a struggling penalty kill at 79.4% and we have some serious concerns with special teams. To stay relevent they are going to have to address this sooner rather than later.

THE UGLY:

- Injuries! The injury issues were well documented last season and it all but derailed the season. Anaheim's already lost games from Hampus Lindholm, Ondrej Kase, and Josh Manson this season. Lindholm returns tonight and Kase is getting closer but Manson in gone for five to 10 weeks. I would hate to see a promising season go off the rails because the team couldn't stay healthy.

Thanks for reading,
Steve
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