Takeaways from the Ducks' 3-2 Win over the Devils

The Anaheim Ducks wrapped up the 2024 calendar year with a New Year's Eve matchup against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday at Honda Center.

Game #36: Ducks vs. Devils Gameday Preview

The Ducks were coming off a surprising 5-3 victory over a Stanley Cup-favorite Edmonton Oilers team on Sunday.

The Devils entered this game, their first of a back-to-back, having won six of their last eight games and are in second place in the Metropolitan Division.

Ducks head coach Greg Cronin ran the same lineup that earned the team their win over Edmonton.

Lukas Dostal got the start in goal for the Ducks in this game, his third start in a row after coming in for an injured John Gibson in their 3-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Dec. 23.

"He's mature for his age," Cronin said of Dostal. "He doesn't get rattled; he's got a very high standard he sets for himself."

Dostal saved 32 of the 34 shots he faced and 1.48 goals above expected.

In the New Jersey crease, Jacob Markstrom got the start and saved. 23 of 26 shots.

Here are my notes from this game:

Dumoulin-Trouba: The Ducks coaching staff has seemingly found a shutdown pair they intend to match against opposing top lines. Brian Dumoulin and Jacob Trouba went head-to-head with the Palat-Hughes-Bratt line for New Jersey, and while their underlying numbers were poor (27.1% xGF), they eliminated sticks and bodies in front of the net and broke up chances at timely moments in the game.

Dumoulin is calm, surprisingly shifty on the breakout, and displays textbook defensive fundamentals.

"He's a great player, you can see that he has a great voice," Lukas Dostal said after the game of Dumoulin. "He sees the game so well, and he's been a big help for us this year."

Trouba is tenacious and makes it nearly impossible to get to the inside lanes against him. He showed some offensive flash in this game, leading a rush and looking for teammates moving into the slot for passes rather than peppering the net at every instance.

Rush Offense: The rush offense generated in the Ducks' last game against the Oilers continued in this game. In coverage, players were quicker to support on the puck, and players off the puck jumped to join rushes on the weak side.

After entry, there's been more of an emphasis on changing pace, stopping up, and waiting for trailing teammates in lanes for east/west passes rather than funneling all pucks to the net regardless of time and space.

Ryan Strome: Strome has always played a detail-oriented game and is one of the better play-builders in the league. The coaching staff has utilized his line in matchup circumstances, and he, especially, has risen to the occasion.

"The first half of the game, he was just okay," Cronin said after the game. "I thought he was awesome at the end. He's a veteran, and he makes plays, and those guys (his line with Vatrano and Terry) read each other."

Strome has added layers of tenacity, winning more wall battles and driving pucks to the crease. He's gaining body position on opponents and coming away with the puck on his stick more often than not.

Power Play: The Ducks' power play remains ice cold, only having converted one of their last 31 attempts. Assistant coach Rich Clune has tried personnel in different positions within the structure, but there's very little east/west emphasis, as pucks are kept to the perimeter and shots are taken sans movement from distance.

Penalty Kill: The Ducks penalty kill had their hands full with Jack Hughes in this game. He's as crafty as they come, darts in and out of lanes, and finds every seam available.

They've done well to pressure at the defensive blueline upon entry and kill plays before opponents set up. Their in-zone structure will need to become more attentive and disruptive if they're to improve their kill rate.

The Ducks will next travel to face another cup contender in the form of the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.

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