Don’t think I’ve forgotten the debacle that was giving up 30 shots in a single period against the Dallas Stars. That exposed a major flaw in the Anaheim Ducks defensive strategy, which is going to take time and coaching adjustments to correct.
But it would be equally foolish to deny how they’ve been able to start the season with success in so many other areas.
Anaheim is doing a lot right this season, with a lot of factors working in their favor.
Here’s what I think is going to keep the Ducks frequently in the win column going forward.
#1: John Gibson
Playing in front of an Anaheim team that has struggled severely with giving up shots, John Gibson has compiled a 1.89 GAA and .948 save percentage in six starts. Here are a few more deep numbers on Gibson’s play:
Delta Save Percentage: 5.29% (1st in the NHL)
High-Danger Chance Save Percentage: 94.44 (1st in the NHL)
Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA): 8.73 (1st in the NHL)
I don’t want to write this off by saying Gibson will regress, because he just looks like these numbers. The saves he makes don’t look lucky or like a lot of fortunate flukes. He’s stopping really good, difficult shots and he’s doing so with great positioning.
Gibson is already having a Vezina-calliber season and, barring injury, I think his skill and refined positioning makes these numbers reasonably sustainable.
Bottom line: He’s good and he gives the Ducks a chance every night.
#2: Young, Inexpensive Production with Veteran Talent
One of the biggest keys to a deep, successful playoff run is to have young, productive players on ELCs combined with seasoned offensive talent.
Particularly with Max Comtois, Sam Steel and Keifer Sherwood, the Ducks have that this season, more so than we’ve seen in years past. My hope is that at least Comtois and Steel could stick around, which is hard to see in the lineup if the Ducks are fully healthy.
Though Corey Perry is a long way from being game ready, so it’s possible to see at least a couple of the young guys get to stay, which gives Anaheim a very “complete” and energetic lineup.
With Getz, Kase and Eaves back in the lineup, your lines could look like the following:
SC1: Rakell - Getz - Silf
SC2: Comtois - Henrique - Kase
SC3: Cogs - Kesler - Sherwood
CHK: Ritchie - Steel - Eaves
Personally, I like the looks of this lineup. Send Gibbons and Rowney down to San Diego and let the kids play.
#3: Banking Points
It’s a bit of a self-evident point, but for the first time in several years now, Anaheim is banking points at the beginning of the season. And this is happening without a lot of their most offensively productive players which, upon getting those players back, should put Anaheim in a place to have a good second half of the season on top of a good start.
Maybe it’s too early to know if their pace is sustainable, but you’d rather be winning these games now before the standings tighten up and points get harder to come by near the end of the season.
The Conclusion and Outlook
Again, I don’t want to be overly optimistic.
The Ducks have a serious problem in their system that somehow allows a lot of shots through. I think getting back some proven offensive leadership - especially Getzlaf - should allow them to possess the puck more and address this problem.
If they can do so, it’ll be extremely difficult for opponents to score on Gibson.
A this point, I think Anaheim fans have reason to be cautiously optimistic.