Ducks aim to locate offense in matinee versus Isles
Anaheim Ducks coach Dallas Eakins continues to see his team squander offensive chances in front of opposing goalies.
The first-year Ducks coach takes his team to Long Island for a Saturday matinee against the New York Islanders.
Anaheim grids in the bottom three clubs in the NHL in goal scoring, averaging just 2.49 per game.
Against the lowly Taylor Hall-less New Jersey Devils on Wednesday, the Ducks managed to take a 1-0 lead behind a first-period tally from Adam Henrique.
But New Jersey, playing its first game without the 2018 Hart Trophy-winning Hall after a trade with Arizona, scored three unanswered goals and Anaheim failed to solve Devils goalie Mackenzie Blackwood again.
Eakins, the organization's 10th coach, said his team has had chances but more often than not decides to pass on them.
"It's a little bit of a broken record," Eakins said following the Ducks' second straight loss. "I actually thought we had chances to generate more chances where we actually passed up a few shots.
"But, again, we've got enough from that red zone right in front of the net to capitalize. For whatever reason, we can't. We've got to really just start believing that we can."
One area the Ducks could use some help is in their overall health.
In a tough week of injuries that started in Tuesday's 4-1 defeat in Philadelphia, Anaheim lost forwards Troy Terry and Derek Grant plus defenseman Jacob Larsson.
Terry, 22, will miss 10 weeks with a broken bone below his kneecap after being hit by Flyers forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel.
Grant (sprained AC joint) was also injured in that contest and is expected to miss four-to-six weeks while Larsson (upper body) is day-to-day.
In place of Terry and Grant, the club recalled center Isac Lundestrom, 20, and left wing Max Jones, 21, from San Diego of the American Hockey League. The latter two players both logged double-digit minutes against New Jersey.
In a defensive-minded game Thursday night, the Islanders and Boston Bruins produced just seven shots each as the second period neared its end in Boston.
After regulation and the overtime session didn't present a winner, the Islanders earned a 3-2 shootout victory after Jordan Eberle and Mathew Barzal scored on Bruins standout goalie Tuukka Rask.
New York's Semyon Varlamov stopped Charlie Coyle and Brad Marchand to win the shootout.
Defenseman Johnny Boychuk produced a goal and an assist and Barzal also scored for the Islanders, who were outshot 29-21 by Boston.
New York is 7-3-0 in its last 10 matches, and the Beantown victory was a fine rebound from an 8-3 drubbing by visiting Nashville on Tuesday in the Islanders' worst loss this season.
Cal Clutterbuck went to the hospital Thursday after his left wrist was lacerated by the skate of Boston center Patrice Bergeron, who fell face-first to the ice and clipped the gritty forward.
"I think he's just getting stitched up and we'll see what it is there," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. "Hopefully it's not too serious, but those are always scary when a skate comes up."
--Field Level Media
