ANAHEIM –– The Ducks have one remaining game before the holiday break, in which they’ll seek to deny any Christmas cheer to the NHL’s most wayward team at the moment, the Seattle Kraken.
The Kraken have gone 2-9-0 in their past 11 games, putting up the league’s second worst penalty kill percentage (and most porous defense) during that time, when the Ducks have simultaneously had their second worst power play.
Yet absent much menace from their man advantage units, the Ducks’ depth and scoring balance have been at the fore on both the front and back ends.
Even as Trevor Zegras thrives in Philadelphia –– he has 35 points in 34 games and hasn’t missed a match yet –– Ryan Poehling has more than delivered on his end of the bargain as the only roster player received for Zegras.
The checking center has 10 primary assists, the fourth most on the Ducks ahead of top-end players like Jackson LaCombe and Cutter Gauthier. He has also accumulated seven points in his past six games. Meanwhile, heavyweight Ross Johnston has been more than a pugilist for the Ducks, posting career highs in assists and points before the halfway mark of the campaign.
“(Poehling and Johnston), it seems like there’s something there between those two guys,” Coach Joel Quenneville said. “They’re connecting with one another. They’re making some nice plays as well, and they’ve been on the scoresheet a lot lately. Underratedly, that (fourth) line has been getting a lot done for us.”
On defense, the Ducks rank seventh in the NHL in points from the blue line. Their leading producer is LaCombe with 21 points, while four of the six teams ahead of the Ducks in points by defenseman have a rearguard with 32 or more points.
The fifth, the Washington Capitals, has had big seasons from both Jacob Chychrun and John Carlson. The Tampa Bay Lightning are missing three regulars including top defender Victor Hedman and are the only team to approximate the Ducks’ back-end balance of contributions.
Part of that uptick in offense from defense has been Pavel Mintyukov’s reemergence. He has all four of his goals in the past three weeks, including Saturday’s game-winner against the Columbus Blue Jackets. During a frantic sequence where Columbus failed to clear the puck repeatedly, he darted down from the left point into the slot to receive a silky feed from Mikael Granlund, who’s been heating up since healing from a lower-body injury.
Mintyukov had to persevere through a string of healthy scratches earlier this season, and was among the multitude of Ducks who struggled in their 8-3 loss to Dallas on Friday. Both he and Quenneville said they were satisfied with the progress in the former No. 10 overall pick’s game of late.
“It’s just understanding what the coaches want from my game and what my abilities are,” Mintyukov said.
He added: “If you play more, more minutes, more ice time, you’ll get more comfortable.”
The Kraken have been playing all season and seem to only be getting less comfortable. Early on, the goaltending of Joey Daccord and some industrious play had them keeping pace in the Pacific, but of late they have struggled immensely.
Injuries have also been a factor. Former Duck Brandon Montour missed Saturday’s 4-2 win over San Jose, Seattle’s first regulation victory in a dozen decisions. The franchise’s all-time leading scorer Jared McCann, lottery pick Berkly Catton, and center Jaden Schwartz are also among the wounded for Seattle.
