Despite losing their Western Conference second-round opener Monday night, the Anaheim Ducks had plenty of reasons to be optimistic heading into Game 2 of their best-of-seven series with the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday in Las Vegas.
Ivan Barbashev scored the controversial game-winner for Vegas with a backdoor tap-in with just 4:58 remaining following the non-icing call heard ’round the NHL world, and Mitch Marner sealed the 3-1 win with a 190-foot empty-netter with 6 seconds to go.
But there were still some positives moving forward for the Ducks, who swept the three-game regular-season series with the Golden Knights.
Anaheim controlled most of the action, finishing with a 34-22 advantage in shots on goal and also a surprising 37-26 edge in hits against a veteran Vegas team that is built around its heavy play.
But several self-inflicted wounds, including a pair by defenseman Jackson LaCombe, were instrumental in the loss.
The first came trailing 1-0 in the second period. Leo Carlsson made a highlight-reel spin move before crossing a pass to LaCombe alone at the bottom edge of the right circle. LaCombe, Anaheim’s top scorer with nine points in its first-round series victory over Edmonton, had a wide-open net when he received the pass. Instead, he missed on a pass to Troy Terry, who was cutting in front of the crease.
“I thought (Vegas goalie Carter) Hart kind of slid over, and as soon as I fully turned my head around, he wasn’t there, and I already kind of made the decision to pass,” LaCombe said. “It was just a stupid mistake. Yeah, I want that one back.”
LaCombe set up Mikael Granlund with the tying goal with 6:03 left in the third. About a minute later, LaCombe, racing after the puck into the right corner with Jack Eichel of the Golden Knights, and the rest of the Ducks, appeared to let up when icing was waived off on a Barbashev dump-in from well behind the red line. Pavel Dorofeyev alertly snatched the puck along the boards and then threaded a pass to a wide-open Barbashev by the left post for the game-winner.
It should be noted that replays showed Anaheim coach Joel Quenneville and a furious Ducks bench screaming at officials well before Barbashev scored. It also should be noted that the officials declined to speak to a pool reporter afterward about the disputed call.
“Clearly, I disagreed with the call. It was clearly icing,” Quenneville said. “Their guy (Eichel) stopped, which really made me annoyed. … We had just scored. It was a huge call and it was an easy call.”
LaCombe, though, took responsibility for the miscue.
“As soon as I heard him waive it off, I just made a mistake,” LaCombe said. “I made a soft play at the wall, and I just, I can’t do that. It’s not a good play.”
The Ducks head into Game 2 confident they can turn things around.
“I think we feel good about our group,” said Terry, who hit the post with a shot. “We feel good about how we match up with them. I thought we used our speed all night. Honestly, I thought we made it hard on them and I liked how we played.”
Vegas coach John Tortorella, who improved to 12-2-1 since replacing Bruce Cassidy as head coach on March 28, was unsatisfied and brief after evaluating tape of the contest.
“We were not good,” Tortorella said. “Not going into specifics with (the media).”
“I don’t think anyone in our locker room is satisfied with that win,” Marner said. “I don’t think we got to our (offensive zone) game at all.”
