Among the many great deeds “The Great One” accomplished over the years was to utter the now famous phrase, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
Wayne Gretzky’s words are considered a sacred tenant in hockey locker rooms and high school classrooms alike.
With that in mind, it wasn’t difficult to figure out why the Ducks dropped a 3-1 decision Thursday to the Minnesota Wild at Honda Center. They simply didn’t take enough shots to score and win. Or more to the point, they didn’t fire enough shots on goal to win.
Seven of their 12 forwards in the lineup didn’t record a single shot on goal, which helped to explain why they were outshot 27-17. They directed 26 additional shots toward the net that were either blocked or missed the mark, but there was a pass-first mentality that proved costly.
Max Comtois, Ryan Getzlaf, Adam Henrique, Max Jones, Isac Lundestrom, Rickard Rakell and Troy Terry each came up with a bagel in the shots on goal column. The Ducks were held to one goal for the seventh time in 17 games this season.
No question, a two-man advantage for 1:06 in the first period seemed like the moment to fire at will and assume command of the game, or at least chip into the Wild’s 2-0 lead. The Ducks failed to record a shot on goal during their 5-on-3 and had only one on the ensuing 5-on-4.
One day later, Ducks coach Dallas Eakins asked for more selfishness from his players.
“It’s interesting when you’re asking your team to be more selfish because it’s usually the last thing you want in your dressing room,” he said. “You can have fabulous people, you can have high-character people, but we’re not looking for son-in-laws here, we’re looking to win hockey games.”
Are the Ducks simply too nice, too unselfish for their own good?
“They truly love each other, but we do need some selfishness there,” Eakins said.
What’s the best way to get the players to be more selfish?
“I don’t have to go grab a stat sheet and say, ‘Hey, you don’t have any shots on goal,’” Eakins said. “These guys know. These guys are of high character and they take it personally. They also own it. They’re everything you want in good teammates and guys who do care.
“For me, it’s starting the conversation or showing them the play and asking, ‘What were you thinking here?’ And I don’t mean, ‘What were you thinking?’ I mean, ‘Actually, what are you thinking here? What’s your process on this entry?’ It’s great to hear it through their mouth.
“That’s where the conversation starts.”
LINDHOLM UPDATE
Hampus Lindholm’s status for Saturday’s rematch with the Wild was uncertain, but it sounded as if Eakins was prepared to play without his top defenseman. An unspecified lower-body injury forced Lindholm from the game in the second period Thursday.
“He’s still being evaluated,” Eakins said of Lindholm, the Ducks’ leading scorer among their defensemen with two goals and four assists. “Very questionable if he’ll be ready for (Saturday). We’ve got to get another look at it once it settles down.”
Andy Welinski, who is scoreless in three games, could replace Lindholm in the lineup. The Ducks were already without another of their top defensemen in Josh Manson, who strained an oblique muscle in a Jan. 18 game against the Wild and is expected to be sidelined for six weeks.
There’s also another option.
General manager Bob Murray could recall Jamie Drysdale from the Ducks’ AHL team, the San Diego Gulls, and give the sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft his first NHL exposure. Drysdale had two goals and four assists in six games going into Friday’s game at Bakersfield.
It’s believed Murray would like to give Drysdale and left wing Trevor Zegras, the Ducks’ first-round pick in 2019, more than a handful of games in the AHL before promoting them to the NHL, however. Drysdale and Zegras helped to lead the Gulls to six consecutive wins to start the season.
ROSTER MOVES
The Ducks sent defenseman Brendan Guhle to the Gulls on a long-term injury conditioning loan. He has been sidelined for all 17 games after suffering a sprained knee during a scrimmage last month at training camp. The Ducks also assigned defenseman Kodie Curran to the Gulls.
Minnesota at Ducks
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Honda Center
How to watch: Prime
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February 20, 2021 at 05:29AM
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