After Game 1 of Round 2, the Ducks were feeling a bit of déjà vu.
They lost the opener of their best-of-seven series Monday despite outshooting the Vegas Golden Knights, drawing twice as many penalties and producing expected-goal numbers that inverted the match’s actual result.
The 3-1 defeat was perhaps even more reassuring than their Game 1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round, one that set up four wins in their next five games to take the series.
“It was very similar to the last series to start. It’s kind of a hard one to swallow. We can feel we deserve better or whatever, but that’s why they’ve been so far in the playoffs this many years, is that they’re hard to beat in these close games,” winger Troy Terry told reporters. “But leaving the game, there are similar feelings as last time in the first game. We feel good about this group. We feel good about how we match up with them. We used our speed all night. Honestly, I thought we made it hard on them and I liked how we played.”
Terry was one of several Ducks that couldn’t quite capitalize on some sterling chances, including “three or four that I’m gonna be kicking myself over” he said.
Goalie Lukáš Dostál echoed his overall assessment.
“It was a tough game. We played well. We came up short by one goal, but we had a lot of speed, the guys were forechecking really, really well, and overall it was a good game,” he said.
It’s one thing to like your own team’s play in a loss, but even their opponents evaluated the clash similarly.
“We were fortunate that we found a win. They played well. We have some things to work on, and I’ll leave it at that,” said Vegas coach John Tortorella, who was guiding the Knights for just the 15th game after taking the reins very late in the campaign.
Mitch Marner, the Knights’ do-it-all forward whom they snatched from Toronto over the summer, was asked what his club could elevate in its game as the series progressed.
“A lot. I don’t think anyone in that locker room was satisfied with that win. We know we’ve got a lot better, we know we can play a lot better,” Marner replied. “We didn’t get to our O-zone game at all. We gave them some good looks that Carter (Hart) made some massive saves on. We know, we’ve got to be better, we know the series is going to get harder, that’s how it always goes.”
On the injury front, Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said Tuesday that captain Radko Gudas (lower-body injury), who has not played since Game 1 of the Edmonton series, is out for Game 2. Former Duck and original Golden Knight William Karlsson (lower-body injury) received a warm welcome in his first game since Nov. 8, one in which he recorded a shot on goal and took a penalty.
The Ducks, who dominated on the power play in the opening round and were one of the best 6-on-5 teams all season, failed to convert on four man-advantage opportunities and couldn’t cash in with the goalie pulled late either. They went from facing a relatively porous penalty kill with wobbly goaltending to one of the best in the NHL in front of one of the league’s hottest netminders at the moment in Hart.
“Certainly we faced a lot more pressure than we saw [against Edmonton]. We did have some decent looks. Our best look was with the goalie out at the end, and we didn’t get it through,” Quenneville said.
NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINAL: DUCKS VS. VEGAS
GAME 1: Vegas 3, Ducks 1
GAME 2: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas (TNT, truTV)
GAME 3: 6:30 p.m. Friday, Honda Center (TNT, truTV)
GAME 4: 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Honda Center (ESPN)
GAME 5*: Time TBD Tuesday, T-Mobile Arena (ESPN)
GAME 6*: Time TBD Thursday, Honda Center (TNT, truTV)
GAME 7*: Time TBD Saturday, T-Mobile Arena (ABC or ESPN)
* – if necessary