Takeaways from the Ducks' 4-2 Victory over the Blue Jackets

The Anaheim Ducks hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night in the fourth game of their six-game home stand.

Game #14: Ducks vs. Blue Jackets Gameday Preview

Columbus was playing their second game of a back-to-back after losing to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.

Ducks head coach Greg Cronin shuffled forward lines more to spark the NHL's lowest-producing offensive team.

Mason McTavish was forced to miss this game as he's listed day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Cam Fowler also missed this game, his second in a row, with an upper-body injury.

John Gibson made his season debut in this game. He faced a high volume of shots but was able to stop 38 of 40 and 1.63 goals above expected.

Daniil Tarasov started this game for the Blue Jackets and stopped 26 of 29 shots.

Ducks vs Blue Jackets Pre-Game Stat Pack

Here are my notes from this game:

Jackson LaCombe: LaCombe, like a lot of the Ducks defensemen in this game, struggled early to advance pucks to their strong side outlets. He leveled out and was especially impactful pinching in the offensive zone to keep possessions alive and generate more offense.

Defensive Zone Coverage: In their end, the Ducks were caught on the ice for extended periods of time. They didn't surrender many significant chances on the cycle, but they were uncharacteristically susceptible to switches and weaves high in the zone. Tired legs could be the cause, but that could be a concern against teams with scoring depth.

Matchups: Cronin hard-matched Isac Lundestrom's line with Brock McGinn and Robby Fabbri against the Blue Jackets top line of Sean Monahan, Adam Fantilli, and Kirill Marchenko.

Columbus' top line is the NHL's best in terms of expected goals for percentage (minimum of 100 minutes). The Ducks' listed third line remained diligent against them, never surrendering positioning or allowing their assignments to breathe despite the possession disparity. Fantilli replaced Chinakhov on that line, but their metrics remained stellar.

John Gibson: For the most part, Gibson seemed to be up to game speed in his debut. He had a difficult time tracking Columbus' first goal, but his game-management skills remained impactful.

He freezes pucks or plays them to corners based on how the play is unfolding around him. If he feels his team can push tempo, he'll play pucks to spots where they can start a clean breakout, or if he feels the team in front of him needs a reset, he'll swallow up shots and freeze it.

Power Play: The Ducks top power play unit received roughly 62 percent of the ice time with the man advantage. Frank Vatrano found a new spot in the bumper with Trevor Zegras and Leo Carlsson on the flanks. Troy Terry and Olen Zellweger remained in their spots at the bottom and top of the structure, respectively.

The unit was considerably more comfortable and connected as they generated a myriad of dangerous looks. They ran play through Terry against the Blue Jackets' diamond setup, who created several chances from the goal line.

Vatrano fits seamlessly in the bumper as it's a spot where he can catch and release or fish for loose pucks around the slot. That unit could get several more looks in the coming games.

The Ducks will next host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday at 7 pm PST.

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