Ducks 3, Canucks 2 (overtime): Lucky Ducks at home deserved better

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It has been a slow process for the much-acclaimed Vancouver Canucks Lotto Line.

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They started the year slowly, but last week, slowly but surely, they found their rhythm again.

Tuesday night, they delivered, scoring twice late in the third period to give the Canucks a point when it looked like they were going to miss as the third period came to a close.

The Canucks outplayed the Anaheim Ducks on shots and chances all night, but struggled to beat goalie John Gibson, one of the best in the game, until JT Miller and Elias Pettersson scored goals in the final six minutes to send the game in. beyond regulation.

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The Ducks got goals from Cam Fowler and Isac Lundestrom, whose goal midway through the third seemed poised to leave the Canucks frustrated and disappointed. Miller brought the crowd to life with his account that cut the Ducks’ lead in half, before Pettersson connected home with a shot to the wrist with just 55 seconds left.

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Troy Terry scored in extra time to take a thrilling victory for the visitors, who had their goalkeeper to his credit for giving them the opportunity to do so.

This is what we learned …

Hot start

After their big win over Dallas on Sunday, we were watching how the Canucks would fare on Tuesday.

They got out fast and the ducks didn’t seem to know what to do.

The home team outshot the visitors 11-3 during the first 10 minutes of the game and had a powerful playing opportunity.

But they ran into John Gibson, the Anaheim goalie who was named one of the NHL’s three stars of the week after he stopped 62 of 63 shots against.

The Ducks slowed the Canucks ‘rise when Fowler scored on the Ducks’ first power play of the game, at 11 minutes into the period.

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Find opportunities

Over two stints, the Canucks had done a decent, if not dominant, job of creating scoring opportunities.

Anaheim managed to stop the Canucks’ efforts to reach the main scoring areas during the first 10 minutes of the third.

To their credit, they found another team after Lundestrom’s goal, leading to Miller’s shot, which eluded Gibson via a Pettersson screen.

And then, with the Ducks in a controversial power play following a stumbling call to Canucks goalkeeper Jaro Halák, the home team threw the goalie out and put the teams on an equal footing.

Pettersson found a loose puck and shot home with a patented shot to the wrist, sending the game into overtime.

Help I need someone

Not anyone. You know that Halák just needs someone.

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Before Miller and Pettersson finally scored, you had to feel something for the Canucks backup, who had seen the Canucks score just two goals in his previous two starts this season.

He keeps giving the team a chance to win and finally saw his team score a couple of goals.

Despite the fact that his team ultimately lost, the veteran deserved more than just an outright defeat.

Gibson’s story

Gibson was rock solid all night, making easy and difficult saves.

He hit Bo Horvat midway through the second when the Canucks captain broke free from Anaheim’s defense, trying to push his way around them, but the Ducks goalkeeper hit Horvat’s shot.

Then he put on an overtime show, stoning Miller and Horvat again.

His stellar game isn’t a surprise: He’s giving the Ducks, a middleweight team that has some fun young players and a still decent defensive body, a chance to win almost every night.

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Top shot metrics, shot attempts, and expected goals suggest the Ducks are missing shots and chances every night, but Gibson is in the league’s top 10 for high-danger save percentage and probability of saving: shots made right at the top of the crease and overall the probability of scoring also saves percentage.

It would be funny if it weren’t so tragic

The Canucks, again, couldn’t kill a penalty.

And that’s why they ended up conceding the first goal of the game for the 11th time in 13 starts. And for the fifth game in a row, the first time his opponent scored in the game was on the power game.

The Canucks penalty came into play after killing just 63.9 percent of the power play opportunities they had given the other team.

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Terry received an assist on the goal from Fowler, extending his season-opening scoring streak to 12 games. That’s the longest streak since the start of the season in the league.

Last season, only Nathan MacKinnon, Dougie Hamilton, Auston Matthews and Adam Fox had streaks of 12 games or more at any point in the season, let alone since opening day.

Hamonic will not travel

With Canucks on a road trip to the United States on Wednesday, Travis Hamonic will not travel as he is not yet fully vaccinated and would be subject to quarantine upon his return next week.

He is expected to be reassigned to Abbotsford while the team is in the south. The AHL Canucks host the San Jose Sharks farm team, the Barracuda, this weekend.

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License murray

Bob Murray, the Ducks’ longtime general manager, was put on paid leave before Tuesday’s game, the NHL team announced.

He has been charged with “inappropriate professional conduct,” the team said.

Based on initial findings from an independent investigation by an outside law firm, it was recommended that the team remove him from his duties for the time being.

Murray served as a professional scout and director of player personnel for the Canucks from 2000 to 2005. He followed former general manager Brian Burke to Anaheim, where he was Burke’s top lieutenant and later succeeded Burke when he resigned as general manager of the Ducks in November 2008.

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