Ducks ride energy of thrilling home-opening win into Colorado
After edging past one of the NHL's fastest teams this season, the Ducks will take on one of the most high-tempo clubs of this era, the Colorado Avalanche, in the rarefied air of Denver on Friday night.
The Ducks rolled into the match with victories in their season opener against San Jose and home opener versus Utah having sandwiched a road loss to Vegas . Colorado was still in search of its first victory after stumbling out to an 0-4-0 start and a negative-12 goal differential. They've qualified for the past seven postseasons and topped 100 points in each of the past three campaigns, including their 2022 Stanley Cup-winning effort.
The Ducks are aspiring to reach such heights, and coach Greg Cronin was intimately familiar with Colorado's ascent, having coached its top minor-league affiliate in Colorado Springs from 2018 to 2023.
Like Colorado, which boasts mobile and offensively savvy defenseman such as Cale Makar and the currently injured Devon Toews (lower body), the Ducks now have a balance with at least three dynamic young defensemen and three stabilizing veteran presences on the blue line.
"You need that weaponry on your back end to score in this league," said Cronin after Wednesday's win, which was propelled by defenseman Pavel Mintyukov's two goals.
While the Ducks will have to wait and see if Leo Carlsson can have the impact of Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon, he's shown flashes, like on his showy shift and game-winning goal in overtime Wednesday. Carlsson, Denver native Troy Terry, the flashy Trevor Zegras and the powerful Mason McTavish are all among the core young forwards for the Ducks, but they've now been joined by another veteran who could help not only their cause but their development.
Robby Fabbri, whom Cronin called a "role model" and "a blessing" to have around his young group, has made an impression already on his teammates as well, and cemented it with his first goal Wednesday.
"He's awesome, such a great dude and we're so lucky to have him in the locker room," Zegras said of the offseason acquisition from Detroit . "He's a bowling ball out there on the forecheck. He'll throw his body and hunt pucks down, he's been great."
One player who didn't quite hit the ground running against Utah was rookie Cutter Gauthier, who found himself demoted from the first line to the fourth.
"He was struggling a bit. Again, a 20-year-old kid, it's his [fourth] game in the league," said Cronin, who said he felt the veterans he moved into Gauthier's slot were better able to make plays under pressure. "Cutter's going to learn that over the course of the season. Sometimes it's good to learn by watching."
The Ducks' power play, which is one of just three in the NHL that has yet to score a goal (it has gone 0 for 11), was another area that required redress, as Cronin said a flat power-play performance "kind of drains you" while Zegras said he felt that the power play needed more reps with its current personnel.
While the Ducks are still looking for their first man-advantage marker, the Avalanche has yet to earn a single point in the standings this season.
That hasn't been for a lack of effort from their top players as MacKinnon, Makar and elite winger Mikko Rantanen have combined for a staggering 22 points across four games. They've juiced up the league's top power play, which has converted half its opportunities. Conversely though, the Avs have turned in the league's worst penalty kill and had difficulty stopping the puck five-on-five with an NHL-low .794 save percentage.
DUCKS AT COLORADO
When: Friday, 6 p.m.
Where: Ball Arena, Denver
How to watch: Victory+, KCOP (Ch. 13)
