Despite Loss, Ducks Still Can Find Positives from Game 4

Despite scoring three goals in 37 seconds, the Anaheim Ducks were still unable to come up with a victory on Saturday night as the Chicago Blackhawks took a 5-4 triumph and tied up the Western Conference Final at two games apiece.

Some Ducks fans might be disappointed with the result, and there's a possibility of a bit of a hangover for the team after losing two really tough, lengthy overtime games in this series, but instead of dwelling on those elements, we’re going to focus on the positives that can be gleaned from the game.

First Line Provides Dynamic Punch

When a team is on the road, they not only have to contend with the raucous crowds and amped-up opponents, but they have the disadvantage of having their defensive matchups dictated by the other squad, as the home team gets last line change before face-offs.

Even with that limitation, the Ducks’ top line was a wrecking crew on Saturday night. Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Patrick Maroon racked up a combined 15 shots on goal and 13 hits in the game, and Perry scored the go-ahead goal in the third period to cap off the team’s impressive rally.

Even though the Ducks lost, it was still good for them to see this line produce as well as they did. They will need that group in top form on Monday night when the series resumes in Anaheim.

Ducks’ Defensive Depth Paying Dividends

Going into this series, there was a lot of debate over whether or not the defensive depth of the Ducks would be able to stand up to the defensive stars of the Blackhawks, but through four games and 17 periods of play, it appears the Ducks have found a formula that works well.

That’s because players like Hampus Lindholm and Francois Beauchemin have been able to stay relatively fresh even deep into these lengthy games because there are so many different players capable of making stops on the blue line. Cam Fowler has also had a really solid series for the Ducks and Simon Despres has acquitted himself nicely as well.

The only real question mark at this point on defense is whether or not Sami Vatanen will skate in Game 5. He had a rough go in Game 4 of the series and with veteran player James Wisniewski waiting in the wings, it would seem that Vatanen may be sent to the press box as a result of his struggles.

Ducks’ Physicality Could Be Wearing Down Hawks

According to the statistics website War On Ice, the Ducks have racked up 220 hits through four games of this series. While that number is impressive and indicative of the team’s game plan against the Blackhawks, where those hits are being directed is even more noteworthy.

107 of those hits have been thrown against the Blackhawks’ top four defensemen, with Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya bearing the brunt of the punishment. With the expanded ice time those four players have had in this postseason, it isn’t surprising that they’re getting hit a lot, but the results of the hits are starting to show.

Keith and Oduya did have excellent games on Saturday night, but Seabrook and Hjalmarsson also made some careless turnovers that led to golden scoring opportunities. Hjalmarsson’s failed clearing attempt led to Emerson Etem’s game-tying goal in the second period and a Seabrook turnover near the blue line led to a scoring chance by Matt Beleskey that was stopped by Corey Crawford.

One could argue that those were just isolated incidents, but fatigue and a distaste for taking that many hits in a short amount of time could also be playing a part, and the Ducks likely are smelling blood in the water here.