Ducks thrive in the power play to put out Flames

CALGARY, Alberta – The Anaheim Ducks have continued their meteoric start to the season with a 4-2 victory over the Calgary Flames to improve to a 4-1-0 record.

Electric offense was the defining factor of the young Ducks last season and that's been the case so far this season as well. The Ducks' fast-paced offense has already made them the third-best team in the NHL by points per game with five and that offense carried them a long way agains the flames. 

The Ducks put up two goals in the first period to take an early 2-0 lead, first with a snapshot by Jackson LaCombe midway through the first period followed by a deflection from Frank Vatrano that snuck it's way past Calgary goaltender Dustin Wolf to pad the Ducks' lead. 

Flames Keep Burning

But as quickly as Anaheim went ahead in the first period, the Flames weren't going away just yet. 

Calgary added a goal of its own in the first period with a wrist shot from Morgan Frost and the Flames scored the lone goal in the second half for either team with a wrist shot by Aydar Suniev, his first goal of the season, with just over two minutes left in the second period to tie the game up 2-2.

But even if the Ducks were held scoreless, their onslaught picked right back up in the third period with two goals. Ryan Poehling broke the tie five-and-a-half minutes into the final period and Nikita Nesterenko added on some insurance after he poked in the puck to improve the Ducks' lead 4-2.

Power Play Progress

On paper, both the Ducks and the Flames were nearly even in shots, hits and faceoffs won,  but the Ducks thrived both in the power play, both by scoring one of their own power play goals, and overcoming the Flames' power play by scoring a shorthanded goal of their own.

Thriving in the power play has been one of the Ducks' particular strengths, but being able to overcome their own shorthanded status is an encouraging sign to the resilience of the young Anaheim roster.

The Ducks have been improving on everything they began to build last season with their hot start and after showing off the full depths of their offensive talents against the Flames, more good things project to be yet to come for the Ducks with the season so early in the making.